The 2024 Fiat 500e is a small electrical three-door hatchback that appears remarkably just like the earlier Fiat 500, offered within the U.S. from the 2012 by 2019 mannequin years. This one’s supplied solely as a battery-electric automobile (therefore the “e”), no less than for the second. However Fiat plans to promote it as a vogue accent as a lot as a small sensible, short-range EV. 

We drove the 500e by Miami site visitors for 3 hours final week, giving us an opportunity to pattern certainly one of its robust factors: fast cut-and-thrust city driving. Whereas it has nowhere close to the rocket-ship acceleration supplied by some EVs, it’s peppy sufficient—and sufficiently small to sneak into areas even compact SUVs can’t handle.

Sadly, we weren’t in a position to check whether or not the brand new 500e retains the entertaining and pleasant dealing with of its predecessor, the 2013-2019 500e, which was offered solely in California and Oregon. Miami is completely flat and remarkably congested. We acquired precisely one massive sweeping activate a ramp over a freeway; it did advantageous. However till we get it into some correct hills and twisties, we will’t absolutely evaluate its driving habits.

General, the 500e is a enjoyable little EV at an affordable value: The ‘Crimson’ base mannequin begins at $34,095. Its EPA-rated vary of 149 miles could delay some buyers who ought to think about it extra significantly. Given its small measurement and its vary, Fiat execs are lifelike once they say the brand new 500e “didn’t come to be a gross sales chief”—which means it might be uncommon in some areas of the nation. As an alternative, the automotive will “check and study what Fiat desires to be within the U.S.”

2024 Fiat 500e

2024 Fiat 500e

2024 Fiat 500e

Immediately, clearly a Fiat 500

The brand new 2024 Fiat 500e is immediately, identifiably a Fiat 500. Barely bigger than the earlier technology—2.4 inches longer, 2.2 inches wider—it shares the identical upright-coupe profile and brief, stubby nostril. The entrance finish has the identical “moustache” form, although the spherical headlights are literally a semi-circle within the entrance panel with a lit arc minimize into the hood to complete the form. Bigger wheels with pretty low-profile tires, now 17 inches vs the earlier mannequin’s 15 inches, maintain the little Fiat proportional however add extra of an grownup really feel. 

Inside, the inside is basically shades of black plastic, with a repeating Fiat emblem within the grey seat inserts. A lot of the plastics are arduous, not soft-touch, although textured to make them a bit extra fashionable. Crimson plastic on the sprint of our crimson check automotive recalled the steel dashboard of the unique 500, up to date for security laws that didn’t exist 60 years in the past. 

2024 Fiat 500e

A 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster is normal, as is a ten.3-inch central touchscreen show with a UConnect 5 radio. The drive mode and radio quantity controls are on the middle console.

The 2024 Fiat 500e won’t ever exchange a household SUV, however it’s not meant to. It makes a superbly good second automotive, commuter automotive, or maybe major automobile for a single driver or couple dwelling in tight city quarters. 

500e vary and acceleration: Match for the town

The battery capability is 42 kwh (37 kwh usable), utilizing Samsung cells made in Poland. It powers an 87-kw (117-hp) motor driving the entrance wheels, with quoted torque of 162 lb-ft. The brand new 500e has no entrance trunk; the area underneath the hood is occupied by the 12-volt battery, charging gear, the ability electronics, and naturally the motor. 

2024 Fiat 500e

It’s pretty apparent Fiat might drop a transverse engine and transmission into the area if it chooses to. Rumors recommend it’s going to. However for now, the 2024 500 is electric-only.

There’s no “Begin” or “energy” button; the automotive is able to transfer as soon as the motive force its down and has buckled the seat belt. Park, Reverse, Impartial, or Drive are chosen utilizing flat black buttons on the decrease fringe of the central sprint (beneath a handy telephone charging pocket). One “shock and delight” function of which Fiat may be very proud: beneath 20 mph, the automotive broadcasts the necessary pedestrian alert sound. However the first time it exceeds 20 mph, it performs a customized musical theme Fiat calls “The Track of 500”. It was arduous to listen to even with the home windows open (driving subsequent to a strong concrete wall helps mirror it again), however it’s undoubtedly there.

Fiat quotes a 0-to-60-mph acceleration time of 8.5 seconds, however the 0-to-30-mph time which may be extra helpful in city jousting is simply 3.1 seconds. Usually, it’s completely appropriate for city use—although we will’t assist however marvel about an Abarth model that is perhaps loads punchier and extra enjoyable. There’s nothing to say on that entrance right this moment, Fiat execs stated firmly. High pace is 94 mph.

2024 Fiat 500e

It has three driving modes: Regular, Vary, and Sherpa. Regular makes the EV behave like a combustion-engined automotive, with low regenerative braking. 

Then there’s Vary, which boosts regen and permits one-pedal driving all the way down to a cease—when you have a variety of area. We discovered the 500e’s regenerative braking fairly light. It took some follow to study when to raise off to get the automotive to gradual itself all the way down to a cease; the primary few occasions, it decelerated in such a leisurely method, we stomped on the brake to keep away from the automotive forward. It’s completely learnable, however extra highly effective EVs have extra highly effective regen—which isn’t the case right here.

Lastly, the Sherpa mode equates to an Eco mode, decreasing energy from 87 kw (117 hp) to 67 kw (90 hp), switching off all heating and cooling (you may change it again on), and capping most pace at barely greater than 50 mph. Sherpa mode isn’t as dangerous as you may think, so long as you drive it aggressively—and don’t have to go greater than 50 mph.

Sherpa mode might need been advantageous for the complete route Fiat had us drive with the 500e, which was completely in city site visitors, masking simply 30 miles, and as much as simply 50 mph. Over that distance, I introduced the 100% battery cost all the way down to 81%, and the vary estimate, which had been 119 miles in the beginning of the journey, was 116 miles after the journey. That is, after all, the very best driving situations for taking advantage of the 500e’s vary.

Whereas the efficiency is satisfactory, the automotive excels in tight areas. With a turning circle of simply 31.5 ft, it’s simple to sneak into small parking areas. And with a curb weight of solely 2,950 kilos (50 kilos lighter than the final, smaller 500e), it doesn’t really feel large behind the wheel.

2024 Fiat 500e

2024 Fiat 500e

2024 Fiat 500e

500e seats two adults, two tiny individuals, and one drink

Moving into the 500e is a matter of compressing the electrical launch beneath the door “deal with” slot. Novices should study that to exit the automotive, they should press the spherical button on high of the door arm-rest to launch the electrical latch. As soon as inside, drivers will discover they sit excessive sufficient over the battery pack that they really feel much less weak than they’d in a lower-slung automotive of the identical measurement. Stellantis’ head of inside design, it seems, is 6’8”—and he suits into the five hundred, which means there’s loads of headroom. 

The rear seat has a cupholder in the midst of the decrease cushion, underscoring the automotive’s (nominal) four-seater designation. Whereas its rear seat is bigger than the final technology’s, that’s relative: You continue to gained’t match 4 American-size adults inside for something in need of punishment.

The upright seating and good outward visibility over the brief, beveled nostril give the automotive extra presence from inside than it might have on the road. Solely when trying on the small solar visors or the tiny little “modesty panel” to cowl a five-inch slot exhibiting the contents of the load bay is the 500e’s small measurement bolstered. The rear seatbacks don’t fold flat, although; they only tilt ahead.

2024 Fiat 500e

One main flaw within the new 500e inside: There’s solely a single cup holder, which folds down into the tunnel from the bottom of the console. When you’re carrying a passenger who additionally has a cup of espresso, certainly one of you is out of luck. The Fiat staff assured us they’re properly conscious of this and are engaged on a quick repair. Nonetheless, it appears a silly oversight, for the reason that earlier 500e had two of them—and that Fiat has had 4 years for the reason that European model was launched to deal with this.

Neither the NHTSA nor the IIHS has but rated the 2024 Fiat 500e for crash security, and given its probably low quantity, these rankings could not emerge for a while if ever. The brand new Fiat has seven airbags, and a raft of automated driver-assistance programs together with automated emergency braking, lane-keeping help, and blind-spot and pedestrian alerts. 

The 500e’s adaptive cruise management will work all the way down to 0 mph when you study it; the automotive reads and shows speed-limit indicators; and it’ll additionally learn and show different site visitors indicators when cruise management is engaged. Fiat guarantees “Stage 2 ADAS” on the “Impressed” trim ranges—which means some stage of energetic lane management along with that, offering the motive force stays attentive—however we weren’t in a position to check these fashions, so we will’t weigh in on the way it works.

2024 Fiat 500e

Particular version “drops”—like sneakers

The bottom Fiat 500e mannequin for 2024 is the ‘Crimson’ trim. Out there in crimson, white, and black as precise exterior colours, the ‘Crimson’ label refers to a charity tie-in that helps Product Crimson, which raises cash to fund analysis into HIV and AIDS.. Except for exterior coloration, the 500e ‘Crimson’ mannequin solely gives a single choice: Goodyear summer season tires or Pirelli all-season tires. 

Fiat has leaned into the thought of the electrical 500 as a vogue accent and magnificence icon. Based on Fiat’s North American model head, Aamir Ahmed, the corporate will announce a “drop” of a restricted version model two or 3 times every year, out there just for a brief interval—echoing the mannequin used efficiently for high-fashion sneakers and different items. Video advertisements that includes Spike Lee, Giancarlo Esposito, and different icons reinforce the model strategy.

The primary two particular editions are “Impressed by Magnificence” (in Rose Gold) and “Impressed by Music” (the Tuxedo Black one, which provides a seven-speaker JBL audio system with audio traits of 4 ‘digital venues’ inbuilt). They are often ordered right this moment, with deliveries within the third quarter. 

The ‘Crimson’ version of the 2024 Fiat 500e carries a base value of $32,500 plus a compulsory $1,595 supply price, for a bottom-line sticker value of $34,095. “Impressed” variations add $3,500 to that. Its closest competitor is the Mini Cooper SE, additionally a three-door hatchback, with a variety of simply 114 miles. With the Chevrolet Bolt EV vary now defunct, the Kia Niro EV and Hyundai Kona Electrical are barely pricier, however each provide 4 doorways and ranges of greater than 200 miles.

2024 Fiat 500e

Small automotive, massive charging

Regardless of a smallish battery, the 500e can fast-charge at as much as 85 kw, so charging from 0% to 80% can take as little as 35 minutes underneath perfect circumstances. The extra probably residence charging by way of an 11-kw Stage 2 station takes six hours for a cost from 0 to 100%. On an ordinary 120-volt wall socket, the 500e will cost from 5% to 100% in 37 hours. The cost port is on the right-rear nook, and the charging wire is housed underneath the cargo-bay flooring.

Fiat will provide patrons the selection of both a Stage 2 charging station (the customer pays to put in it) or $600 of free charging by way of networks which are a part of the Stellantis Free2Move system (though taking part networks for the U.S. haven’t but been introduced). 

No warmth pump is on the market, although the cabin is sufficiently small that resistance heating might not be as power-hungry as in bigger automobiles. Heated seats are supplied, however not a heated steering wheel.

2024 Fiat 500e

All 2024 Fiat 500e vehicles are constructed on the firm’s Mirafiori manufacturing unit outdoors Turin—as proven in a molding inside every door’s inside arm-rest, which says “Made in Torino” with a silhouette of an authentic 500. Meaning they don’t qualify for a U.S. federal buy incentive, although leasing the automotive restores the total credit score. The 500e nonetheless qualifies for a lot of state and native incentives.

Fiat offered airfare, lodging, and meals to allow Inexperienced Automobile Stories to deliver you this first-person drive report.