Fiat 500 Electric

The Fiat 500 Electric is the first fully-electric vehicle from Fiat and is designed as an affordable city car that aims to offer best-in-class features such as its range, autonomous driving and variety of battery options.

As well as the La Prima launch edition, the 500 range is made up of three trim levels – Action, Passion and Icon. Depending upon the trim selected, customers can choose from hatchback or cabriolet with a 3+1 version in the pipeline.

The La Prima is a limited edition to celebrate the launch of the electric version and is available in grey, green and blue.

This launch version features full LED headlights, eco-leather upholstery, 17-inch diamond-cut wheels and chrome-plated inserts on the windows and side panels. The vehicle has a monogram soft top, and the “1 of 500” numbered plaque alongside the name of the country in which the car was purchased on the first 500 units sold. It features driver aids such as Autonomous Emergency Brake with pedestrian and cyclist detection, Intelligent Speed Assistant and Lane Control as well as High resolution rear view camera with dynamic guidelines.

The La Prima full-option convertible is the only electric four-seater convertible and comes complete with the above specifications as standard, as well as 85kW fast charge capability and an interior with eco-leather dashboard and seats.

Available as a hatchback only, the entry-level 500 Action is fitted with a 70kW motor, accelerating from zero to 62mph in 9.5 seconds and with a limited top speed of 84mph. The lithium battery offers a range of more than 115 miles in the WLTP cycle, or over 150 miles when only driving in the city and is equipped with a 50kW fast charging system.

Driver safety features included for the 500 Action include Drowsy Driver Detection, Autonomous Emergency Braking (which along with other vehicles can also recognise cyclists and pedestrians, Lane Keep Assist and Traffic Sign Recognition, which reads road signs and recommends the correct speed.

As standard, the 500 Action is equipped with an e-Mode selector to choose between three driving modes – Normal, Range and Sherpa, to select according to preferred driving style and requirements.

Externally the Action receives halogen headlights and 15-inch wheels. Inside, the entry-level version offers an auto-start button, electric parking brake and a 7-inch digital TFT colour screen.

The mid-range version of the 500 Electric, the Passion is available with a 42kWh battery, providing a range of up to 199 miles in the WLTP cycle, increasing to 285 miles when only driven in the city. It features 85kW fast charging, so recharging the battery to 80% range takes 35 minutes, or to 30 miles takes around 5 minutes.

The Passion has two-tone gloss finish wheels and LED daytime running lights. Inside, it debuts Fiat’s new infotainment system with a 7-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for connected services and a DAB radio. In addition to the aforementioned equipment on the 500 Action, cruise control and climate control are also standard with the car.

The 118hp motor has an output of 87kW, providing a maximum speed limited to 93mph and acceleration from zero to 62mph in 9.0 seconds.

The 500 Icon receives the same 42kWh battery as the Passion trim level and also benefits from a 10.25-inch ‘cinerama’ touchscreen display, with integrated GPS and the infotainment system.

This, the high-end version of 500 Electric is marked out by its 16-inch alloy wheels. The vehicle has a passive entry, system, using the Icon’s black button-free ‘pebble’ – a smart wearable key which communicates with the car automatically unlocking the doors when the pebble is close to the car and locking them again with a simple tap on the door handle.

With identical dimensions to the cabrio and hatchback versions the 500 3+1 has a small third door on the passenger side in the same manner as the first 500 in 1957, which featured doors hinged to the rear. The result is a new body, to add to the hatchback and cabrio, with unchanged dimensions and not a single centimetre added to the footprint. The only difference is a weight increase of only 30kg, with no effect on the car’s handling or range.

The third small door opens in the opposite direction and means rear passengers can jump in more comfortably and load and unload large items more easily.

UK customers will have to wait, however as the 500 3+1 will firstly be made available for left-hand drive markets.