While Fiat is one of the largest car manufacturers in Europe, and is part of the multi-brand Stellantis group—which includes Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram—the all-electric 500e is the lone model sold in the U.S.
In a word, the 500e is “cute.” It practically has a smiley face plastered onto its grille. Think of this wee car as an urban runabout or a train station commuter more than a highway cruiser. The car’s footprint is small; the driving range is small; the type of parking space it can fit into is small; and its price—relatively speaking within the realm of EVs—is also small. Starting at just under $33,000 (not counting the destination charge), the only cheaper EV right now is the Nissan Leaf—which starts at just over $28,000. But since the 500e is imported from Italy, it doesn’t qualify for federal tax credits that could bring down its price further.
With so few small cars on the market, it’s always good to see a new entry. But its “cuteness” doesn’t make up for the fact that the 500e has very limited abilities.
One tester said that the 500e is “the wrong car at the wrong time, making it a tough sell in the U.S. market. It’s really small, gets blown around on the road by giant trucks, and the range is too low for the current U.S. EV consumer. I was excited for an EV of this size, but unfortunately it doesn’t drive all that well.
”Size was definitely an issue with our testers, with one of them saying, “It was kind of intimidating taking it on the freeway and being around larger vehicles. I was scared I was going to get flattened like Mario Kart.”
Others questioned its overall value: “Not sure this is a good buy: $34,000 gets you a pretty decent used car,” said one tester.
After factoring in all of the 500e’s demerits, such as its dismally-short driving range, rough ride, loud cabin, uncomfortable front seats and nearly useless rear one, the result was a very low road-test score.
We bought a 2024 Fiat 500e Inspi(Red) Coupe for $34,095—anonymously from an area dealer, as we do with every vehicle we test—for the purpose of this road test review. The 500e is assembled in Turin, Italy.
Driving experience
While the 500e’s meager 117 horsepower won’t win you many drag races, it can still scamper from 0 to 60 mph in 8.1 seconds; that’s not terrible compared to most vehicles, but it’s way slower than most EVs—some of which have astoundingly quick acceleration. The result is that the 500e is fine for around-town driving, but it runs out of steam at higher speeds. Punch the accelerator at 50 mph, for example, and there just isn’t much punch left, such as for merging onto the highway.
Typical of most EVs, the 500e’s one-speed direct-drive operates transparently—you don’t feel any bumps or temporary loss of power like in a conventional automatic transmission when it shifts gears. The 500e has an EPA-estimated driving range of 141 miles. We saw a mere 145 miles during our 70-mph highway-range test, which is among the shortest distances we’ve measured. Many EVs today get twice this range, allowing days of local driving without recharging.
Home charging is relatively quick, with 36 miles gained per hour. Public DC fast charging is limited to 85 kilowatts, but due to its small, 42-kilowatt-hour battery, quicker charging speeds isn’t as crucial as in most EVs. We saw a gain of 65 miles of driving range during a 15-minute stop at a public DC fast charger.
Handling is nimble thanks to the 500e’s small size and taut suspension, but the overly-light and numb steering takes away from driver confidence on a twisty road. That said, it still managed to blast through our avoidance maneuver at an impressively high speed. Unfortunately, the ride is stiff and choppy, with an almost a pogo-stick-like sensation with the way the car bounces over bumps—rather than the suspension soaking them up. Even though there isn’t any engine noise, this isn't a quiet car due to the elevated wind and road noise, along with more high-pitched electric-motor whine than in most EVs.
On the bright side, the 500e delivered short stopping distances on both dry and wet surfaces. But our drivers found the brakes to be overly grabby or touchy when you first step down on the pedal.
Cabin comfort
The car’s funky design includes several “Easter eggs” scattered about, such as the Italian flag built into the front fender directional lamps and a rubber-lined insert proclaiming “Made in Torino” with a silhouette of the original Fiat 500 etched into the interior door pulls. While we got a kick out of these thoughtful details, they don’t make up for the overall rudimentary level of interior fit and finish. The doors sound super tinny when you close them, the door panels and lower console feel loose, and the headliner is thin and cheap.
The generally upright driving position accommodated most testers, but outward visibility isn’t very good for such a small car. For example, the roof pillars are all pretty thick, which creates annoying blind spots. We think it’s wise for buyers to spend the extra money to get a trim that includes blind spot warning.
The front seats also weren’t a hit among our testers. The biggest issue is the way the oddly-designed seatback feels like it’s poking into you or pushing you forward. Other complaints included too little in the way of side bolstering and too few adjustments. The rear seat is laughably small—only kids will find it amusing to ride back there.
There aren’t many storage options inside the 500e, either. There’s just a small open bin on the center console, and among the most diminutive bins under the center armrest that we’ve ever seen. And if you’re thinking that the 500e’s hatchback design lends itself to hauling larger items, keep in mind that the space behind the rear seat will only hold one large suitcase. At least you can fold down the rear seats to gain more space.
Controls and usability
Overall, the 500e has overly complex controls and poorly designed digital interfaces. The center infotainment screen, for example, is cluttered with small fonts, intricate menus, and tiny buttons; dealing with it is time-consuming and frustrating.
Other controls also proved vexing. For example, you have to deliberately hold the ignition button down for longer than in most vehicles in order for it to go into its “run” mode. Then there’s the gear-selector buttons, which lack distinct differences in shape and size which would help you operate them by feel; instead, you have to look over at them anytime you need to shift to Park, Reverse, Neutral, or Drive. The driving modes are a bit confusing, too, especially since one of them unexpectedly shuts down the climate system in order to help you eke out more miles.
Active safety & driver assistance
Standard active safety and driver assistance features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, lane departure warning, and lane keeping assistance. Blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams are standard on all but the base trim.
Unfortunately, the 500e isn’t equipped with important rear-seat safety features, such as a rear occupant alert system or a rear belt minder. The former is designed to remind the driver—based on rear-door logic—to check the rear seat when they turn a car off to help prevent children and pets from suffering heatstroke or hypothermia if unintentionally left behind in the vehicle. Rear belt minders alert the driver if a rear passenger unbuckles their seat belt during the trip. CR believes these systems should be standard on all vehicles.