As America’s auto industry slowly goes electric, most automakers have focused on electrifying heavy SUVs. That may be the wrong move. Americans who need a midsize SUV probably plan to use it for everything from daily commutes to long road trips.
They will inevitably hit the limits of America’s electric grids. Even when they can find the chargers they need, the big batteries of midsize SUVs will take hours to charge.
Electricity is perfect, instead, for little city cars. People who own those rarely set out to take them 700 miles, stuff a dorm room’s worth of furniture, or try towing a trailer. Instead, they keep them in cities, close to charging infrastructure, and drive them short distances. They can get by with smaller batteries that charge quickly.
Enter the Fiat 500e.
Italy’s Fiat has struggled to gain a foothold in America. But the 2024 Fiat 500e might be exactly the product it needs.
It’s an all-electric version of the classic Italian minicar with a range of 149 miles and price tag starting at $32,500 – about 30% lower than the cost of the average new car in America last month. Fiat also charges a mandatory $1,595 delivery fee. The 500e will be available in “the first quarter of 2024,” the company says.
Fiat Is Still Here
Part of Stellantis – the parent company of Dodge, Jeep, Ram, and others – Fiat has a small network of dealers concentrated largely in cities.
The company brought Italy’s beloved 500 to the U.S. more than a decade ago, but it never caught on. Fiat even tried an electric version for a while. The company withdrew it after the 2019 model year. Remaining Fiat dealerships have just one car – the slow-selling 500x SUV – on their lots today.
Kelley Blue Book numbers consistently show it as one of the slowest-selling models in America.
Trying Again for 2024 With Retro Flair
The new 500e could change that.
Its looks are modern vintage. It’s obviously the latest version of the classic 2-door hatchback that has defined Italian motoring since the 1950s. Parked next to the original, it doesn’t even look drastically bigger.
Seventeen-inch wheels give it a tougher stance and keep it from looking too flimsy for American traffic. The original round headlights are broken up, with part of the arc on the clamshell hood and most of it on the front fascia beneath. They look like eyes with eyebrows, making this perhaps the easiest car ever to anthropomorphize.
It’s cute without quite nudging into twee.
Fun, Recycled Cabin
Inside, Fiat says, “Enthusiasts will immediately recognize the dashboard insert, rounded cluster, and two-spoke steering wheel, as an homage to the original 1957 FIAT 500.” But it’s updated with a 10.25-inch central touchscreen running the Uconnect 5 system that powers other Stellantis products.
That means wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging, and over-the-air software updates that will let Fiat fix some problems without a trip to the dealership.
The seats and other upholstery, Fiat says, offer “thoughtful use of recycled materials.”
But what might make the 500e the right choice for you is its immense practicality. The vintage 500 formula is all about economy. The 500 has always been an affordable front-wheel-drive 2-door hatchback with room for four inside, small enough to parallel park almost anywhere.
It’s never been a car you’d take cross-country. It’s always been an option for urbanites who need something that fits.
The 2024 500e takes that same formula and removes the gas pump from the equation.
Trades Long Range for Faster Charging
It offers a range of just 149 miles, instantly making it one of the shortest-range EVs on the market. But, Fiat says, “using the equipped 85 kW fast charger system, five minutes of charge time translates to a range of up to 31 miles (50 kilometers), more than what’s needed for average daily use.” At a DC fast charger, Fiat says, it can charge from empty to 80% in just 35 minutes.
That’s faster than the current Mini Cooper SE or Nissan Leaf.
Performance won’t melt anyone’s mind. A single electric motor produces just 118 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. That’s good for 0-60 mph in a respectable 8.5 seconds – but where this car is going, you can’t make a zero-to-sixty run. There isn’t enough space between stoplights.
Made For One Type of Buyer
That’s the genius of the 500e. It doesn’t try to do everything. It tries to do one thing well – answer city-dwellers’ needs without breaking the bank.
Fiat has even built the cost of going electric into the price – “every FIAT 500e includes a home charger box system or charge credits through Free2Move Charge to ease the transition to electrification,” the company says.
We’ll need to test drive it and see long-term costs to understand its value. But, on paper, this is something the market has been missing. It could be among the most practical choices for Americans who do almost all of their driving in the city.
Sadly, Fiat will manufacture the 500e only in Turin, Italy. That will keep it from qualifying for up to $7,500 in federal EV tax credits.
Many buyers may ultimately find the Chevy Bolt or Nissan Leaf a better value if those EVs keep their credits after changes to the law that kick in Jan. 1.
But the 500e charges faster than either of them and has style they lack.
All some Americans need is a city runabout for a place with abundant charging. For them, recharging quickly matters more than 200 miles of range, and a little style goes a longer way than, well, going a long way. We’re glad to see someone thinking outside the midsize SUV box for them.
