The Second Generation Electric Cinquecento Offers Dolce Vita!
It wasn’t a huge surprise when Fiat announced the 2019 500e was in its final year of being imported to America. Only available in California and Oregon, its appeal was challenged by an 84-mile all-electric driving range (AER) that had long been surpassed by competitors.
Move ahead five years. All-new for 2024, the second generation Fiat 500e this time is available in all 50 states. It brings several upgrades, including being bigger (two inches wider, longer and taller), more powerful, with a longer driving range and more standard features. The 500e works hard to make Fiat’s case of “not needing to set foot in Italy to experience Dolce Vita!”
Possibly bigger news is the 500 will now come with electric propulsion only. Here is a flashback to our time in the sporty 2019 500c Abarth Cabrio; the last internal combustion 500 was a blast to drive.
Smooth, Quiet and Zippy
You power up by pressing the start/off button (accompanied by unique tones). The dash gauges awaken, telling you the 500e is ready to drive. Without any engine noise or vibration, the dash readouts are your only indication you are good-to-go.
The electric motor puts out 117 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. A single-speed transmission drives the front wheels, controlled by large buttons on the dash. Powered by a 42-kWh battery, the 500e scoots along from a stop to 60 mph in about 8.5 seconds. Its top speed is 94 mph. We found this pace to be perfectly acceptable as it felt even faster for freeway merging and passing big rigs. The acceleration is smooth, quiet and zippy—and quite addictive—the beauty of EV torque is it being available, at any speed, any time. When taking your test drive, listen for the music that plays at 20 miles per hour.
The 2024 Fiat 500e is rated at a 149-mile all-electric range, which is a markedly significant increase from the first generation. It is also pretty much what we experienced. With so much emphasis placed on driving range, it is important to note 39.7 miles is the average driven daily in the United States. Yep, that’s it folks. That means the 500e would satisfy a very large number of those people’s needs. Clean Fleet Report put on 182 miles tooling around Southern California where we averaged a very respectable 3.9 miles per kWh.
Competitors based on AER are the Mini Cooper SE at 114 miles and the Nissan Leaf S, also at 149 miles. The Mazda MX-30, at 100 miles, was discontinued following the 2023 model year, but may be available used.
Automotive Entertainment
The Fiat 500e is fun to drive, and maybe could be considered a form of automotive entertainment. Around town as a city car, it is completely in its element. The 31.5-feet turning radius and the electric power steering made easy work of moving the 2,952-pound 500e in-and-out of parking spaces and navigating the tightest of alleys.
Out on the open road, even with the short 91.4-inch wheelbase, it felt confident at freeway speeds. No gusts of wind or road conditions gave any concern. The McPherson strut front and twist-beam axle in the rear smoothed-out most road irregularities. Our only issue is the 205/45R Pirelli Cintuarato all-season tires can be loud at freeway speeds.
The 500e is well balanced as the battery weight under the floorboard makes for a low center of gravity. The responsive steering has a properly heavy feel and good road feedback. Being tight and sporty, we were tempted to attack several tight curves where we found there to be no body roll, pushing or loss of grip. A smile was our reward!
Plug-in Charging
Charging the lithium-ion battery is through the 11 kW onboard charger. It is important to note cold weather can affect the charging time and driving range.
- 120V (Level 1) @ 13 Amps – 37 hours – 5% – 100%
- 240V (Level 2) @ 48 Amps – 6 hours – 0% – 100%
- DC Fast Charging @ 85 kW – 35 minutes – 0% to 80%
Original 2024 500e owners have the option to receive a Level 2 charging wall unit through Fiat, or $600 in charging credits through Free2Move Charge. This explains the program to ease the electrification transition.
Regenerative Charging and Drive Modes
Charging also occurs through motor regeneration when coasting or braking, which converts kinetic energy into electric energy and returns it to the battery. The 500e has two one-pedal driving settings, where the regeneration can be set to different levels of force.
There are three driver selectable drive mode settings, controlled by the “e-MODE” switch on the center console, allowing the driver to optimize range and return energy to the battery.
- Normal – The most similar setting to a gasoline powered car and does not have regeneration
- Range – Activates the one-pedal-drive and regeneration function
- Sherpa – Retains the regeneration force. Sherpa also limits the top speed to 50 mph, turns-off the heating and air conditioning, and reduces the power, but does not restrict a full throttle if needed.
The location of the regen settings control switch is unique to the Fiat 500e. On almost all the plug-in cars Clean Fleet Report tests the regeneration is set by paddles on the backside of the steering wheel. We prefer this system as drivers can adjust motor regeneration with their fingertips, never removing their eyes from the road.
The 500e layout on the center console requires a quick glance to find the switch. After a week driving the 500e, we became comfortable with the location, but would like to see it moved to a more conventional set-up.
Retro Design
Built at the Mirafiori assembly plant in Turin, Italy, the Fiat 500e is all about being cool, and having unmistakable Italian design and fun. Fiat proudly says it is “100-percent Electric, 100-percent Italian.” Based on the iconic Cinquecento (first launched in 1957 and sold in various forms in the United States through 1983), the new, first generation 500 was introduced in 2012, followed by the all-electric 500e for 2013-2019.
Fiat has a novel approach to introducing the 500e, taking a page from the fashion world. There will be a series of “drops” just like the fashion houses do with their clothing lines. The first drop earlier this year was “RED”; each purchase sent a donation to the Global Fund to support life-saving prevention and treatment programs in communities most in need. All of the launch edition 2024 Fiat 500e models are painted in non-metallic clear coat Red.
The next drops, with each only coming in one exterior color, but also with more standard features, were “Inspired By Beauty” (Rose Gold), “Inspired By Music” (Tuxedo Black). “Inspired by Los Angeles” (Marine Layer Mist) was released late Summer 2024. At the LA Auto Show in November Fiat announced a Giorgio Armani Collector’s Edition coming in early 2025.
The 500e has a fun face with round LED projector headlights, with eyebrows and daytime running lights, and a friendly smile in the mouth-like grille. At just under 12-feet long the 500e has an upright design with sides that slope inward towards the roof, which ends with a rear hatch spoiler. Chrome pieces are non-existent save but for the “500” badge on the lift gate next to the LED tail lights. The car has attitude.
Cozy Interior
The cabin is compact, but in reality it really is roomier than expected for the driver and passenger. The heated front seats have manual adjustments, making it comfortable and providing ample headroom even for 6-footers.
The rear seat is for two adults of up to about 5-foot nine-inches, so don’t plan on taking friends any further than a local restaurant unless you don’t want them to be your friends much longer. The best use for the 500e is to lay down the 50:50 split rear seat and enjoy zipping around with enough storage space for in-town errands. The cargo capacity is compromised a bit as the rear seat doesn’t lay completely flat. Same story with the passenger seat, which means long items can’t be accommodated.
The 500e dash has been completely redesigned from the earlier generation. It is clean, stylish, sleek and modern with everything well within reach of the driver. The flat bottom steering wheel has controls for the cruise control on the right side, and voice activation and controls for the 7-inch instrument cluster on the left side.
We are big fans of the fast-operating and easy-to-understand Fiat UConnect 5 system that is the gateway to the infotainment system, 3-D navigation and other helpful safety and security features.
The 7-speaker JBL audio system provided AM/FM/HD and SiriusXM, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus access to entrainment apps. Controlling the radio functions on the 500e is our favorite of all the systems we test. There are small up-and-down buttons on the backside of the steering wheel to, with a simple touch of a finger tip, control the channel and audio settings. No taking eyes off the road to find your favorite station.
Convenience features include power windows and door locks, keyless entry, 12V and USB power outlets, a wireless phone charging pad, automatic temperature control (Yay for physical buttons!) with cabin air filtration, power exterior mirrors, front and rear seat cup holders, tilt and telescopic steering wheel column, rain sensing wipers and a security alarm.
Safety
Standard advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) include Level 2 autonomous driving, seven airbags, backup camera, electronic stability control, traction control, front and rear park assist, blind spot and rear cross detection, remote keyless entry, engine immobilizer, tire pressure monitoring system, tire repair kit, brake assist, hill start assist and auto hold.
Pricing and Warranties
The 2024 Fiat 500e RED we drove had a base price of $32,500. There are no options available, so including the $1,595 destination fee, the MSRP was $34,095. Speak with your CPA before visiting a Fiat dealer to see if the 500e qualifies for federal or a state tax credits. The 500e is eligible in many states for a solo driver HOV sticker.
All Fiat 500e models come with these warranties.
- Basic/Powertrain – Four Years/50,000 miles
- Electric Powertrain/Lithium-ion Battery – Eight Years/100,000 miles
- Corrosion – Eight Years/Unlimited Miles
Observations: 2024 Fiat 500e
The 2024 Fiat 500e is nimble and fun to drive, easy to park and handles twisties great. The design is unique compared to anything else you will see on the road. It isn’t hard to imagine yourself in Rome, where the Cinquecento seems to be everywhere.
Efficiently using its stored electricity and respectable charging times, it is right-sized for one or two people to handle all their in-town, urban and short trip needs. If you do not need to haul around four adults, the 500e could be an ideal second car.
Fiat calls the 500e a “city car” which of course it is, but that sells it short. It also works well for suburban dwellers, not just those living in a city center such as San Francisco, Boston, New York City and Chicago. If you spend the majority of your time on short haul commuter highway driving, running errands and occasionally negotiating the craziness of a city, the 500e might be right for you.
The 2024 Fiat 500e is exactly what it is meant to be. Mission accomplished.
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Story and photos by John Faulkner.
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Disclosure
Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.
Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and other efficient powertrains. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at publisher@cleanfleetreport.com.
