2024 Fiat 500e First Drive Review: La Dolce EV Vita
The 2024 Fiat 500e isn't for everyone, but the compact and stylish Italian electric car may be just the right size with just the right range for you.
The new Fiat 500e improves on the previous generation in every way.
If you've been looking for an affordable electric car with heaps of style and just enough range, the new 2024 Fiat 500e may be worth your attention. The compact Italian returns to America for its second electrified generation with what feels like just the right amount of range for urban driving, upscaled (but still city friendly) proportions and renewed dramatic flair. It's also the only electric car I've driven with its own fanfare that plays aloud for onlookers to hear as it accelerates away. Cheeky.
The 500e is as much a fashion accessory as it is a mobility solution -- at least, that's what Fiat would have you believe -- but for any of that to matter, it has to first be a good car. To figure out the latter, I hit the road in the 500e to test the little electric car in the dense, real world traffic of Miami's Wynwood Art District.
Cute and compact
The subcompact hatchback is pretty small by American standard, measuring 143 inches from bumper to bumper with a 91.4-inch wheelbase. You wouldn't know it just by looking at it, but the new 500e is around 2.2 inches wider, 2.5 inches longer and generally larger than the previous generation in every other measurable dimension. Yet, the automaker has managed to keep the weight down to just 2,952 pounds -- not quite bantamweight, but around 50 pounds lighter than the older, smaller car.
To meet North American crash standards, our 500e features a different A-pillar than the European model to accommodate additional airbags.
The new look pays homage to the round headlamps of the previous generations with a circular daytime light signature but evolves the look using the hood's cut line to create a half-lidded eyes and a more relaxed, confident looking fascia. Looking closer, I enjoyed visual details like the little Italian flags encased in transparent strakes on the front fenders and the electronic door pulls that Fiat claims improve aerodynamics over mechanical handles.
The 500e is still front-wheel driven, a decision that doesn't leave room under the hood for a frunk but frees up space in the rear for cargo. The hatchback now boasts a reasonable 7.51 cubic feet of cargo space behind the back seats and a total of around 101 cubic feet of total cabin space. This generation also features a slightly lower seating position that is still a touch tall for a car of this size but feels more natural than the awkwardly high position of the previous gen. The new 500e strikes a better balance of planted feel and visibility with the bonus of improved headroom (39.25 inches) for taller drivers.
The whole song and dance
Like most EVs, the Fiat 500e features a pedestrian warning sound -- a tone that plays at low speed to alert those nearby that the otherwise silent EV is approaching -- but the 500e takes it a step further with its singing Acoustic Vehicle Alert System. The first time the 500e reaches 20 mph during a trip, AVAS switches momentarily from a steady tone to a song titled The Sound of 500 that plays for all to hear, announcing the EV's acceleration. It's more subtle than it sounds -- you can't really hear it inside the car with the windows up -- and the song plays only once per trip, but it's a neat audible Easter egg that makes leaving a parking deck just a touch more fun.
Squeezing the 500e's mechanical and electric bits under the hood leaves no room for a frunk.
The 500e's single electric motor delivers 87 kilowatts (around 117 horsepower) via a single-speed reduction gearbox, sending 162 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels. That's not neck snapping power, but in practice the 500e feels plenty responsive off the line and at the midrange speeds typical for urban driving. Its 3.1-second 0-30 mph acceleration and 8.5-second 0-60 sprint are nothing to be ashamed of and, matched with decently responsive and lightweight steering, the 500e is an easy, breezy and fairly fun urban runabout.
Just enough range
Just aft of the electric motor, beneath the cabin floor, is the 500e's 42 kilowatt-hour nickel manganese cobalt battery with around double the capacity of the previous generation. According to the EPA's mixed testing cycle, the electric hatchback should be able to cruise for around 149 miles on a charge. For many drivers, that should be more than enough range for a day of commuting and running errands, but that sort of range somewhat limits the 500e's utility for long road trips -- though, I'd argue that for many drivers the idea of taking the Great American Road Trip in a car this small is an equivalent deterrent.
To help drivers balance driving fun and range, the 500e features three drive modes. Normal is, well, normal and the baseline for the EV's performance. Range mode activates the one-pedal driving mode for maximum regenerative braking when lifting the accelerator. Finally, the oddly named Sherpa mode stretches every kilowatt by disabling climate control, reducing peak power to 57 kW (around 76 hp) and limiting top speed to just 50 mph. Peak torque is unchanged in Sherpa mode, so the 500e still felt responsive enough for driving in traffic. Fiat reckons that Sherpa mode could help you stretch the 500e's range to around 162 miles of city driving, but I don't think it's worth facing Miami's heat sans air conditioning if you don't have to.
Depending on the drive mode, expect between 149 and 162 miles of range per charge.
Fast enough charging
Fiat has equipped the 500e with 85 kW of DC fast charging capability, which can get you from 10% to 80% in 35 minutes. Again, this isn't blazing fast but is fairly quick for an inexpensive EV with a small battery -- larger batteries with more cells typically charge faster, which is why short range EVs like this typically cap out at around 50 kW.
At a 48-amp (11.5 kW) Level 2 home or public AC charger, you're looking at around six hours to charge from flat to full or around 37 hours at a Level 1 charger. If you drive less than 40 miles per day, you could cover your daily range by just plugging into a regular 120-volt wall outlet overnight.
The 500e comes with either a Level 2 home EVSE (which you'll have to have installed yourself) or a $600 public charging credit via Stellantis' Free2Move charging network. Because the 500e being designed before Stellantis announced NACS adoption in the US, DC and AC charging use the familiar CCS1/J1772 combo connection rather than Tesla's plug.
Read: Best Home EV Chargers for 2024
DC fast charging at up to 85 kW gets you back on the road in just over a half-hour.
UConnect 5 tech
Fiat's cabin tech is built around Stellantis' Uconnect 5 infotainment suite with a 10.25-inch main touchscreen display. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity are standard and, frankly, all that you really need. However, navigation is standard, if you'd prefer to use the onboard software, as are Wi-Fi and Amazon Alexa connectivity. It's a solid suite that's intuitively organized and easy enough to use.
Complementing the main display is a 7-inch digital instrument cluster that can display driving, assistance, media and navigation data closer to the driver's line of sight. The dashboard is also home to a standard wireless phone charging pad tucked into a cubby.
The 500e comes standard with a rear camera and a suite of driver aid and assistance features that includes traffic sign recognition, parking distance sensors, driver drowsiness monitoring and blind spot monitoring (which is surprising on a car this short). Shortly after launch, the 500e will gain adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and automatic emergency braking, but the first 500e Inspi(Red) Edition I was able to drive did not feature these last two features.
The fifth-generation Uconnect tech is simple, sweet and -- most importantly -- features standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Limited editions 'drops'
The 2024 Fiat 500e starts at $34,095 (including the $1,595 destination charge) starting with the Inspi(Red) Edition benefitting Product Red, and raising money to fund HIV and AIDS research. Shortly after launch, the lineup will be joined by the 500e Inspired by Music with its JBL premium audio system and the visually upgraded 500e Inspired by Beauty with its upgraded materials, both of which will retail for $37,595 with upgraded driver aid tech.
These will be the first of many "drops" that Fiat is planning -- special editions designed around a new colorway, theme, feature or vibe -- to keep the lineup fresh. Fiat tells me that we can expect around two or three drops and one big brand partnership -- think 500 by Gucci or 500 Collezione -- per model year.
Is the 500e right for you?
It's a small car with big style; I enjoyed my afternoon spent zipping in and through Miami traffic in the 500e, but the little red EV would also feel right at home on the hilly, tight roads of the San Francisco Bay Area or weaving through dense traffic in LA or New York. Beneath the cutesy candy shell, the 500e is just enough car with just enough range for most urban drivers' realistic daily needs that would be an excellent first car for a teen driver who doesn't get too far from home.
It's so little!
The 2024 Fiat 500e isn't the right EV for everyone. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's not right for most EV shoppers for the price that Fiat is asking. If it were significantly less expensive than its competition, this fun little runabout would be easier to recommend, but the 149-mile range will keep many drivers shopping at this $35K price point from looking twice at this little cutie pie. And that's okay, there are plenty other affordable EVs to choose from with more range -- and even more en route.
Editors' note: Travel costs related to this story were covered by the manufacturer, which is common in the auto industry. The judgments and opinions of CNET's staff are our own and we don't accept paid editorial content.
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