2020 Fiat 500 review: the boutique electric car of choice

So much so, in fact, that it’ll remain on sale alongside this new electric version. The cynical among you might believe this is Fiat’s way of hedging its bets; there’s still a petrol or hybrid 500 to sell if buyers are unconvinced by pure electric power. 

That’s not an outright expression of confidence that they will be. Does Fiat need to be worried? Read on to find out – and don’t forget to register or login to find out our decisive verdict on the new Fiat 500.

Pros

• Stylish looks
• Beautiful interior
• Good range

Cons

• Lifeless steering
• Cramped rear seats
• Best bits only come with expensive top model

All-new 500? Isn’t it the same as the old version?

You’d think so at first glance. After all, the new car borrows hugely from the styling cues of the previous generation – and well it may, given how much the previous 500 was loved. 

But park the 500 next to the old 500 and it becomes immediately apparent that it’s gained muscle and mass. The reason is beneath the skin: this new car sits on an entirely new platform, designed to accommodate its electric drivetrain. 

All 500s get the same 117bhp electric motor, but in the cheapest Action version it’s only fed by a 23.7kWh battery pack, good for 115 miles of range, with a 50kW fast charger – the idea being, sasy Fiat, to offer a cheap and cheerful option for solely urban use.

The rest of the line-up gets a 42kWh battery, which bumps the range up to very respectable 199 miles, and an 85kW fast charger; expect an empty-to-full time of around seven hours on a home charging point, or 15 hours on a three-pin socket. 

“Embiggened”

On the outside, the 500 has grown, but while it’s now chunkier than a Seat Mii, the margins aren’t that great; it’s still shorter and wider than both the Honda E and the 500’s other fashion-conscious rival, the Mini Electric, too, and that’ll make it easier to park.

Inside, though, you can tell. Sit a moderately tall adult in the back and slide the front seat back into position and you’ll be met with howls of discontent from your rear-seat passenger as they get a face full of headrest and have to splay their legs out wide. Kids will fit a little more comfortably, but even then, with the added bulk of a child car seat it’ll be a squeeze.

Part of the reason for all this, of course, is that the floor is now higher, to make room for the battery. As a result, there’s less room for your legs even in the front, and you sit high, with the steering wheel down by your knees even in its uppermost position. It doesn’t extend out all that far, either, so taller drivers must choose between having their legs cramped up and pressed into the dashboard or stretching forward to reach the wheel. 

The boot is quite small, too; bigger than a Honda E’s, but not by much, and shaded by its other electric rivals. 

Pounds and pence

That entry-level 500 Action will set you back just £19,995 – making it one of the cheapest electric cars out there. It’s pitched directly at the Seat Mii, Skoda Citigo and Volkswagen Up, all of which cost around the same. These rivals don’t have the chic looks or stylish detailing of the 500, but they offer more range for your buck.

The rather stingy equipment list of the Action might put you off further – with steel wheels and a plastic steering wheel, and you’ll need a good mobile data plan as there’s a smartphone cradle instead of a proper sat-nav system. 

So while posher versions of the 500 might cost more, they actually look like better value. 

Upgrade to the Passion and you get a touchscreen entertainment system with smartphone integration – though still no native sat nav, so you’ll still be relying on your phone’s data – as well as climate and cruise control. 

Of course, you also benefit from that bigger battery, as well as rapid charging as standard. In fact, you’ll struggle to find this much range for this price anywhere else. What’s more, the 500 is one of the most efficient small electric cars out there, its 4.4mpkWh figure rather wiping the floor with the 3.6mpkWh Honda E. 

Next up the ladder is the Icon version, which gets alloy wheels, sat nav, automatic wipers and a soft-touch steering wheel, as well as a body colour dashboard insert, making it the one you’ll probably want, while the top-spec La Prima we’ve got here gets a mass of extra equipment including adaptive cruise control, a wireless mobile charger, LED headlights and 17-inch wheels. 

You also get a Type 2 charging cable as standard on the La Prima model, although it’s optional on every other model. That feels like a bit of a swizz, because if you don’t tick the option box and pay extra you’ll be reliant on a slower-charging three-pin socket at home. Come on, Fiat – if you’re going to convert people to electric driving, you’ll need to at least give them a proper cable as standard.

We’re still waiting for Fiat to furnish us with official electricity efficiency figures, but we’ll update this review with them when they do. Having said that, the long range and relatively small battery suggest the 500 should be relatively efficient and, therefore, pretty cheap to run. 

Used petrol versions of the 500 hold their value pretty well, meanwhile, which suggests that the 500 will do the same, which means if you’re financing it, you can expect competitive PCP and lease deals. As with all electric cars, maintenance is simple and cheap, too, and for the time being at least, you won’t pay any car tax. It’ll make for a cheap company car, too.

The more things change...

If you’re coming to the 500 from the old 500, you’ll find it surprisingly familiar in some ways, and entirely unfamiliar in others. 

Let’s start with the latter which, as you might expect, are chiefly to do with that new electric powertrain. For one thing, your left leg gets a rest in the new car, because it’s an automatic – you simply hit one of the gear selector buttons on the dashboard, and off you go. 

The throttle response is perky, which makes the 500 perfect for nipping into gaps, and at higher speeds there’s still more than enough oomph to keep up with traffic. And the seamless, silent acceleration you get with an electric car feels ideally suited to the 500’s cheeky character. 

...the more they stay the same 

But while the petrol-powered 500 was charming to look at, it was never all that much fun to drive, and so it goes with the new one. 

The main culprit, as with the old car, is the steering, which seems to have been engineered to deliver as little feedback as possible. This wouldn’t be such a problem if it were accurate, but there’s too much of a dead zone either side of the straight-ahead position before the rack quickens up and the front wheels start to actually turn. 

As a result, it’s tricky to apply the right amount of lock each time you turn the wheel, so you find yourself rounding bends and pulling out of junctions in a series of jerky corrections, rather than a smooth arc. On the plus side, the steering is at least super-light, so parking and low-speed manoeuvring are a doddle. 

Still, you probably won’t feel the urge to fling your 500 around too much, and that’s for the best, because if you do, you can feel the weight of those big batteries flopping around. There’s plenty of grip, so you’ll find it hard to actually get into trouble, but the 500 lacks the precision or agility of the Honda E. 

Also familiar to 500 owners will be the slightly fidgety ride quality. The car we drove was on the biggest 17-inch wheels, so smaller-wheeled versions might prove more pliant over bumps, but our test car suffered from a constant background jiggliness, and clattered its wheels through bigger potholes with a shudder. Ever it were thus, mind you, so this clearly didn’t put buyers off before, and the chances are it won’t again. 

The look of love

That’s largely because 500 buyers aren’t too fussed about how their car drives – they buy it for its looks, and its character. And on this front, the new 500 delivers in spades. 

Yes, it borrows heavily from the old car, but Fiat has cleverly mixed in a tonne of beautiful detail touches that really set the 500 apart  – to wit, the recessed door handles, the three-dimensional side repeaters, and the jewel-like headlights, now bisected elegantly by the bonnet line – and, crucially, make it feel even more special than even its most fashion-conscious rivals. 

Inside, it’s just as sweet. From the cute little line drawings of the original 500 hidden inside the door pulls, to the big, glossy dash panel that can be had in body colour, or even an odd but deliciously tactile ribbed wood-effect finish, there’s delight everywhere you look. And with 20 per cent of the seat fabric made up of recycled plastics found on the sea floor, you can even feel good about helping the planet. 

You get a lovely, neat row of piano key buttons for the climate control, which work well, and save you having to operate it through the touchscreen, though you can do that too if you wish. 

The touchscreen itself is less of a success, with sluggish software and some fiddly ‘buttons’ that are hard to touch precisely when you’re driving along. On the whole, though, the 500’s interior is just as much of a triumph as its stylish exterior.

The Telegraph verdict

You won’t love the new 500 if you’re looking for driving thrills, then, and nor will you if you need to use the back seats with any regularity. These are not insignificant flaws. But it’s also fair to say that they existed in the old car, too, and that didn’t really put off its buyers.

The new 500 does, however, score direct hits exactly where it needs to. Not only is it a doddle to drive – all the more so now that it’s electric – but it offers a genuinely usable range for a sum that, at a stroke, has made most of its rivals look overpriced.

Yet the 500 doesn’t feel like the bargain basement option. Quite the opposite, in fact; its buyers will be thrilled to find that despite costing less than most other electric cars, it’s brimming with characterful design and premium trappings.

Fiat struck gold with the last 500 – and with this new model, it just may have done so again. 

Telegraph rating: Four stars out of five

The facts

On test: Fiat 500 La Prima

How much? £26,995 on the road (after £3,000 Government plug-in car grant)

How fast? 93mph, 0-62mph in 9.0sec

How economical? 4.4mpkWh

The oily bits: N/A

The electric bits: 117bhp AC synchronous motor with 42kWh lithium-ion battery, 85kW on-board charger, Type 2/CCS charging socket

Electric range: 199 miles (WLTP Combined)

CO2 emissions: 0g/km

VED: £0

Warranty: 3 years / unlimited miles

Boot size: 185 litres

Spare wheel as standard: No (not available)

The rivals

Honda E

134bhp, 137 miles, £27,160 on the road*

This is the cheaper of the two Honda E models, but on specification it goes toe-to-toe or thereabouts with the 500 La Prima. The Honda is by far the more enjoyable of the two cars to drive, and it manages to look every bit as cool, both inside and out. But the lower range is a big drawback, and it feels just as cramped as the 500 inside. 

Mini Electric

181bhp, 145 miles, £28,100 on the road*

It’s not cheap, but the Mini Electric is genuinely good fun, with a big, brawny electric motor that makes it feel genuinely quick. It isn’t quite as beautifully finished as the 500, mind you, and its lower range makes it less useful, but you do get a bigger boot and marginally less cramped rear seats. 

Seat Mii Electric

82bhp, 160 miles, £19,800 on the road*

The little Mii can fit four adults in comfort, and their luggage, and will go almost as far on a charge as the 500. Granted, it isn’t as quick, and it feels more utilitarian – but this is still a great little car at a bargain price, and one that’s more involving and more comfortable than the Fiat to boot. 

*after £3,000 Government plug-in car grant

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