Tight-fitting Fiat 500e is super small but fun to drive 

FIAT

Fiat’s 500e doesn’t go very far on a charge, but it’s fun to drive – if you don’t mind tight spaces.

My initial impression of the Fiat 500e was WTH? 

The gasoline version is no longer available or any of the other models such as the SUV, convertible or wagon. All we get is the electric version with a range of less than 150 miles. Really?
After driving the thing for a week I’m a bit more impressed. The 500e is really a lot of fun to drive if you don’t have far to go.

The 500e is a small electric, two-door vehicle that’s powered by a 117-horsepower engine that drives the front wheels. It has a range of 149 miles with summer tires or 141 miles on all-season tires. 
The Fiat 500e can hold four people if two don’t mind being shoe-horned into the rear seat. The front seats are very comfortable and it’s very easy to enter or exit the vehicle. The rear? Umm, not so much. You really don’t want to go back there unless it’s unavoidable.

The 500e’s interior is small and filled with materials that are, well, cheap. That shouldn’t be surprising because this is a small car that relies more on style than functionality and substance. That’s not to say everything does not look nice because it does. I don’t think it’s any worse than most basic electric vehicles which is usually stark and simple.

There are a few high-tech items which include push button start, Apple CarPlay and a JBL sound system. The steering wheel has a few duplicate controls for the infotainment system and stuff like smart cruise. The touch screen is medium size and is fairly bright with sharp graphics.

The Fiat 500e is a really small car, so storage isn’t very plentiful either. But I’m betting anyone who buys this car didn’t select it for stacking people or stuff in the interior. Nope, I think it’s the fact it’s a small car that has fairly spiffy handling. The battery placement helps with the car’s center of gravity, so body roll isn’t a problem. You can get fairly aggressive in the turns, and the car isn’t affected much. The quick steering is delightful but a bit more feedback would be nice. It takes you about 8 seconds to get to 60 miles per hour, but the car feels quicker. You can leave people at a traffic light but run out of steam and unless you are flooring it, traffic will catch up.

I’m not a fan of one-pedal driving but the Fiat 500e excels in that mode. The brakes are strong and allow you to scrub off speed quickly. Take your foot off the gas and the car immediately slows down because of the regenerative braking system. I feel a bit out of control, so I generally hit the brakes before the car comes to a complete stop.

The Fiat 500e has a comfortable ride which isn’t common in cars this size. It takes really big bumps to upset the chassis and even so the suspension keeps most of the bad stuff out of the car. There is a good bit of wind noise, however which is surprising considering the car’s shape. A bit of tire noise creeps in as well.

I still like the car despite the limited amount of range. At the beginning of the electric era, 149 miles of range would have been OK. In 2025 I think cars should have at least 300 miles per charge. 

I had to charge the car a few times during the week but the Jeep dealer near me has free high-speed charging. I did like the quick rate, going from 20% to 80% in about 15 minutes.

The 500e comes in three trim levels INSPI(RED), ICONA and Fiat 500e Giorgio Armani Collector’s Edition. Base prices range from $30,500 to $35,000.
Pros:

• Stylishly cute

• Great handling

• Comfortable ride

• Fast charging 

• Giorgio Armani version 

Cons:

• Limited range

• Inexpensive material trim

• Cramped interior 

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