New Fiat 500 and 500C electric car prices announced: specs and release date
October 22, 2020 by
The new Fiat 500 will cost from £19,995 when it goes on sale in the UK in early 2021. Read on for full details.
- Costs from £19,995 (including grant)
- Two battery options
- Up to 199 miles of range
- Four trim levels
- On sale in December
- Deliveries expected March 2021
Prices and specs have been announced for the new all-electric Fiat 500 city car – an alternative to the MINI Electric, the Honda e and the Peugeot e-208. You’ll be able to order this compact electric car in December 2020 and it’ll cost from £19,995, including the £3,000 Plug-in Car Grant.
New electric Fiat 500 prices and specs
The new Fiat 500 range is split out into four models: Action, Passion, Icon and La Prima. All prices shown include the £3,000 government Plug-in Car Grant.
Electric Fiat 500 Action – from £19,995
The entry-level Action costs from £19,995 (including the £3,000 Plug-in Car Grant). It comes with a 23.8kW battery that gives it a 115-mile range. Its 95hp motor helps it do 0-60mph in 9.5 seconds and reach an 84mph top speed. You don’t get a touchscreen infotainment system – instead, there’s a smartphone cradle and a Bluetooth connection for the stereo, just like in the Volkswagen e-Up.
You do at least get a 7.0-inch digital driver’s display, rear parking sensors and 15-inch alloy wheels as standard. The Fiat 500 Action is only available as a hatchback, not a 500C convertible.
Electric Fiat 500 Passion – from £23,495
The Fiat 500 Passion comes with a larger 42kWh battery, so it can manage 199 miles between charges. Unlike the Action (which can charge at a maximum of 50kW) the Passion model can charge using 85kW fast chargers – so you can charge it from 0-80% full in about 35 minutes. Its more powerful 118hp electric motor means it can do 0-60mph in nine seconds.
The Fiat 500 Passion also comes with LED daytime running lights, cruise control, climate control and a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Unlike the Action model, you can get the 500 Passion as a hatchback or a convertible.
Electric Fiat 500 Icon – from £24,995
High-spec Icon models come with the same battery and motor combination as Passion versions, but add larger 16-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry and a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with built-in satellite navigation. The Icon is available as a hatchback and a convertible.
Electric Fiat 500 La Prima – from £24,995
Top-spec La Prima versions come with the same batteries and motor as Passion and Icon versions. They also get larger 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, leather seats, chrome trim for the doors and dashboard, and a panoramic glass roof (in hatchback models, only).
You also get adaptive cruise control (that maintains a safe distance to cars in front) a surround-view camera system (to help you park) and lane-keeping assist (that’ll warn you if you’re about to stray out of your lane on the motorway). It’s available as a hatchback and a convertible.
Electric Fiat 500 3+1 four-door
Fiat has also announced that it’ll launch a (slightly) more practical version of the Fiat 500, called the 500 3+1. This model takes the standard three-door 500 and adds a small back door on the right-hand side to make it easier for passengers to climb into the back seats. This new model is no larger than the standard 500 and only weighs 30kg more, so its performance and range are unaffected.
New Fiat 500 electric car design
It’s difficult to make a retro-styled car, such as the Fiat 500, look modern. So, rather than add a bunch of fiddly details, Fiat’s gone back to basics for the new 500 and made it look smoother, more rounded and even more minimalist than before.
For starters, the old car’s headlights have been ditched in favour of two semi-circular lamps with a curved daytime-running lights that shine out through the bonnet.
The flush door handles and hidden indicators are pretty much the only difference you’ll spot from the side, and the lack of an exhaust pipe is a dead giveaway that you’re looking at the new car from behind.
Just like the old car, you’ll be able to get the new Fiat 500 as a 500C convertible. Fiat claims it’s the first purely electric four-seater convertible ever. It’s a bit more expensive than the hard-top model but comes with all the same kit.
New Fiat 500 electric car interior
OK, so the new Fiat 500 looks pretty similar to the old car on the outside, but it’s a totally different story inside. There’s a brand-new seven-inch digital dial display instead of traditional dials, and you get a big 10-inch touchscreen on the dashboard with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring.
The physical controls for the heating and air conditioning are grouped together under the central touchscreen and there’s a storage tray where you’d find a gear lever in a petrol- or diesel-powered car.
One of the best things about the old Fiat 500 was how easy it was to personalise. Fiat’s determined to make this new car just as customisable and has roped in fashion designers Bvlgari, Kartell and Armani to make their own unique 500s. Sure, you won’t be able to get these exact upgrades on your own 500 – they’re just their to get your creative juices flowing…
New Fiat 500 electric car batteries and range
The new Fiat 500 comes with a 42kWh battery that gives it a 199-mile range. You can recharge your 500 using a 3kW wall box, but that’ll take all night – literally. You’ll be better off getting the optional 7.4kW wall box that’ll fully charge its batteries in a little over six hours.
The quickest way to charge the new Fiat 500 is using an 85kW public fast charger. These can top it up from empty to 80% charged in 35 minutes, and add a useful 30 miles of charge in just five minutes.
New Fiat 500 motors and driving
The Fiat 500 comes with a 118hp electric motor with enough poke to accelerate from 0-60mph in nine seconds. That doesn’t sound particularly fast but the new 500 will do 0-30mph in three seconds, which is nippy enough in town and faster than most small city cars.
Also handy in town is the new 500’s automatic emergency braking that’ll spot pedestrians and cyclists in your path and automatically apply the brakes if it thinks you’re about to hit them. There’s also adaptive cruise control that’ll accelerate and brake for you on motorways to keep you a safe distance from the car ahead.
There are three driving modes, Normal, Range and Sherpa. Range mode uses the motor to recharge the batteries when you brake to help boost the Fiat 500’s range, while Normal model tones down this ‘regenerative braking’ effect.
The Sherpa function limits the Fiat 500’s top speed to 50mph (down from 93mph) and turns off the air conditioning. These extreme measures will be useful in an emergency when you really need to eke out every last mile to reach a charging point.
If you can’t wait for this new car to go on sale, head over to our Fiat 500 review to check out the current petrol-powered model or read our list of the best electric cars on sale now.
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