• Auto123 gets in a first drive of the new 2024 Fiat 500e, which marks the model’s return to North America.
Miami, FL -- After a four-year hiatus from the U.S. market and a, well, infinite hiatus from the Canadian market because it never was officially available here, the Fiat 500e is back. And it's bigger, more practical, more powerful and with better range than ever before.
More than that, the EV model is the only way you can get Fiat’s supermini anywhere going forward; the gas model is no longer available in any market. In fact that’s already been the case in Europe, where the second-generation 500e has already been on the road since 2020.
“It’s not just an electric version – it’s the car,” said Aamir Ahmed, head of Fiat North America about the new 500. “This is how confident we are in this decision. And with this car, you’ll find that going electric has made it better.”
Ahmed added that it also represents the responsible play for the brand. Fiat is the Stellantis group’s highest-selling brand worldwide, and the right move when it comes to environmental responsibility is to make one of their most popular models available as an EV only.
We took to the road surrounded by the blue skies and much-graffiti’d walls (not to mention the traffic-clogged streets – more on that later) of Miami to put Fiat’s new 500e through its paces.
Design of the 2024 Fiat 500e – 8/10
In a vehicle like this, styling is arguably of more importance than it is in more mainstream segments. Superminis, or subcompacts will turn to their exterior styling as a kind of calling card. Think Mini, think the old 500, even the VW Beetle – they celebrate their European-ness, provide a window to the sun-soaked streets of Nice, or Barcelona or even Fiat’s hometown of Turin, Italy.
In that light, the new 500e is easily recognized as an evolution of the older model. Wheels are pushed all the way to the corners, the roof rises high, there’s a little roof spoiler and so on. Fiat has added a few extra flares such as the LED “eyebrows” over the standard LED headlights, which are now half-roundels instead of full-rounds, as well as neat Italian flag motifs above the front fenders, standard 17-inch wheels.
Even the Fiat badge has been replaced on the rear deck by body-coloured “Fiat” script. Not to worry, 500 fans – you still get the “moustache” look on the front grille.
Three colours are available: black, white and red. Seems we’ll have to wait a while for the wild “Acid Green” colour the Europe-only Abarth model gets.
Interior of the 2024 Fiat 500e – 8/10
Lots of changes inside, both in terms of styling and comfort. You still get a body colour-matching dash, but that’s really the only direct nod to 500 models of old. Gone are the nested analogue gauges, replaced by a 7.5-inch digital gauge display and gone is a traditional shift lever, replaced by a set of buttons.
There’s a 10.25-inch central display with Uconnect5 and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard.
Look closely, and you’ll see some neat styling easter eggs, for instance Turin’s skyline stamped on the wireless charge pad above the gear select buttons, or profile views of the original 500 Cinquicento from the 60s within the door pulls.
The button-select transmission serves the purpose of reducing clutter within the cabin, which is a running theme inside the 500e. To that end, all the driving gear sits nice and low in the chassis; there’s no need for a transmission tunnel, for example, which adds more open space.
The standard wireless charge pad sits just above that button bank – nice touch –, there are little cubbies below the central armrest (now big enough for two arms), and when it comes time to store your Starbucks iced matcha tea latte, a cupholder flips forward from within the centre console.
There’s more room overall than previous, with few sharp corners on which to smack an elbow or knee and rear seat access now easier. You still won’t want to stuff adults back there for too long, though. Indeed, I think I’d spend most of my time with the rear seats flipped forward for extra storage. Do that and you can fit two adult-sized hockey bags with little issue.
Generally, the view out is good. So is space inside, headroom being especially notable, as it feels much bigger in here than it looks.
The 500e really only loses marks from the lack of a front trunk (“frunk”), or a sunroof option on either of the two trims. Those are the (500e)RED ($39,995) and La Prima ($44,995), by the way. While sunroofs do tend to mean a hit to your headroom, there’s so much of the latter here that I’m sure a sunroof would be just fine. Cloth seats, meanwhile, are standard with leather items included with the La Prima trim.
Tech in the 2024 Fiat 500e - 8.5/10
Uconnect5 confirms Stellantis’ infotainment system as being one of the strongest in the business. The touchscreen is big and responsive, the menus are aligned in an intuitive manner that requires little poking around to get to where you want to go, the navigation system is powered by TomTom (although I used Apple CarPlay during most of my drive) and the 500e gets an EV menu that helps you monitor your charge, power usage and so forth.
The backup camera – less important in a small vehicle like this, but still – is sharp enough, but doesn’t get a 360-degree view no matter the trim. Lane departure warning and forward collision warning systems are standard, but if you want adaptive cruise control and blind sport camera, you need to upgrade to La Prima.
Charging
Charging for the 500e’s 42-kWh battery can be done on Level I, II or III DC fast chargers, which is different from the U.S. which doesn’t get a Level I 120V option. You’ll go from 0-100 percent charge in about six hours on a Level II wall charger (which can be purchased through Stellantis’ Mopar division) and from 10-80 percent in about 35 minutes on a DC fast charger.
Driving the 2024 Fiat 500e – 7.5/10
Power is rated at 117 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque, fed immediately to the front wheels as there is no transmission to speak of. That means there’s some nice zip off the line. Now, it’s no sports car (or gas-powered previous-gen 500 Abarth, for that matter), but there’s enough there to squirt in and out of traffic and so on.
Speaking of traffic. In Miami. This is where we come back to our time navigating the palm-lined, pastel streets of Miami. It is incredibly crowded here. The beaches, the tour busses, the roadworks seemingly every block, the fact that the left lane almost always becomes the left-turn only lane – it all combines to create a bit of s stressful environment. Add the fact that the beachcombing locals cross whenever they please – at the corner on a red, middle of the block, you name it, and that means folks seem to have trouble, you know, driving here, and you can see why Fiat let us loose.
With a maximum if just 227 km of range, the 500e is a city car through and through, and Fiat had no problem reminding us of that throughout our time with it. It’s not a road trip vehicle and they wanted us to see how it handles itself in these potentially stressful conditions.
Stressful, that is, unless you’re at the wheel of a 500e. The responsive steering and agile chassis – not to mention the airy interior accoutrements and good view out – do provide the peace of mind to make navigating these circumstances easier. It doesn’t take long to see why vehicles of this size – superminis, Kei cars, whatever you want to call them – have been adopted by the residents of so many of the world’s large cities. They just make life that much easier, the grind that much less so.
Some of your questions about the 2024 Fiat 500e
Will Canada be getting the Abarth version?
Well, Fiat hasn’t yet said yes, but they haven’t said no either. The last time the 500 was available here, the Abarth version was as well, so we’d say it stands to reason, depending on how the standard model fares in showrooms.
Are there drive modes?
There are three drive modes – Normal, Range and Sherpa – with the final one cutting out all power-draining resources to ensure you get home safe. Activate it, and you will feel the acceleration become less responsive, the regen stronger once you release the throttle (it will take you to a stop without ever hitting the brake, but this form of one-pedal driving cannot be activated or deactivated independently of the drive modes) and the HVAC system deactivate, all in the name of saving range. It’s fine and all selectable via a wheel near the armrest, but I was a little miffed to find that when you take it out of Sherpa mode, it doesn’t automatically re-activate the HVAC system.
The final word
The little 500e has quite the load on its shoulders and in North America especially. It is the only model that will be sold in our markets for now, so it has to carry that flag. Not just any flag, either; it’s a flag that’s flown above some of the most famous road and race cars of all time, which adds just that much more weight to the situation.
The 500e, however, seems capable of managing it. It ticks all the boxes Fiat boss Ahmed et. al. set out for it and, when you consider that both trims are eligible for both federal and provincial rebates in BC and Quebec – the only two provinces where it will be sold at the outset, with other markets coming closer to the end of the year – it presents a great value and earns it the distinction of being the most affordable EV sold in Canada, eclipsing even the Nissan LEAF. That’s a winning combination.
Competitors of the 2024 Fiat 500e
- - Mazda MX-30
- - Mini Cooper S E
- - Nissan LEAF
