It was 2012 when Fiat first introduced the Fiat 500 and the electric version followed it next year. It is the 5th model year for the Fiat 500e, not very changed from last year except for the latest Uconnect 5.0 infotainment system that features a lot of new stuff.
The 500e is available in only one trim equipped with an 83kW electric motor producing 111 hp and torque of 147 lb.-ft available the instant the instant you hit the go pedal. Like all the other modern EVs the Fiat 500e is also using single speed automatic.
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500e comes standard with leather wrapped tilt adjusted steering, manually adjustable front seats with height adjustment on driver’s seat, round fog lights, the new Uconnect 5.0 infotainment system, and steering wheel mounted music controls. For safety measures, the 500e has ABS, ESC and Driveline Traction Control systems which come standard. This car is only available in only California and Oregon.
4.0/10 Features
5.0/10 Engine and Performance
9.0/10 Fuel Economy
6.0/10 Exterior
2020 Fiat 500e electric Features
4.0/10
2020 Fiat 500e comes in only single trim which comes standard with many features like automatic climate control, navigation system and reverse parking sensors. Options are limited and include $800 sunroof and $495 for the eSport package featuring black and orange alloy wheels, tinted headlights bezels and orange accents to the exterior mirrors and body sides. New Alpine audio system incorporating 6 speakers, satellite radio and a CD player.
Trims
500e
MSRP
$32,995
Features
Standard features for the 500e include heated side mirrors
Automatic climate control
Full power accessories
Steering-wheel-mounted audio control
Cruise control manually adjustable heated front seats with driver-side height adjustment premium vinyl upholstery
Leather-wrapped tilt-adjustable steering wheel
Auto-dimming rearview mirror and 50/50-split folding rear seat
Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity and a 5-inch touchscreen
Six-speaker Alpine audio system with a CD player, satellite radio
USB port and an auxiliary audio jack.
Rear parking sensors
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There is a single variant but are options available like a sunroof for $800 which is not much and if you want your electric vehicle look sporty there is $495 eSport package.
2020 Fiat 500e electric Engine and Performance
5.0/10
Engine and Transmission
The 500e is powered by 83 kW electric motor producing 111 hp and instant torque of 147 lb-ft. Like all EVs, it is using a single speed automatic and employs two operating pedals. The 500e is using the same chassis of gas-powered Fiat 500 but with an electric motor under the hood and Li-ion battery under the back seat in the floor to keep the center of gravity low.
Models
Fiat 500e
Volkswagen e-Golf SE
Nissan Leaf S
Chevy Spark
MSRP
$32,995
$30,495
$29,990
$13,050
Motor Type
83kw Electric Motor
100 kW AC synchronous electric motor
110kW AC Synchronous Motor
Gas I4 1.4L
Transmission
Single Speed Automatic
Single Speed Automatic
Single Speed Automatic
5-speed Manual
Power
111 hp
134 hp
147 hp
98hp
Torque
147 lb-ft
214 lb-ft
236 lb-ft
94 lb-ft
The Fiat 500e is clearly not justifying the cost as it employs a motor with the least power and torque figures. Nissan Leaf S has the most powerful motor with 147 hp which is a big difference. The Chevy Spark is near to the Fiat 500e in terms of power produced and is nearly 1/3rd the price of the 500e. The Chevy Spark has an equivalent engine as in gas-powered Fiat 500, clearly, 500e has more power in that scenario.
Acceleration
The Fiat 500e hits 0-60 mph in 8.4 secs, does a quarter mile in 17 secs and a top speed of 88 mph and that is pretty fast for a heavy EV with a small amount of power.
Models
Fiat 500e
Volkswagen e-Golf SE
Nissan Leaf S
Chevy Spark
0-60 MPH
8.4 sec
8.5 sec
7.5 sec
10.7 sec
Quarter mile
17.0 sec
16.5 sec
15.8 sec
18 sec
The Fiat 500e was closer to the VW e-Golf SE in 0-60 but then the more powerful e-Golf takes advantage of its lightweight and makes a difference of 0.5 sec in a quarter mile. The Nissan Leaf S with most power has no match in this competition. The gas powered Chevy Spark, having equivalent engine as of Fiat 500, was also catching up on the 500e in a quarter mile.
Ride and Handling
The 500e is quite low to the ground and that provides road feel through the steering. Due to the low ground clearance, the suspension cannot be taken towards the soft end so some people feel it some harsh at irregular terrain. The 500e is more fun to drive than the 500 turbo, which requires gear shifting to reach its peak performance and is a bit bouncy.
500e is over 2900 lbs but it does not feel bouncy at all like its gas-powered siblings since the engineers have placed the heavy battery in the floor under the backseat for lowering center of gravity. But you may hear loud noises of rubber tires screeching while driving fast in corners since the 500e is pretty silent.
Braking
The Fiat 500e has all four wheels disc brakes with drilled, slotted and vented discs at front. These are the similar rotors as in gas-powered Fiat 500 models, but the car itself is 600 lbs heavier.
Model
Fiat 500e
Volkswagen e-Golf SE
Nissan Leaf S
Chevy Spark
Brake Front(in)
11.0
11.3
11.1
9.3
Brake Rear(in)
9.4
10.7
11.5
7.9
Curb weight(lbs)
2980
2455
3433
2246
60-0 MPH (ft.)
127
122
129
120
The 500e takes 127 ft. distance to stop from 60 mph with 2980 lbs. The VW e-Golf and the Nissan Leaf S take 122 ft. and 129 ft. respectively. In braking cars got positions according to their weight, like lightest Chevy is 1st and the heaviest Nissan is at last with 129 ft.
2020 Fiat 500e electric Fuel Economy
9.0/10
In efficiency, the 500e is fair against the competition, the combined eMPG of 112 is good against the rivals but the battery still remains a challenge.
Model
Fiat 500e
Volkswagen e-Golf SE
Nissan Leaf S
Chevy Spark
eMPG (city)
121
126
125
29
eMPG (Highway)
103
111
100
39
eMPG (Combined)
112
119
112
34
Battery Range (Miles)
84
125
151
N/A
The Volkswagen e-Golf SE is in lead with the combined eMPG since it has to carry 1000 lbs less than the Nissan Leaf S. But the battery range of Nissan is unmatched in this competition, otherwise all the cars are neck to neck in efficiency.
2020 Fiat 500e electric Interior
Seating and Comfort
The front seats are heated and manually adjusted with the height adjustment in the driver's seat and the tilt adjustable steering wheel makes the driver comfortable. The back seat of 500e can be barely used as only children can fit in there or can be used for storage but the Fiat 500e cannot be considered as the primary vehicle for a family.
Model
Fiat 500e
Volkswagen e-Golf SE
Nissan Leaf S
Chevy Spark
Passenger capacity
4
5
5
5
Passenger Volume (ft cube)
78.6
93.5
92.4
N/A
Front (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (In.)
38.9/49.4/40.7
38.4/55.9/41.2
41.2/54.3/42.1
39/50.8/43.9
Second (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (In.)
35.5/46.4/27.6
38.1/53.9/35.6
37.3/52.5/33.5
37.0/49.8/33.0
Clearly the 500e is far behind in providing passenger room also the backseat leg room is pretty much low than in the rivals, as in the VW and Nissan the leg room is above 33 cubic feet. The 500e cannot be taken as a 4-seater as the rear legroom is minimal.
Infotainment system
This is the fresh thing that the 500e is carrying in 2020, the Uconnect 5.0 infotainment system. This adds 5" touch screen, navigation, 6 speaker Alpine audio system with a CD player, a USB port and an auxiliary jack. The navigation system is pretty quick, accurate and voice activated. The system allows hand free calls and voice message writing but is not compatible with iPhone.
Cargo Space
You should save the back seat for storage, as there is no more than 13 ft. cube of trunk space but with the back seat folded, there is a tremendous amount of space.
Model
Fiat 500e
Volkswagen e-Golf SE
Nissan Leaf S
Chevy Spark
Trunk volume (ft.cube)
28.1
22.8
23.6
11.1
The Fiat 500e is the clear winner in this event by giving a cargo volume of 28.1 cubic feet. The VW e-Golf and Nissan Leaf S has 22.8 and 23.6 ft. cube of trunk space respectively which is a significant difference.
Interior features
Advanced Uconnect 5.0 infotainment system
Optional sunroof
Auto-dimming rear view mirror
Tilt adjustable steering wheel
2020 Fiat 500e electric Exterior
6.0/10
Dimensions and Weight
The Fiat 500e is a tiny 2-door hatchback. The car has charge indicator placed in dashboard which is clearly visible from outside, so when you enter your garage you may need to check juice left in your car charge indicator will help you with that. The exterior mirror caps are designed to lower the drag coefficient of the car.
Model
Fiat 500e
Volkswagen e-Golf SE
Nissan Leaf S
Chevy Spark
curb weight(lbs)
2980
2455
3433
2246
Length(in)
142.4
168.1
176.4
143.1
Width(in)
64.1
70.8
70.5
62.8
Height(in)
60.1
57.2
61.4
58.4
Ground clearance(in)
4.5
6.9
5.9
6.6
Wheel base(in)
90.6
103.5
106.3
93.9
Track width(in) F/R
55.4/55
60.8/59.5
60.6/61.2
54.5/54.5
500e is clearly the smallest car as there is a great difference in overall length and width against the VW and the Nissan. The ground clearance is also quite low but not the lightest in the list this is due to the reinforced chassis and the side impact beams.
Exterior Features
15" alloy wheels
Optional sunroof
eSport package
This eSport package adds black and orange wheels, tinted headlight bezels and orange accent exterior mirrors and body sides to make it look sporty.
2020 Fiat 500e electric Safety
The NHSTA and IIHS have not tested the 500e yet but the 500 turbo has overall 4-star rating from NHSTA and Good rating from IIHS except for the small overlap test. The car is equipped with ABS and ESC which ensures that the vehicle does not loose traction in wet or snow conditions moreover the driveline traction control is also active in the vehicle. For crash scenario, it has got 7 airbags and the side impact beams which absorb impact energy and direct it away from the occupants.
Safety Features
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
ABS And Driveline Traction Control
Side Impact Beams
Dual Stage Driver And Passenger Seat-Mounted Side Airbags
Rear Parking Sensors
Tire Specific Low Tire Pressure Warning
Dual Stage Driver And Passenger Front Airbags
Curtain 1st And 2nd Row Airbags
Airbag Occupancy Sensor
Driver Knee Airbag
Outboard Front Lap And Shoulder Safety Belts -inc: Pretensioners
2020 Fiat 500e electric Competition
Volkswagen e-Golf SE
The e-Golf has the same familiar design of the VW Golf and is way better than the 500e. it is faster, looks good, has more battery range and can seat 5 passengers easily. Looking for an electric vehicle having a familiar design, VW e-Golf is the option.
Nissan Leaf S
The Leaf S is a great contender in this competition, it is the fastest in these electrics. Nissan is providing almost double the battery range than the 500e. If the most powerful and fastest vehicle is economic which also looks good what else can you buy?
2020 Fiat 500e electric Final Verdict
The Fiat is not the most appealing EV in the market and don't have such features that justify its cost. There are far better electric cars than 500e like VW e-Golf, Nissan Leaf S, Chevrolet Bolt EV. If you want to only electric, buy anyone except the Fiat 500e.
The Fiat 500e is Fiat's foray into the world of environmentally conscious car designs. The car when it was released in 2012 was a competent and appreciable design but as technology has advanced the Fiat 500e struggles to keep up with times.
