The phenomenally efficient Fiat 500e is enjoyable to drive.
Over two decades of parenting has left me with a healthy appreciation for SUVs and minivans. But there comes a time when the nest empties and transportation needs change. While it’s useful to have a larger car around for road trips and hauling stuff around, one such vehicle is sufficient. The second car can be small, economical, energy efficient—the kind of car that I wouldn’t have given a second glance in the past.
When Ars first drove the Fiat 500e last spring, we were impressed with what we saw and how it drove during the few hours spent behind the wheel. But Fiat is positioning this as an ideal second car, as Fiat CEO Olivier Francois told Ars at the drive. “My ambition is not to replace your sedan or [S]UV.” The automaker wants the 500e to be your stylish but economical secondary ride.
A novel approach to branding
After spending a week with the Fiat 500e Inspired by Beauty, I can attest that the 500e does indeed make for an ideal second car, at least if you don’t have regular backseat passengers. Fiat’s tiny hatchback is also one of the most efficient BEVs Ars has ever driven, as it consistently averaged 5 mi/kWh (12.4 kWh/100 km).
Returning to US shores after a five-year absence from the market, the 500e rolls on an all-new platform designed from the ground up for EVs. That’s a great change—and here’s a weird one. Instead of buying a black 500e, one purchases the Fiat 500e Inspired By Music edition, which is black. I drove the Fiat 500e Inspired By Beauty edition, which is a striking rose gold. The 500e is also available in red (RED) and silver Marine Layer Mist (Inspired By Los Angeles).
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The branding may be a bit twee, but it makes sense for a car that Francois has referred to as the “ultimate fashion accessory.” But you’re reading Ars, not our most-excellent sibling Vogue, so this review focuses more on functionality than style.
That said, the 500e is all kinds of cute. In an ocean of black, white, and gray SUVs, Fiat’s wee, rose-gold car stands out. It’s not just the color—Fiat has given the 500e a distinctive face, with the hood giving the headlight/running-light combo an eyebrow-eyelid-eyeball appearance.
Although the materials feel more fast-fashion than haute couture, the 500e interior looks sharp. Seats are white, with “FIAT” embossed all over. Most importantly, the front seat feels bigger than it should. There’s never a sensation of feeling confined or penned in. Visibility is excellent (unless there’s an SUV next to you blocking your view), and storage is adequate with the rear seats folded down (unfortunately, they do not fold flat). With the back seats up, there are 7.5 cubic feet (212 L) of storage. Unlike most other BEVs, the 500e is frunkless, as the short (142.9 in/3,630 mm) chassis means the motor, power electronics, and other equipment needs to live there.
Behind the wheel
The cockpit is well thought out, with a 7-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch infotainment screen powered by Uconnect 5. My only complaint with the infotainment system is its pixel density, which increases the risk of fat-fingering the setting you’re trying to adjust. Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as is a wireless phone charger. There are also physical controls for the climate and media system. If you’ve got a passenger, make sure you call dibs on the front-seat cupholder. (There’s a second cupholder in the back seat.)
Weighing in at an extremely svelte (by 2024 standards) 3,000 lb (1,360 kg), the Fiat 500e is rated at 121 MPGe/100 MPGe city. But the number EV shoppers tend to focus on (sometimes to the exclusion of everything else) is range, and Fiat says the 500e can travel 162 miles (261 km) on a single charge with its 42 kWh battery. There are three driving modes on the 500e: Normal, Range, and Sherpa. Driving on Range mode all week, I was on track to eke out 170 miles (273 km) of driving, averaging 5.0 mi/kWh during our week with the car—that’s some Lucid Air territory.
Fiat says the 500e will charge to 80 percent in about 35 minutes with a Level 3 charger capable of generating 85 kW. During a 51-minute-long Level 3 charging session, the 500e charged from 24–97 percent, with a peak charging speed of 72 kW. With a Level 2 charger, the 500e will take just over nine hours to fully charge. And if you’re curious just how long a charge will take, the infotainment system will let you know based on what type of charger you’re using.
The 500e is well-mannered on the roads. To get the true one-pedal EV driving experience, Range or Sherpa mode are a must. Normal mode gives the driver a modicum more pep with the tradeoff of having to move your foot to the brake pedal to slow down, aping the feel of an internal combustion engine. I found the performance difference between Normal and Range modes minor, and one-pedal driving is most excellent.
With 117 hp (87 kW) of power and 162 lb-ft (220 Nm) of torque emanating from the front-wheel drive powertrain, the 500e goes from 0 to 60 mph (98 km/h) in around 8.5 seconds. It was sufficiently peppy, even on the interstate. In traffic, the steering is responsive and agile enough, and parallel parking in a Chicago neighborhood felt like I’d found a cheat code. The only real complaint about driving it was some wind noise once I topped 65 mph (105 km/h) on the highway.
Unlike the (RED) 500e, the Inspired By Beauty (and other) versions of the EV include a full suite of driver-assistance tech: adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, lane centering, traffic sign assistance, and automatic emergency braking. They all work as expected, but the collision avoidance system was a little twitchy, and the emergency braking unnecessarily engaged once while approaching an intersection.
What surprised us the most during our time with the 500e was how much I enjoyed driving it. I even found myself chuckling a couple of times as I walked through parking lots filled with SUVs and pickup trucks toward the tiny, rose-gold Fiat.
The Fiat 500e isn’t for everyone. It can only carry two passengers comfortably, it has limited storage space, and its range is well under 200 miles. But how often do you need a car capable of more? If the answer is “I’ve already got a car like that and don’t need a second,” the 500e is an excellent second car, electric or otherwise.
At $37,595, the 500e is one of the more inexpensive EVs available. Regrettably, it’s not eligible for the $7,500 tax credit, so keep that in mind if you’re shopping for an EV. But if you’re shopping for a second EV, look long and hard at the Fiat 500e.
