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Fiat’s three-year-old 500e will go on sale in Australia from virtually August, 2023. The tiny hatchback EV is a worldwide sight on Italian roads.

It was the best-selling EV in Italy in 2022. It was popular in Germany and Spain, too, helping it to a third place in total EV sales wideness Europe’s 10 largest markets.

Since it went into production in the Covid-blighted first half of 2020, well over 120,000 500es have been sold. With Fiat planning to launch the 500e in the USA from January next year yearly production numbers will protract to rise.

Value

Stellantis Australia spoken the 500e La Prima hatch would forfeit $52,500, plus on road costs, when in March.

Surprisingly, that price ways the Fiat will be less plush in Australia than Italy, where it’s manufactured. Convert the €38,650 Italian price to Australian dollars, using the current mart rate, and you’ll find that number translates to scrutinizingly $62,400. No, we don’t know why…

Even so, $52,500 is still a lot of money for a very small EV. It’s moreover well whilom the price of some larger and increasingly practical imports from China, notably the $45,000 MG4 due to victorious virtually the same time as the Fiat 500e.

La Prima is the top model grade in Europe. This ways the Australian market 500e will be very well equipped with infotainment and driver-assist tech.

The Italian car’s diamond is the factor that could overcome its price-to-size ratio disadvantage. In Europe the Fiat is outselling slightly worthier but way less cute EVs from mainstream brands like Opel, Peugeot and Renault.

2023 Fiat 500e La Prima video review - Drive

Inside

Though the 500e is slightly larger all over than the petrol-burning Fiat 500. Despite the resemblance the two are not related. The 500e is based on an EV-only tracery that’s 95 newly designed parts.

The EV isn’t very much roomier than the ICE-powered 500. Some uneaten interior width is noticeable, as it brings a welcome increase in shoulder room.

Front seat space is reasonable, at least for the driver. While the driver’s seat is height adjustable, the front passenger seat isn’t. This ways tall occupants will finger they’re sitting uncomfortably upper in the Fiat.

Predictably, room is tight in two-passenger rear seat. Leg room is scanty and there’s not a lot of throne room either. It’s a place for children, or small and flexible adults.

The cargo compartment provides a useful 185 litres of storage, and the 50:50 split backrest of the rear seat can be flipped to increase its volume if needed.

The snug interior of the Fiat is designed to charm, though the good looking instrument panel is made mostly of the kind of nonflexible plastic some folk find offensive.

Everything is easy to find and use. A row of pushbutton switches in the lower whet of the instrument panel unelevated the phone-charging tray are used to select gears. There’s a little toggle switch at the front of the free-standing centre panel to segregate between the Normal, Range and Sherpa driving modes.

The inside touchscreen is simple to navigate and doubles as a rear-view camera display. The Fiat does both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The instrument cluster, too, is a screen that provides a range of driver-selectable layouts.

Overall, the 500e’s interior surroundings is pleasant and welcoming. Just don’t expect spaciousness.

Performance and efficiency

According to Fiat, the 500e La Prima will slide 0-100km/h in 9.0 seconds. This isn’t quick, but it moreover fails to convey the eager way the little EV scoots off the line. It’s pretty snappy up to virtually 60km/h or so.

At middling speeds the Fiat has no trouble keeping up with increasingly powerful traffic, though velocity does taper off whilom 100km/h.

That said, the little EV is perfectly happy to trip at 110km/h, where its quiet refinement is impressive. Its top speed is electronically limited to 150km/h.

The Fiat is sold with two variegated shower packs in Europe, but only the larger will come to Australia. Gross topics of the 500e’s 400-volt lithium-ion pack is 42kW/h, of which a little over 37kW/h is usable.

Though the shower pack is small, the car’s overall energy efficiency is aided by its smallness and relative lightness. At virtually 1400kg, it’s over a tonne less hefty than some EV heavyweights.

According to the WLTP standard, the Fiat’s driving range is 315 to 331km. The increasingly realistic rating by the supervisory experts at ev-database.org is 165 to 355km, depending on temperature and driving conditions, and an stereotype of 235km.

Fiat 500e 2024 Reviews, News, Specs & Prices - Drive

Charging

The 500e’s charging tech is a strength. The Fiat comes with an 11kW on-board AC charger and can winnow up to 85kW from a DC fast charger.

This ways a 10-80 percent recharge will take only 25 minutes when plugged into a 150kW DC fast charger, or virtually 10 minutes longer if hooked up to a 50kW DC charger.

An three-phase 16 Amp 11kW wallbox will unhook a well-constructed 0-100 percent recharge in four hours, while a less plush single-phase 32 Amp 7.4kW wallbox will do the job in six hours.

The Fiat’s plug port is the worldwide CCS type, like scrutinizingly every other EV sold in Australia.

Ride and handling

For such a small car, the Fiat rides very nicely. It irons out road lumps and bumps largest than any ICE-powered car of similar size. It’s not limousine plush, but it’s headed in that direction.

Almost praiseworthy is the 500e’s overall refinement. With the exception of some road noise coming from the rear axle, it’s a quite quiet small car.

When it comes to corners, the little Italian EV is wiry and accurate. It responds neatly to steering wheel inputs and the restriction pedal feels increasingly natural than in some other EVs.

The turning whirligig is impressively tight, plane for such a small car. It’ll be a very easy car to live with in the city.

Of the three driving modes, Normal is the one that works the weightier most of the time.

Choosing Range brings a big increase in regenerative braking, which might request to the kind of suburbanite who prefers one-pedal driving. Fiat doesn’t provide any separate welding of regen braking.

The Sherpa driving mode, which trims the output of the electric motor and other current consumers to uplift range, is intended for the EV suburbanite who’s struggling to reach a charger.

Talking point

The Fiat’s phone charging tray features a municipality skyline. It’s so subtle that some may goof to notice it. The silhouette is Turin, a sly reminder that the 500e is made in Italy. The ICE-powered 500 is instead manufactured in Poland.

Safety

The Fiat 500e has earned a four-star safety rating from ANCAP. It’s based on 2021 testing by EuroNCAP, which moreover awarded the car a four-star rating.