Quick information

🏎️ Fiat 500e
📍 Italy
🛠️ Electric 95HP
💨 9,5 seconds
🔝 135km/h
💶 28.000€ in Europe
💵 33.000$ in the United States

What is it?

Born in 2020, the Fiat 500e represents the first concrete intent of the Turin brand to electrify its most popular cars. It is in fact a 500 electrified and revised on the aesthetic side, both externally and internally. The car is cheap and trendy, which is why it has become the best-selling electric car of 2020-2021 in Italy. It competes with other successful electric cars, such as the Renault Zoe and the Peugeot e-208. The 500e was also produced in the Cabriolet edition limited to 500 units per country.

Design

Fiat 500e: prezzo e autonomia dell'elettrica cittadina - HDmotori.it
📷 Fiat

The 500e has the same shape and proportions as the contemporary 500. The most evident changes can be seen in the front, in which the “Fiat” logo has been replaced by the “500” logo and the grille has been removed as it is useless in an EV. It is also noted that the door handles are absent: in their place, there is a hollow curvature of the car inside which the button dedicated to opening is placed. The headlights are LED as standard both front and rear. The dimensions, similar to those of the petrol-powered 500, are 3,63 x 1,67 meters.

Interior

Fiat 500 elettrica: “la Prima” adesso è anche berlina a 34.900 euro
📷 insideevs.it

The interior features more modern technologies and aesthetic solutions than those of the petrol-powered sister: the infotainment is touch screen and has a size of 10 inches, while for the first time on a Fiat the cockpit is digital, and takes on a particular rounded shape. It is noted that the infotainment is absent if not purchased as an option at around 2000€/$. The basic versions also have a 7-inch infotainment not as evolved as the 10-inch “Cinerama”. The dashboard is mainly made of low-quality rigid plastic.

Technology 

Fiat 500 elettrica: il prezzo di lancio della prima versione | Virgilio  Motori
📷 motori.virgilio.it

Given the safety regulations imposed by the European Union, the 500e, like any other electric car, had to have a sound. The engineers had the original choice to use the soundtrack of the film Amarcord (an Italian classic) instead of a sci-fi-like sound like that of the competitors. The 500e is also the first Fiat equipped with level 2 autonomous driving. This means that the vehicle is unable to drive 100% autonomously, but that artificial intelligence can intervene in the simplest maneuvers. The 10-inch infotainment has been called “Cinerama”, as its long and narrow format is reminiscent of films screened in cinemas. It has panels dedicated to navigation (optional) and to connect with smartphones. This vehicle also features three driving modes: Normal, Range and Sherpa. The Normal allows the driver to use the car without any limitations; the Range often induces automatic braking (thanks to the level 2 autonomous driving) in order to recharge the car’s batteries through the operation of the braking system; the Sherpa is even more extreme as it limits the top speed to 80km/h and inactivates the air conditioning.

Mechanics

The bodywork, the drum brakes and the suspensions are inherited from the 500. The powertrain is offered in two variants, both electric: the basic one is a 95HP combined with a very small 23.8kWh battery; the most advanced version delivers 118HP and equips a 42kWh battery. The two versions have respectively 180 and 320km of autonomy in the mixed cycle. The acceleration is slightly faster than that of the petrol 500, while the top speed is significantly lower. Fast charging reaches the speed of 85kW, guaranteeing 50km of autonomy in just 5 minutes of charging. The good structure also allowed the 500e to obtain the maximum 5-star score at the Euro NCAP crash tests, an excellent result especially considering that it’s a citycar.

Our vote: ⭐⭐⭐⚡ (3,5/5)