New Fiat 600e electric SUV aims to mix green credentials with family friendly practicality – here's everything you need to know, including the price, specs and release date...
On sale Winter 2023 | Price from £30,000 (est)
Non-identical twins may not look the same on the outside, but they share a good portion of their genetic make-up. Similarly, while the new Fiat 600e has its own unique look, it’s actually twinned with several other electric SUVs under the metal.
And in this case, sharing with other cars is a good thing, because the 600e shares its underpinnings and 154bhp electric motor, with the Jeep Avenger and Peugeot e-2008 – both of which get a four-star rating from us. The 600e should be reasonably nippy for a heavy electric SUV, too – the 0-62mph sprint takes 9.0sec and, if you fancy finding out, the car has a top speed of 93mph.
The 600e’s 51kWh battery – also shared with its Jeep and Peugeot siblings – can officially take you up to 254 between charges. That’s less than the rival Kia Niro EV can manage, but the 600e fights back by beating that car’s peak charging rate, at 100kW compared with 80kW. That means a 10-80% top up could take as little as 30 minutes if you use the fastest public charging points – just time for a toilet stop and an espresso. A full charge using a home wallbox will take around six hours.
In terms of design, the 600e apes the cutesy, retro-styled looks which have made the smaller Fiat 500 such a big hit with buyers. Being an SUV designed to take over from the Fiat 500X, however, the 699e adds chunky cladding around its lower edges to emphasise its rufty tufty nature. If you really want to stand out from the crowd, then the 600e can be had with alloy wheels of up to 18in in diameter, while the Italian flag is embossed into the car’s rear bumper.
Inside, the 600e features a 7.0in digital instrument cluster and a 10.25in touchscreen infotainment system. There are also wireless connections for Apple Carplay and Android Auto. We’re yet to try this new system, but we found the similar setup in the 500 easy to use and quick to respond – albeit with some small icons which were hard to hit on the move.
In a boost for usability, there are physical controls for the climate settings, meaning you won’t have to go prodding the touchscreen just to change the temperature as you do in some rivals.
Nobody should complain about their devices running out of power, because the 600e offers USB Type A and Type C charging in the front, and more of the latter for rear-seat passengers. There’s also a wireless charging pad for your smartphone in the centre console.
Electric seat adjustment and a massage function are expected to feature as standard inside the 600e, meaning getting comfortable and staying that way on longer trips shouldn’t be a chore.
Buyers can select from Normal, Eco or Sport driving modes, which adjust the accelerator and steering response, as well as how much energy is harvested when you slow down and fed back into the battery.
The 600e beats its Avenger rival in terms of boot space, meaning a couple of large suitcases for your summer holidays aren’t likely to cause any trouble – though it’s worth noting that the e-2008 and Niro EV can hold more. Should your weekend shopping spree get out of hand, however, you can drop the 600e’s rear seats to liberate three times as much space.
Among the 600e’s driving assistance and safety features are adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking – which can also detect cyclists and pedestrians in your path – and blind spot monitoring. A driver attention monitor is also available, as is a reversing camera with a 180-degree field of view.
Official prices for Fiat’s largest SUV have yet to be announced, but we’re expecting them to start at around £30,000. That would slot the 600e neatly in-between its e-2008 and Avenger siblings in terms of price, while also making it more expensive than the Niro EV.
Keyword: 2024 Fiat 600e electric SUV revealed