The new Fiat 500e could be the perfect commuter car for urban dwellers or the ideal second (or third) vehicle in many suburban garages.
It has enough range – up to 162 miles if driven sedately – for most daily commuting and errand-running needs, comfortably seats two (the back seat is better utilized as a storage compartment) and doesn’t need a fancy high-powered charger to replenish its relatively small battery.
It is retro-cute, fuel efficient as all-get-out and an absolute blast to drive thanks to its ultra-short wheelbase, light weight, low center of gravity and instant torque.
[A 10-min. read]
Some Big Buts…
But thanks to federal tax credit rules that favor North American-built electric vehicles (except for leased models) and to immutable laws of economics and energy storage that make it pretty much impossible for automakers to profitably build EVs that costs under $30,000 and can hit the 200-mile mark for range, most of the 2024 Fiat 500es that have made it to our shores are still languishing on dealers’ lots.
Fewer than 200 were sold nationwide in the first three months after its April launch and most recent report we’ve seen says there are more than 1,000 piling up, unsold.
With pricing starting at $34,095, even current lease specials that factor-in the federal tax credit require a monthly payment of around $300 plus almost $5,000 up front. Buyers have it even worse. Payments with a standard 10% down and a five-year loan from Stellantis Finance at 2.9% annual interest are a stiff $551 per month.
Tough Competition
That’s a pretty rich for what the 500e offers, especially compared to larger, more powerful and longer-range EVs in roughly the same price range, including -with their $7,500 federal tax credit eligibility- the 315-mile Chevrolet Equinox, the base 206-mile Volkswagen ID.4 and both the 272-mile standard-range and 341-mile long-range rear-wheel drive versions of the Tesla Model 3.
Its pricing, along with its size and sub-200-mile range, mean the Fiat 500e’s most direct competitor will likely be the Mini Electric Hardtop, which offers just 114 miles of range. The larger but still sub-$40,000 Hyundai Kona Electric and Nissan Leaf will be in the mix as well. Fiat is positioning the 500e as the ideal first new car — just coincidentally an EV — for many younger drivers, as well as great around-town transportation for empty nesters and urban dwellers looking to beat congestion and parking woes.
The 2024 Fiat 500e debuted in early 2024 with a trim called the 500e Inspi(RED) – or (RED) for short – with various special editions to be “dropped” into the mix during the model year. So far, Beauty and Music specials are available and one called Los Angeles is coming.
Pricing for the (RED) Edition trim starts at $34,095. That puts it above the Mini Electric Hardtop and base Nissan Leaf, both with less range than the Fiat. The base Hyundai Kona Electric, at $34,050, is on par price-wise but has more passenger and cargo space and delivers 25% more range. The rear-drive Tesla Model 3 with standard battery has, after deducting the $7,500 tax credit, a real cost of $33,130.
2024 Fiat 500e Features and Pricing
(RED): The launch version of the 2024 Fiat 500e starts at $34,095 including a $1,595 destination fee. Standard equipment includes 17-inchs, LED lighting front and rear, six-way manually adjustable driver seat with height adjustment, four-way adjustable front passenger seat, black fabric upholstery, a 50:50 split rear seat, automatic climate control, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging pad and a manual tilt and telescope steering column.
Despite its name, the (RED) trim is available in two other colors – black or white. All have a red dash panel and red side mirror covers. Special editions will offer other color choices.
The (RED) and other 500e trims also feature the song “The Sound of 500” by Italian composers Flavio Ibba and Marco Gualdi. The required electronic tone that serves as a pedestrian warning is broadcast through external speakers at speeds of up to 20 mph, but for a few seconds after that, as well as when the ignition is switched off, the first bars of the signature “Sound of 500” are played.
Music: The first of several special trims, the 2024 Fiat 500e Inspired by Music (a terribly long name!) starts at $37,595 and offers all the (RED) features plus cream interior, vegan leather – aka vinyl – trimmed upholstery and a JBL sound system. It is available only in tuxedo black paint with chrome trim.
Beauty: The 2024 Fiat 500e Inspired by Beauty also starts at $37,595. It features rose gold exterior paint with chrome accents, and a cream interior with vinyl-trimmed upholstery and a two-color soft-touch steering wheel.
Los Angeles: This is a new “drop” slated for fall of 2024. It likely will have the same $37,595 pricing. Fiat says it will come with “Marine Layer Mist” pale blue exterior paint and a JBL sound system. From photos we’ve seen, the interior looks to be a foggy white or light grey.
Fiat 500e Battery and Performance
The U.S. version of the 500e’s get a lithium0ion battery pack rated at 42 kWh of total capacity; 37.3 kWh of usable power. The battery pack, all 652 pounds, is installed beneath the floor, giving the 500e a very low center of gravity for improved stability.
Although its tuning favors maximum range rather than acceleration, the 2025 Fiat 500e’s light weight – just a tad under 3,000 pounds – and 118-horsepower, front-mounted electric motor with 162 pound-feet of torque give the U.S. version a bit of oomph. It’s not race car, but Fiat says it can lope from a standing start to 60 mph in 8.5 seconds flat, versus 9.5 seconds for the European version with its 32% smaller battery and 95 hp motor.
There are three drive modes, Normal, Range (with favors miles over performance) and Sherpa, a maximum efficiency mode that limits stop speed to 50 mph – flooring the accelerator will override it – and adjusts other energy-consuming features, such as heating and air conditioning, to minimize battery drain. purpose “Sherpa” mode is there to help insure that you can get home – or to the nearest DC fast-charge station – before running out of juice.
The only way to initiate one-pedal driving is to slip into either Range or Sherpa modes. There are only light and moderate regeneration levels to choose from in Normal mode, which is where most driver will leave the mode selector most of the time.
The 2024 Fiat 500e’s short wheelbase makes for a fairly choppy ride on all but glassy surfaces. But it also combines with the 500es torque, quick steering, purpose-built EV platform and all-aluminum chassis to provide for sporty handling. Though not for everyone, those with the budget to justify a short-range EV with smile-inducing style, kart-like handling and a mid-$30K price tag might find the 2024 500e worth considering.
Range and Charging Time
The 2024 Fiat 500e can travel up to 149 miles on a single charge when equipped with the no-cost optional summer tires. On the all-season tires that come from the factory unless summer tires are requested, estimated range drops slightly – to 141 miles. In either case, that’s not sufficient to make it a car for every reason, but it is certainly enough for a commuter car. Low range is also good for keeping teenage drivers from wandering too far from home on a Friday night.
The Fiat’s range trails both the Hyundai Kona Electric, which boasts up to 261 miles on a charge (or 200 miles for the trim with the smallest battery), and the Nissan Leaf SV Plus, which is EPA-rated at 215 miles. It ties with the base Leaf SV, however, and handily beats the Mini Electric Hardtop’s 114 miles per charge.
Fiat says the 500e’s range can increase to as much as 162 miles if it is driven only in city traffic and the driver makes use of the Range mode with its one-pedal setting to recapture energy at every stop and slow-down. We didn’t try that but did find in just over 130 miles of driving, mainly in Normal mode and split between Southern California freeways and hilly rural roads, that the little Fiat is perfectly capable of delivering its EPA estimated range.
The U.S. version of the 500e can use DC fast charging but maxes out at 85 kWh. Still, with just 37.2 kWh of usable battery capacity, that’s quick enough to take a depleted battery from 10% to 80% of capacity in 25 minutes. Competitors take longer to charge. All except the Mini have larger batteries than the Fiat 500e.
For home charging on 240-volt, Level 2 equipment, the Fiat 500e is up there with the big guys. It is equipped with an 11-kW onboard charger, which is quick enough to bring a fully depleted battery back to 100% in about four hours. Among competitors, only the Mini EV can charge at up to 11 kW; the Leaf is slowest at 6.6 kW.
The 2024 Fiat 500e comes with the buyer’s choice of either a new Level 2 home charger from Wallbox or credits to use toward DC fast charging when on the road.
Inside the Fiat 500e
The 2024 500e features more upscale interior materials than the plasticky cabin of its predecessor, although door panels aren’t padded and there’s a lot of hard plastic on the dash.
A 10.25-inch centrally mounted infotainment screen dominates the dash – and the driver gets a 7-inch info screen as well. Other standard features include push-button door latches, a long, skinny center console with covered and open storage – but only one cup holder – and well-padded and bolstered front seats. They’re in black fabric with red contrast stitching and the “500” logo for the (RED) trim and for the special editions (so far) in cream vinyl with FIAT picked out multiple times in contrast stitching. The 50:50 split bench seat in the second row is pretty tight and best left to the bambini. Upholstery material is partly made from recycled plastic scooped from the ocean.
Physical switches are used to operate the climate system, but most other feature controls have been moved to the central touchscreen. A six-speaker audio system with available Wi-Fi hot spot is standard on the (RED), as are a pair of USB ports.
The narrow center console doesn’t have room for a gear selector. That function relocates to the center of the dash, with a row of push-button gear selectors set just beneath a central open cubby and the climate control array.
The 2024 model is 3 inches longer and 2 inches taller and wider than the previous 500e sold in the U.S., but it is still the smallest vehicle in its competitive set. Front headroom, at 41.8 inches, just trails the segment-leading Leaf’s 42.1 inches but is a mere four-tenths of an inch better than the worst of the group – the [Mini Electric Hardtop’s 41.4 inches.
In the rear seating area, the 500e trails the pack with just 29.45 inches of legroom, versus 36.4 inches for the Hyundai Kona Electric], and 33.5 inches for the Nissan Leaf. Even the Mini does better, with 30.8 inches of rear legroom. The 500e also trails the pack in rear headroom and bests only the Mini in front headroom.
Cargo capacity in the 500e’s truncated trunk is just 7.5 cubic feet, about half the capacity of the average trunk and 1.2 cubic feet less (about the capacity of an airline carry-on bag) than the Mini Electric. The Kona and the Leaf each offer more than three times the cargo area behind their rear seats. The 500e’s short and downward dipping hood leaves no room for a frunk.
Safety Stuff
The 2024 Fiat 500e hasn’t been crash-tested by either the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ([NHTSA](https://www.nhtsa.gov/ratings)) or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ([IIHS](https://www.iihs.org/ratings)). Overseas, the 500e was awarded a four-star (out of five) crash safety rating in 2021 by both the European and Australian New Car Assessment Programs (NCAP).
Standard safety and driver-assist features include forward-collision warning with autonomous emergency braking and pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, and lane-keeping assist. There’s also a pedestrian and bicyclist warning system to let you know someone’s coming when you start to open the driver or passenger door.
The special editions all come with adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, and blind spot and cross-traffic monitoring as well.
A Few Last Words
The pocket-sized 2024 Fiat 500e has a number of things going for it, not the least of which are a small footprint and nimble handling that make it a joy to drive in crowded cities. But cost does matter and there are other electric choices with equal or more range that cost less than this auto elettrica from Turin.
