Fiat enters the electric age with the stylish, classy and peppy 500e, but are you prepared to pay more than $50K for the tiny EV?
- How much does the Fiat 500e cost?
- What equipment comes with the Fiat 500e?
- How safe is the Fiat 500e?
- What technology does the Fiat 500e feature?
- What powers the Fiat 500e?
- How far can the Fiat 500e go on a charge?
- What is the Fiat 500e like to drive?
- What is the Fiat 500e like inside?
- Should I buy a Fiat 500e?
The 2023 Fiat 500e looks great and that’s half the battle won in the Italian car-maker’s eyes. It was a similar story for the Fiat 500 reboot when it was introduced back in 2007; people bought it because they wanted it. It might not have been the best in class to drive, but no rivals matched the cute retro appeal of the 500 – and with well over 2.5 million sold globally, the pint-sized Fiat has been a huge hit. Now, to future-proof the 500 hatch, Fiat has switched to electric. Almost all-new from the ground up, there’s now less to forgive with the new 500e – that is, aside from its towering $52,500 starting price – but that hasn’t been a barrier to success in Europe. Last year, Fiat shifted 70,000 of them, making it parent Stellantis’ best-selling global EV. Fiat hopes to replicate some of that success Down Under when it launches here from July.
How much does the Fiat 500e cost?
Fiat Australia has kept things very simple with the introduction of the 2023 Fiat 500e.
There’s just the one model grade offered – La Prima – and pricing kicks off at a startling $52,500 plus on-road costs for the tiny EV, which is due to begin arriving Down Under around July.
That is more than double the starting price of the current internal combustion-engined (ICE) Fiat 500, which opens at $23,100 for the 1.2-litre Lounge, but the 500e is a new-generation model and Fiat is moving full steam ahead to becoming an EV-only brand by 2030.
The ICE 500 will continue to be sold alongside the EV, but it’s only a matter of time before it’s phased out.
Putting its lofty positioning into perspective, the Fiat 500e is more expensive than the new breed of compact EVs coming from China, but sits below the (larger and more powerful) European MINI Cooper SE that starts from $64,975 plus ORCs.
At the other end of the scale, the GWM Ora is quicker, matches the Italian for range (310km) and offers more space, priced from $43,990 plus ORCs. The all-new MG4 hatch is coming soon, too, priced from $44,990 plus ORCs.
Fiat’s sportier and more powerful Abarth 500e is also on its way to Australia, due late this year.
What equipment comes with the Fiat 500e?
Offsetting its hefty pricing, the all-electric 2023 Fiat 500e will give buyers little reason to visit the options list, other than to personalise their car.
The Fiat 500e La Prima comes with 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, LED headlights and tail-lights, a panoramic fixed-glass roof, privacy glass and keyless entry/start.
Six exterior colours are available, with Ice White the only no-cost option. Mineral Grey, Ocean Green, Onyx Black and Rose Gold add $700, while the Celestial Blue tri-coat finish adds $1600.
Inside, there’s white ‘eco-leather’ (fake) upholstery, six-way manual-adjust heated front seats, climate-control air-conditioning, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, six-speaker stereo and a 50/50-split folding rear bench.
The 500e is covered by Fiat Australia’s measly three-year/150,000km warranty, while the battery is supported by a separate eight-year/150,000km warranty.
Service intervals and pricing are still to be confirmed.
How safe is the Fiat 500e?
The Fiat 500e was crash-tested by Euro NCAP back in 2021 and achieved four stars out of five, which is disappointing.
It received 76 per cent for adult occupant protection, 80 per cent for child occupant protection, 67 per cent for vulnerable road users and 67 per cent for Safety Assist tech.
On the latter, there’s a useful amount of advanced driver assist (ADAS) features on board, including autonomous emergency braking, although Euro NCAP said the AEB system performed ‘marginally’ when testing its reaction to other vehicles.
Among other ADAS equipment on the 500e, there’s lane keep assist, a blind spot monitor, traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning, driver fatigue detection, tyre pressure monitoring, auto high beam and adaptive cruise control.
A reversing camera and parking sensors at the front, side and rear of the car are provided, too.
Dual front airbags, head-protecting curtain airbags front and rear and side-impact airbags for the front occupants are fitted, but there’s no rear side airbags or the now-common front centre airbags that prevent head-clash in the event of a collision.
ISOFIX points are provided for child restraints in the rear seat, but it’s pretty cramped back there, so parents in Europe now have the option of mounting a restraint on the front passenger seat with compatible mounting points.
It’s not clear whether this new feature will also be included in Australian-spec cars.
What technology does the Fiat 500e feature?
The 2023 Fiat 500e comes with the car-maker’s latest UConnect 5 infotainment system that’s operated via a 10.25-inch centre touch-screen display.
Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity is offered, supported by three USB ports (two USB-C and one USB-A), a 12-volt charging port and a wireless phone charging pad on a shelf below the gear selector.
Satellite navigation is also included.
Ahead of the driver is a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster that is both clear and configurable. There’s no head-up display.
What powers the Fiat 500e?
The 2023 Fiat 500e is strictly front-wheel drive with a front-mounted electric motor that produces 87kW of power and 220Nm of torque. It draws energy from a 42kW lithium-ion battery.
Off the line, the 500e can accelerate from 0-100km/h in a claimed 9.0 seconds, before topping out at a speed-limited 150km/h.
Tipping the scales at 1365kg, the little Fiat has a bit of a weight problem and its battery pack alone is said to weigh a considerable 295kg.
Based on an all-new architecture that is unique to Fiat and not currently shared with any other Stellantis brand, the 500e is almost exactly the same size as the combustion-engined car, measuring 3632mm long, 1683mm wide and standing 1527mm tall.
That’s only 61mm longer, 56mm wider and 39mm taller than the ICE 500, although the wheelbase has been stretched by 24mm for more interior space.
Despite starting from scratch with the new platform, no exotic suspension components or set-ups have been explored. Up front there’s MacPherson struts, while at the rear you’ll find a humble torsion bar.
Like the cheaper Volkswagen Group EVs, Fiat has also chosen drum brakes on the rear axle rather than discs.
Unlike some of its bigger rivals, the little Fiat can’t offer vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging, with no plans to offer the handy way of charging electrical appliances any time soon.
How far can the Fiat 500e go on a charge?
Fiat says that with a full charge the 2023 Fiat 500e La Prima with the 42kWh battery can cover up to 327km, based on the WLTP testing cycle.
In Europe, a smaller 24kWh version is offered but that car can only travel 190km.
In mixed driving conditions, the Fiat 500e will return around 13.7kWh/100km combined.
Plug it into a fast DC charger and Fiat says the 500e will charge at a rate of up to 85kW, which sounds disappointing but a 0-80 per cent top-up only takes around 35 minutes, according to the car-maker, with 40km of range added in just five minutes.
The maximum AC charging (with a wallbox at home or work) is 11kW, which translates to a 20-80 per cent charge taking a little over four hours.
If you only have access to a 220V domestic plug, you’ll have to wait 21 hours and 30 minutes to fully replenish the battery.
What is the Fiat 500e like to drive?
Climb behind the wheel of the 2023 Fiat 500e and prepare for a shock, especially if you’re familiar with the current model.
The first bit of good news is that, off the line, the EV feels quicker than its 9.0sec 0-100km/h time suggests, with more than enough get-up-and go to shrug off its 1.4-tonne kerb weight.
What’s more, even at highway speeds over 110km/h, the 500e still doesn’t feel like it’s a liability, easily keeping up with traffic.
At three-figure speeds, the micro-hatch feels stable in a way the current (ICE) generation doesn’t, and this more-mature bigger-car feel extends to the ride.
Fiat’s engineers have obviously favoured relatively stiff springs but they’re combined with a set of well-judged dampers, which means there’s little roll through bends and a distinct lack of crashiness over big bumps.
The broad (205/45) Continental EcoContact 6 tyres that are wrapped around 17-inch rims also dish up very respectable levels of grip that even in the wet sees the 500e cling on hard when cornering.
Push too hard and the nose washes wide, but lift off the throttle and the front-end regains its bite neatly.
The range of adjustment for the driving position is good, while great visibility and light-but-precise steering all inspire confidence and help you easily navigate the little Fiat through cramped and bustling city streets. The 9.7m turning circle is great, too.
On the highway we did notice some high-pitch whining from the motor or inverter at 104km/h, plus unwanted road and tyre noise permeating through the rear floor – but this extra noise isn’t a deal breaker in the micro-car class.
Three driving modes are offered – the optimum Normal mode with little regenerative braking, a Range mode that numbs the throttle and dials-up the regen, plus a horrible Sherpa mode that culls the climate control and limits the speed to 80km/h.
One-pedal driving is also available.
What is the Fiat 500e like inside?
Hard interior plastics advertise that the 2023 Fiat 500e has been designed to a city-car price point.
But we’re willing to forgive the Italian car-maker as we think, overall, its target audience won’t care as the cabin design is a hit.
From the fabric-wrapped door cards and smart choice of materials to the skyline of Turin on the wireless charging pad, the cabin detailing is classy and, crucially, the controls are simple to use.
The infotainment system, for example, has welcome physical buttons for the climate control and the toggles to adjust the driving modes and volume on the central panel between the driver and passenger seats feel like a masterstroke compared to other brands that hide everything in a touch-screen’s sub-menus.
Of course, it’s not perfect.
There’s no lumber support on the seats, the front passenger weirdly sits too high and, despite being based on a dedicated skateboard-style EV platform, the boot is small (185 litres), there’s no frunk and rear headroom and legroom are insufficient for adults.
There’s also no spare wheel, but in the cities and towns in which most Fiat 500 EVs will live, perhaps that doesn’t matter as much.
Should I buy a Fiat 500e?
If you can ignore its towering price tag just for a minute, it’s pleasing to report that there’s more reason than ever before to buy a Fiat 500-badged hatch. Or less reason not to buy one.
The 2023 Fiat 500e is a decent drive, rides well most of the time and offers a useful range and fairly rapid charging for town and city dwellers.
For this buyer group, the pint-sized dimensions and achingly cool looks of the 500e are key selling points too, helping justify the expensive way in to Fiat’s EV era.
2023 Fiat 500e at a glance:
Price: $52,500 (plus on-road costs)
Available: July 2023
Powertrain: Single permanent magnet synchronous motor
Output: 87kW/220Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 42kWh lithium-ion (37.3kWh usable)
Range: 327km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 13.7kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Four-star (Euro NCAP 2021)
Keyword: Fiat 500e 2023 Review – International