Driven: Fiat 500e La Prima EV

Fiat’s three-year-old 500e will go on sale in Australia from around August, 2023. The tiny hatchback EV is a common 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 across Europe’s 10 largest markets.

READ MORE: Abarth Nuova 500e is a faster Fiat 500e and it’s coming to Australia

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 annual production numbers will continue to rise.

Value

Stellantis Australia announced the 500e La Prima hatch would cost $52,500, plus on road costs, back in March.

Surprisingly, that price means the Fiat will be less costly in Australia than Italy, where it’s manufactured. Convert the €38,650 Italian price to Australian dollars, using the current exchange rate, and you’ll find that number translates to almost $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 also well above the price of some larger and more practical imports from China, notably the $45,000 MG4 due to arrive around the same time as the Fiat 500e.

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

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

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 architecture that’s 95 newly designed parts.

The EV isn’t very much roomier than the ICE-powered 500. Some extra 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 means tall occupants will feel they’re sitting uncomfortably high in the Fiat.

Predictably, room is tight in two-passenger rear seat. Leg room is scanty and there’s not a lot of head 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 hard plastic some folk find offensive.

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

The central 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 ambience is pleasant and welcoming. Just don’t expect spaciousness.       

Performance and efficiency

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

At middling speeds the Fiat has no trouble keeping up with more powerful traffic, though acceleration does taper off above 100km/h.

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

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

Though the battery pack is small, the car’s overall energy efficiency is aided by its smallness and relative lightness. At around 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 more realistic rating by the authoritative experts at ev-database.org is 165 to 355km, depending on temperature and driving conditions, and an average of 235km.

Charging

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

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

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

The Fiat’s plug port is the common CCS type, like almost 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 better 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 agile and accurate. It responds neatly to steering wheel inputs and the brake pedal feels more natural than in some other EVs.

The turning circle is impressively tight, even 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 best most of the time. 

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

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

Talking point

The Fiat’s phone charging tray features a city skyline. It’s so subtle that some may fail 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 also awarded the car a four-star rating. 

Verdict

The Fiat 500e may not have a huge driving range, but it has more charm than any other EV at the lower end of the price spectrum.

Will Australians fall for its cuteness the way Europeans have? Hard to say, but those who do won’t be disappointed. 

Fiat 500e La Prima Specifications

Price: $52,500 plus on-road costs

Basics: EV, 4 seats, 2 doors, small hatchback, FWD

Range: 315-331km (WLTP)

Battery capacity: 37kWh

Battery warranty: 8 years/160,000km

Energy consumption: 14.0 to 14.3kWh/100km

Motors: 1 front, 87kW/220Nm

AC charging: 11kW, Type 2 plug

DC charging: 85kW, CCS plug

0-100km/h: 9.0 seconds