Understand this: Fiat’s 500 EV is not a highway hauler. Oh, some deludedly environmental anorak will almost assuredly fill the comment section with histrionics about a “perfectly comfortable” cross-country tour in the little electric two-door. But the fact of the matter is that it’s good for barely 200 kilometres (124 miles) on a single battery charge; doesn’t recharge particularly quickly; and, truth be told, doesn’t boast the healthiest of HVAC systems. A road warrior it most definitely is not.
That said, it’s roomier than you might think, especially if you’re but two passengers; spunkier than its acceleration specs suggest; and, compared with anything else with lithium-ions available in this country, is positively tiny. And cute, too, not to mention that — as long as we’re keeping the Chinese at bay with tariffs — it’s the cheapest electric vehicle available in Canada. Which again means that if you’re looking for a zero-emissions city car, the little Fiat has a certain flair.
Not far
The little Fiat is powered by a single motor with 117 horsepower, energized by a 42-kilowatt-hour battery. Neither is oversized. Indeed, the only mainstream EV with less of either was its predecessor, which made do with 111 ponies and just 24 kWh of lithium ions.
Officially, Transport Canada says that said 42-kilowatt-hours — actually 37.3-kWh, because that’s the usable portion of the battery — can travel 227 kilometres before bricking. I managed to squeeze 196 klicks out of one charge. Mind you, that’s at a steady 125 kilometres per hour on Ontario’s hilly — and often windy — Highway 407. On one hand, that’s a new low in our Range Finder testing. On the other, I’ve never tested an EV with this small a battery.
As for efficiency, those numbers work out to almost exactly 19 kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometres. That’s substantially better than all the behemoth-batteried electric SUVs I’ve tested, for which 25 kWh/100 km is considered excellent — some of the heftier beasts track close to 30 kWh/100 km. On the other hand, I averaged just 17.6 kWh/100 km in a 430-hp Lucid Air Pure RWD, which is about the size of a Mercedes S-Class and could just about swallow the little Fiat whole.
The lesson in this is that, as in all things, Fiat’s built-to-a-price 500e sacrificed a lot of the latest in battery high-tech to get to its price-point. It is also worth noting that Transport Canada computes that the Fiat will cost some $608 dollars to run per annum. However, that’s based on your driving 20,000 kilometres per annum, in a 45%-highway-driving ratio. Neither statistic is likely for most 500e owners. In other words, chances are — especially since I suspect that 500s will be almost exclusively charged at home — you’re going to pay peanuts to drive the electrified Fiat.
It’s worth noting that, along with Normal and Range modes — both hopefully self-explanatory— there’s a Sherpa mode. Never mind the odd nomenclature — the 500e is definitely not climbing Mount Everest — it’s the 500e’s actual maximum efficiency mode, limiting power to 76 horses rather than 117 hp; capping top speed at 80 km/h (50 mph); and increasing brake regeneration over even the Range setting.
Though it’s actually proposed as an “Oh s#!t!” mode for those situations when range estimations don’t match your Google Maps’ estimated distance to arrival, I found it useful around town. If nothing else, it prevented me from getting in trouble with John Law.
Not so fast
At first blush, the Fiat’s maximum DC fast-charging rate of 85 kilowatts doesn’t sound like much. We’ve already seen a 325-kilowatt powertrain from Porsche’s Taycan, for instance, and Lotus claims its Emeya — we haven’t tested it, but did report on its fast-charging — nets as much as 402 kW. On the other hand, retrieving 70% of its capacity — from 10% to 80% state of charge — requires about 35 minutes, pretty typical for EVs these days.
That said, you’re only getting back 120 kilometres or so for your half hour. Charge a Taycan for 35 minutes on a 350-kW charger and you’ll be good to go for more — way more — than 300 kilometres. Neither provides, of course, as quick a “splash and dash” as an ICE-powered vehicle, but compared with the best of EVs, highway hauling in a Fiat 500 would require the patience of Job.
The lesson in this is that Fiat’s built-to-a-price 500e sacrificed a lot of the latest in battery high-tech to get to its price-point
Of course, comparing a minuscule $40,000 Fiat to a $150,000 Porsche is hardly fair game. How its charging stacks up against similar bargain-basement EVs is probably more fair. BMW’s bargain-basement i3, for instance, had a similarly-sized 42-kWh battery, but it peaked at 50 kW. A Mini Cooper SE tops out at 70 kW. And even the much-vaunted Chinese-built BYD Dolphin tops out at just 88 kW.
One of the things the EV industry doesn’t like to talk about is that small, cheap runabouts with small batteries probably won’t charge all that much faster than their more expensive counterparts with twice the lithium. And, yes, that includes the much-feared — and supposedly superior — Chinese.
Quicker than you might think
As one might suspect, 117 horsepower does not a supercar make. In fact, Fiat officially claims the 500 is capable of reaching 100 kilometres an hour from zero in just a tick under nine seconds. That is, by any measure — ICE- or battery-powered — a trifle tardy. Except that it appears Fiat is underestimating the little EV’s potency. More than a few testers — with the required equipment — say the car is actually capable of lopping at least a second-and-a-half off that time, which would see its real-world acceleration to 100 klicks fall into the mid-sevens.
Certainly, the 500 doesn’t feel particularly slow. In fact, in many circumstances, it felt more responsive than the Honda Prologue we tested just the week before (and a big shout-out to the content manager for assigning me pretty much the slowest EVs in existence today). In fact, it feels downright perky in comparison.
Whatever the actual acceleration figure, the little 500e never felt under-powered, had plenty of punch to stay ahead of traffic, and even had enough juice to play silly buggers on a few Don Valley Parkway Parking Lot on-ramps when the you-know-who weren’t looking. Take the 500e off your shopping list because its range is deficient, not because it’s pokey.
It’s way comfy—for two
Front-seat passengers will find the 500e a treat for such a small car. The front accommodations are roomy, the seats pliant and six-way adjustable. All manual, mind you. The infotainment isn’t much and the screen small, but it hosts CarPlay and is quick and reliable at connecting with your phone. Hell, it’s even touchscreen-operated, something the much more expensive Mazda CX-70 I tested last month can’t claim.
The rear seats — because, yes, Fiat claims the 500e is a five-passenger vehicle — aren’t so cozy. Or maybe they’re a little too cozy, as both head- and legroom are at a premium. Yes, you can fit people back there, but friends don’t do that to friends. Fiat Canada all but acknowledges that by not importing the three-door version — the third door being a rear suicide hatch on the passenger side — though it’s popular in Europe.
As for cargo, there be only 7.5 cubic feet of trunk space with the rear seats in situ. If they’re folded down, it becomes quite a bit more commodious. The seats don’t quite go flat, but nonetheless, two people won’t have a problem getting their groceries home; a family might, especially if they bring the kidlets with them.
Pricing
The MSRP for the base 500e — called the Red — is $39,995. A more upscale model, the La Prima, will start at $44,995. All versions of the battery-powered 500e will qualify for the federal $5,000 EV rebate, and, until Quebec starts cutting back on its incentives, it’ll see an additional $7,000 off in La Belle Province. B.C. residents will get $4,000 back on top of the federal refund.
The bottom line is this: the 500e is the cheapest mainstream battery-powered car in Canada for 2024. With the federal rebates, it gets even more affordable, and, if you live in Quebec, it’s almost a bargain.
That said, its base MSRP points to the problem facing EV mass adoption. Without rebates, it is some $10,000 more than a Honda Civic, a car far more competent in virtually every performance, space, or comfort metric other than emissions. And the only way that Stellantis can build an even remotely affordable EV was to give it no range and no power. In other words, we’re still waiting for the fully competent electric vehicle that can compete with an ICE on a completely equal footing.
That caveat aside, I totally enjoyed my time in the Fiat 500e. Were I part of a two-car family — empty-nester, newly-married, or some other form of DINK — I’d have one in a heartbeat. For its intended purpose — a two-person city car with zero emissions — the 500e is, at least currently, the leader in a class of one.
Though there’s been no official word from Stellantis, it’s an odds-on bet that the mondo-delicious Abarth version of the 500e will eventually make it to our shores. With 153 hp on hand feeding what will surely be even tighter handling, it will surely be a spunky little thing. That said, it will, equally assuredly, not be anywhere near cheap, and, powered by the same 42-kW battery, no better for the expanses of our extra-urban highway system.
Pros
✔ Has more spunk that you might think, and offers a fun ride
✔ If you keep it to two passengers, it’s decently roomy
✔ A $40k MSRP makes it Canada’s cheapest mainstream battery-powered car
Cons
✘ Charges quick, but only offers 227 km of range per charge
✘ Cargo room behind the “rear seats” is atrocious
✘ It’s still $10,000 more than a Honda Civic (before government EV rebates)
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