The Fiat 500e is the latest model to qualify for the full £3,750 Electric Car Grant (ECG) from the Government. This has knocked the chic EV’s starting price down to just £17,245, and made it one of the cheapest cars on sale in the UK, electric or otherwise. Thanks to the grant, the electric version of the iconic city car also now costs less than the petrol-powered Fiat 500, which currently starts from a whisper under £19,000. Every version of the Fiat 500e, including the hard-top hatchback and drop-top cabrio, plus the spicier Abarth 500e hot hatch, receive the maximum £3,750 grant. The £17k entry-level version offers 118 miles of range from its small 24kWh battery and a 94bhp front-mounted e-motor. Or for an extra £3,000, the 500e gets a 42kWh battery for up to 199 miles of range, and 116bhp on tap that cuts the car’s 0-62mph time from 9.5 to 9.0 seconds. That might not be particularly fast, but it’s light-speed compared with the Fiat 500 Hybrid, which takes an excruciating 17.3 seconds to hit 62mph. There are just two trim levels for the Fiat 500e – Icon and La Prima – with every model featuring alloy wheels, a 10.25-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, keyless go, a 7.0-inch instrument display and plenty of driver-assistance tech. The Abarth 500e, which is now available from £24,245 thanks to the grant, pumps out 150bhp and can sprint from 0-62mph in exactly seven seconds. It may only have a range of 157 miles, but it also comes with a ‘sound generator’ that provides a suitably rorty synthesised exhaust note and sporty bucket seats. The new grants are effective immediately, so any customer buying a Fiat 500e or Abarth 600e from today will be eligible for the discount. The Fiat 600e small SUV also qualifies for the Government’s Electric Car Grant, but because it slots into Band 2, not Band 1 like its baby brother, customers only get £1,500 off the price tag. Fiat’s Grande Panda, meanwhile, doesn’t benefit from any grant money, but even without a discount, the Auto Express Supermini of the Year for 2025 is available from less than £20,000 through our Buy A Car service.
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