Fiat 500e in-depth owner’s review: A small EV with a big personality 

Regular viewers will know that, as much as I love this car, we do have to sell it to make way for the IONIQ 5. Fancy it? Here it is (still with the new car smell!) www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108226521238

I own one, and I love it, both for city and high roads I did a 433 km ride and only 1 stop for a near full charge which isn't bad at all. The Zoe biggest drawback for me, is the recharge time is too long, Honda E lack of range. My choice was easily made. Not even talking about the looks, the FIAT got personality in abundance, the others not

Followed you since the Italian trip. Excellent review and your presentation style is developing really well.

Great video. I was looking for a real world in depth analysis. Very tempted to get this as my next company car. We really don’t need anything bigger. Makes a nice change from enormous SUV’s and should be perfect for Athens (where I live). Well done again and thanks.

The one with the slower charging is the Action or Passion. The icon is the second best one 😉 Other than that awesome video! I am especially very happy that you showed the back 12 Volt socket because rumor has it that in the 2022 model that got removed alongside the close button on the passenger door. Since my mom and I are picking ours up on the 15th I will check those instantly.

Hi Tim, thanks for picking me up at the station to collect the Fiat the other day. Just to let you know that I got back to Portsmouth without having to charge and achieved 5.8mi/kWh and still had 37% charge with a 66 mile range after driving 135.3 miles. Not bad eh?

A great 2 person city/local use car. Great review.

Comprehensive and entertaining review. I’d definitely consider this as a second car or possibly as my main car if I didn’t have a toddler. Looking forward to your first impressions of the IONIQ 5 later this week.

Hey can I ask about the passive entry, I am confused slightly. Someone told me it's not like normal keyless entry but which ever door you are at with the fob it lets you just unlock that one keyless and then and only then can the passenger etc open the other door...is that right? They also said when you walk away the car does not lock and you actually have to press the button on the door?

29:15 based on the continental Europe specs, the mentioned price of £1250 for the electricly operated sunroof is for trim levels *below* the La Prima. The La Prima has the fixed sunroof as standard, and the ability to open it as an optional extra. In continental Europe this option is €600, where for the lower spec versions the surcharge for a fixed or retractable sunroof is €600 respectively €1100.

THANK YOU. Here in OZ (Australia) the La Prima 500 EV is $57,800 (AUD) drive away. ONLY EV model sold here. The Wall Box is EXTRA at $2500 installed. (AUD) The 240 volt charger is EXTRA and the dealer charges $500 !!! (AUD) The 1.2 litre 4 cylinder 500 Dolcevita is $30,000. I was/am HIGHLY IMPRESSED with the EV. VERY $$$$$$ though. Undecided.

Hi Andrew, I'm a big fan of your channel and wanted to thank you for your excellent reviews. I'm always very grateful for your comments (thanks so much for avoiding the laddish and jokey 'Fully Charged' style adopted by so many EV reviewers). I'm also a big fan of Mrs EV's hilarious insights! But your reviews of the 500e truly inspired me to seriously consider buying one. So off I went for two test drives (in the La Prima and Icon at separate dealerships). And here's where your attention to detail really paid off for me. I've watched and read many reviews of this car and yours is the *only* one that mentions the lack of left foot space in the driver's footwell (in my opinion a serious fault that's guaranteed to mess up anyone's lumbar health in the long term). Another thing that really surprised me was the lack of height control in the Icon's 'four-way' driver's seat (this also surprised the sales staff). It transpired that 'six-way' adjustment is needed for height control. Based on this, the 500 I owned in 1972 had 'four-way' adjustment and I'm surprised things haven't moved on from there! After the Icon test drive, I wondered if the passenger's seat had 'six-way' adjustment (I didn't think to check at the time but I bet it had). By leaving the car's transition from left hand to right hand drive incomplete, is this Fiat's Brexit sanction on UK drivers - or maybe Fiat was simply bored and couldn't be bothered finishing the job? Many, many thanks for all your reviews, and very best wishes to the magnificent Mrs EV!

A great review. Thank you so much. Considering to switch my 500 'hybrid' for the 500e.

The profiterole test! Love it! :D

I have a 2022 model, anyone have any idea if the charging ports cover flap has a manual release anywhere? Mine is stuck, and it doesn’t seem to be frozen.

Had them1.2l and loved it. Would take that car in preference to the golf we owned at the time. Good luck selling it.

how did you find the reverse cameras in the day and at night?

Thanks Andrew, an interesting video. I have just ordered my Fiat 500 Prima, I am excited to get it in April.

Great review looking forward to the Ioniq 5 reviews and impressions.

That’s one thing I miss on the Zoe, dynamic cruise control. I have lane control (where there are lines on inside and out of the lanes).

and you are mistaken withthe starting procedure as far as i know the fuírst push is activating the boardgrit (is that right? i am not english) which is like te first turn in combustion engines, and the second activates the drive mode. as far as i know you may start it with one LONGER press as well

Can you set so it cannot charge > 80%?

Nice review, but I missed: motorway driving (heard some complaints about wind noise in the back at higher speeds), lane assist and especially 'traffic jam assist'.

The jingle @ 27’00” is surely the theme from Toast of London

Your review really helped I did order one for 26000 prima it's expensive but nothing as good as this in small cars Thanks would have been nice if can show wall charger

Great review.. One small point, am i only the only person who keeps their keyless entry fob in their pocket. That pebble is perfectly designed to go in a pocket..

Hi may I know how big your largest luggage is? I am planning to travel with this car and I will be bringing two large 80L suitcases and am just wondering if it will fit the car if seats are folded down. Thank you

The Icon has the same battery as the La Prima. It’s the Action that has the small battery, I think.

Would I do any harm driving in Sherpa mode most of the time? I'm asking as I'm rural based with little roads and low speed limits that suit me with Sherpa but I'm bothered if this could cause damage if I'm not running low on charge? Any suggestions would be great, thank you. Happy New Year to you and your family. XXX

2:52 The reason they designed the rear seat belt buckles that way in the 500e is because on the ICE car, they'd stick out, and whenever you'd put the seat down, the buckles would rub against the leather, wearing it out and/or turning it black like the plastic. 10:20 I can confirm that on a LHD ICE 500 that the mirror is on the passenger side only as well. I believe they don't expect the driver to be putting on make up. I guess someone could buy a driver's sunvisor for a vehicle with "other"-hand-drive to fix the problem.

Great review!... would a set of golf clubs fit in the car? Also do you have to have the car plugged in on charge for pre-entry climate demist mode,? Cheers

It looks like you always charge to 100%, is there a way to adjust that?

Hi Andrew I have just got a Fiat 500e please can you let me know the name of the App so I can find it on the App Store thank you

Informative interesting and detailed review, thanks Andrew. You should be on TV… I recall the RHD Fiat 127s had similar leg and foot problems, in fact the passenger could moderate the throttle response if they knew where to press on the carpet just to the right of the wheel arch and below the dash.

What state were the profiteroles in when you took them out the glove compartment? Edible?

this is the exact spec we bought as our small backup ev to our tesla model 3 currently waiting for both to arrive.

Can you tell it to stop charging at 90% on Rapid? I can’t on the Zoe.

Such a lovely car! What’s the hill control like? x

A great review, with superb graphics........ Yes, I agree, this is the cutest EV of them all...

Does co driver steer for you?

Going to sign on the dotted line on Friday for my brand new 2022 500c e passion

you are right with that "left food thing", which i didn´t understand when i read it for the first time. it is just because you people on the island drive on the "wrong" side ;.) in contnental cars there is room enough or a foot rest, because the left foot is close to the door.

The problem with the feet is what left hand car drivers suffered in the Land Rover Defender.

My wife owns a pink la prima. What i dont like about it is: 1. The range. I keep seeing these 320km ranges when at 100%. But ours only showa 260km. I dont know what's up with that, but its really frustrating. It's been like that from the beginning, so i dont think it has to do with the style of driving. 2. Energy efficiency when using AC. We live in central Europe. So we o ly have maybe a month or so of weather that allows you to drive without AC/heating. And when you do use it, it really impacts the range. It apparently uses 2kw of power no matter on which level you're on. So if you are driving in stand still traffic, you end up using most of your battery to keep yourself warm/cool. It uses about 26-30 kwh/100km, so that means that you're lucky to get 150km of range out of it. I guess this is a perfect car if you live on the country side, somewhere flat (hills also kill the battery), where you also dont need to use AC for most of the year.

Lovely car! Is the white interior difficult to keep clean?

Yeh that left foot space issue is the same in all Peugeot and PSA group cars like my current ds3 crossback, I have to put my leg to the side and rest it on the floor Infront of the pedal or I would prob get my food stuck, I'm size 10 but trainers etc are wise and don't fit

I'm debating on leasing one

Big question… Did you get the celery?

I have one from 2015 and it's still going strong. I adore this zippy little car!!!

20:14 That was a big point for me. In Norway you pay extra fees for charging fast at home(the fee is for total power use, not just charging EV). So for me I want to keep the charge rate at home at or below 3 kW. A scale of 1 to 5 is a bit stupid of course, but at least there's an option. That's more than there was on my Seat Mii. 20:32 Screen off is for washing your screen ;)

So how does it compare price wise to run electric cost to charge versus petrol?

Great video lovely car my favourite electric 🚙

I wish they sold this in the states. Easily would buy it

The updated (42kWh) Fiat 500e is finally coming to North America for the 2024 model year. We're considering it as a companion to my EV6 for my wife to drive as she has a much shorter commute than I do. Curious about your charging comment re: doing well in the summer - does it not have battery pre-conditioning? Did you have a chance to drive it in the winter?

After take a look your review i will consider get one of this , however i hear some rumours said he/she cannot get a insurance for this car Anyone have hear that?

The left foot thing actually stopped us from buying one. Was all set to get one until I drove it for a decent test drive. It’s a shame because I think Fiat did a great job

Nice review, but we need the practicality so have gone with a Zoe . As you say great external design but too small inside and just too expressive. Looking forward to your Ionic 5 review

How does it compare to the Honda-e for your purposes Andrew ?

When will your Ioniq 5 be delivered? Love your videos btw

Good stuff

can turn on cc (no need to de anything for you much extra, but we can have sub-title and even translation)

Can you buy from dealers? Do they make hybrids. These are great cars for seniors. Clueless in the US.

I wish they would sell this in the United States. Unfortunately, neither this nor the Honda-e are coming Stateside from my understanding. It makes me unhappy to know that only the Mini-e out of all the spunky hatchback EVs are coming to the US. It is rather a bit of a shame, I think.

I think I'm getting the FIAT 500 Electric Hatchback 87kW Icon 42kWh The bigger one compared to what I said in previous comment on lease, it seems to have everything I need and still has the big satnav screen too, I'm single so back seat space is not issue unless I have family in back but not often

I will be trading in my Twingo GT for a small EV during early 2022 and the Fiat 500 seems perfect because it has similar performance and almost identical dimensions. However, I have no interest in all these gadgets and settings (I do not even own a smartphone) and would settle for the most basic version but with the larger battery, if they made such a car.

I wonder if Mrs Till liked, loved or hated the reg number ?

were geting ioniq 5 later this week as well

Charging level ..If you get a charging point that drops out on you then sometimes lowering the charging level will make it happy. Vanity mirror is on passenger visor in LHD model.. Driving style efficiency is on the app under kiri coins..Love my soft top and minor niggles have become endearing foibles..However the boot lid on the soft top dumps rain water into the boot if you open it in wet conditions…very annoying.

What you need is a Nissian Mica EV (4 door version). This is really just a bit too small (like a 3 door Mica). Otherwise seems perfect for small road uk.

I am kinda screwed with my 500e order tbh, I am going to have to rely on public chargers which in Doncaster are not that many, the grant ends April and nearly all charger suppliers and fitters can not fit anymore before so means any more orders now are full price...even the grand did not knock much off though Checked and they are way too expensive £700 going upto over £1000 Literally can not afford one :( god knows what I am going to do now lol

hey do you know what real range one can expect from the lower batter car i think it is 24kWh EDIT: i found real world its only 80 miles lol even for me that is a joke. i lease cars but have a low low budget of under £190 a month to spend, i got in 2020 a ds3 crossback prestige petrol lock down bargain price £130 a month handing it back in march and wanted ideally a EV but it seems they are still too expensive. looks like i will get the Peugeot 2008 gt model petrol for £180 a month for the next 2 years

I wanna get one, the only problem is that I think the design of the old fiat 500 looks 999x better, even the interior 😭

Please make a 124 spider e !!!

I am currently having intermittent and frustrating glitches with my NON electric fiat500c (2013 bought new) it was fine til this year, but currently waiting expensive and inconvenient investigations to find out why it keeps alerting me "check transmission" and shutting down while driving... its 550 quid already and fiat can't find the fault.... god knows what an actual ELECTRIC version would be like....

When suggesting alternative small EVs, I’m surprised there’s no mention of the VW eUP!/Skoda Citigroup/SEAT Mii electric. Much cheaper and not much less ‘spec’d’…

The "parcel shelf" is there to stop people looking into your boot, the vanity mirror is traditionally on the passenger side & has been for decades, usually theres just a storage flap on the drivers side. Electric seats are largely pointless, weigh a ton & are a battery drain, so thank God it hasn't got them.

£27495 makes it clear what great value the Škoda Enyaq is at £32,595 😮

Wonderful review, I hope the "one that must be obeyed" (your spouse) approves

So, is ‘Vegan Eco-leather’ actually plastic???

can you just keep the key in your trouser pocket instead of having it rattle around the arm wrest storage

A great and honest video, but does the "plastic" dash really scratch? My Lexus with same "plastic" after 40000 miles still doesn't show finger marks or scratches. and this always seems to "po-up" in everyones tests. PS. And I'm not a nail-file addict!!!

Doesn't float my boat but each to their own.

If FIAT wants to sell this in volume in the USA, it will need a 4-door version.

not a in-depth review without Flaviana! :) Weird they gave the Fiat a suicide door in some markets only. It would have probably done better in the US with that option.

the "spaghetti holder´s" only job is to hide what´s in the boot. and at least it is stable and not a flabby sheet. the backrests could bnot be made flat because of the batteries beneath.. i the 12V battery has so many Amp-hrs, it won´t deplete "quite quickly" but it could operate the radio or navigation for DAYS. the third door option is not avaiable in the UK because for you leftside drivers it would open into the traffic!!

Apparently it’s all very cool

'I love small cars' he says as he awaits delivery of his Ionic 5... seriously, I'm a small car fan limited only by the need to fit a wheelchair in the boot - and it ain't going in there! Surprisingly one will stand upright in the boot of a Zoe with all the seats up if anyone is interested.

Nice car but bloody impractical, at least in some regards. Form should follow function, not vice versa. And it's too expensive for a small city car.

Not sure if you like this car or not? Previous episode’s suggested that family were not happy with the car and you were going to sell it?

Best thing? It's evidence Fiat are investing in EVs properly. Makes more sense at £20k rather than £28k (there are plenty of new iD3s around for that price), but then I'm the guy that would pay £5k less for a Seat Leon than a VW Golf or buy a Skoda Superb for the same money as an Audi A1. Maybe it's the Scotsman in me - I don't mind expensive things, but I do want value.

#loveIT

Your wife is right but who doesn't want to be rich enough to afford La Prima...or a new(ish) i3s? Even less defensible by virtue of its sticker price. Yes, we have big roads in the US but unfortunately so far no new Fiat 500e--just the California compliance version. What's up with that, Chrysler?

3:00 even absence the critical voice of your dear still pop up loud and clear. Can we have them instead … sorry … together with you of course. I trust them, not that I not you know. ;-p

Shame it’s so buggy in its software. I think as a very small vehicle for one or two passengers it’s fine… it’s a nice looking car but as a family car there are too many better options out there now

You look a little bit like a younger version of Pierce Brosnan

You get your money back on the long run, no maintenance and no visit to the petrol station. .

Disappointing: Very small internal space: boot is small, and rear seat space is more like a 2+2 coupe. Cool looking car, but not a 4 door. In comparison, my #Hondae has a much more practical load space, with single rear seat folded down, almost flat. And this despite many Reviews claiming that the e has a very small boot

Quite pricey. Early days for EVs in that sense. The original Fiat 500 I would say is still the much more attractive design of all of them.

Nice car but a bit too small for me.

They are not cheap !