Fiat Grande Panda first drive | Great style with genuine substance

With outstanding style and affordability, the Grande Panda also brings a decent driving experience and appealing practicality.

Overview

The Fiat Grande Panda Electric is another new contender in the rapidly growing small electric car segment. It’s a key rival for the Renault 5 E-Tech and Hyundai Inster, combining eye-catching design and neat details with tempting pricing.

It’s also the first of what’s planned to be a whole new family of Fiat Panda models. So we’re pleased to report that it sets an excellent early standard, and is certainly a car to consider very carefully for those in the market for a small, affordable EV.

The Grande Panda is based on the Stellantis ‘Smart Car platform’, which has already seen action as the underpinnings for the latest Citroen e-C3 and Vauxhall Frontera. As the ‘multi-energy’ aspect suggests, it’s designed to accommodate conventional fossil fuel engines as well as electric power.

The Grande Panda Electric comes in (RED) or La Prima specification. The (RED) version is priced £20,975 at launch, while Prima is £23,975.

Both versions represent strong value for money. Fiat says there’s no such thing as a ‘basic’ Grande Panda, and with these launch models we’d agree that’s certainly the case. In time, there may be cheaper, smaller battery versions, but these won’t necessarily make it to the UK.

Comfort and practicality

While all Grande Panda models feature a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen, only La Prima gets the ‘Bambox’ dashboard treatment, which is made from 33% real bamboo for improved sustainability. The slightly shiny plastics elsewhere around the interior are made from recycled beverage containers – approximately 140 of them per car.

But regardless of what it’s made out of, it looks great in here. The detailing is intricate and cohesive, the quality solid and robust rather than plush but seemingly all the more appropriate for it. Two gloveboxes and a shelf that harks back to the ‘pocket’ dashboard of the original 1980 Panda mean there’s plenty of storage space, too.

The oval motif is an homage to the famous Lingotto test track on top of the old Fiat building in Turin – there’s even a tiny image of the original Panda driving round it – while the unusual colours and textures all somehow work brilliantly together. Those up front have plenty of space, and headroom throughout is almost excessive.

In the back there’s plenty of knee room but the high floor means adults may find their legs are lifted away from the seat base in a way I’m sure won’t be comfortable on a long journey. Kids will be more than happy. Meanwhile the boot is an impressive 361 litres.

Safety and technology

The tech includes a digital instrument cluster and central infotainment screen on all Electric models, both 10.25-inch in diameter and pin sharp. Neither is overly complex nor deeply informative, but the iconography is exceptionally good for a low-cost car and Android Auto – standard along with Apple CarPlay – proves clear and responsive.

The (RED) trim also comes with LED headlights, cruise control, rear parking sensors, lane keeping assist, autonomous emergency braking and manual air-conditioning.

The La Prima gets climate control, satnav, front parking sensors, rear-view camera, wireless phone charger and front heated seats.

At the time of writing, Euro NCAP is yet to crash test anything based on this new structure.

Driveability and range

At launch, the electric version of the Grande Panda gets only one choice of powertrain: a 113PS motor paired with a 44kWh battery.

Top speed is 82mph, while the 0-62mph time is around 11 seconds. The official range figure is 199 miles.

Smaller and larger battery models are being considered for the future, but for now Fiat reckons 44kWh offers the right driving range for the right price.

On the launch event we struggled to match the claimed level of efficiency. After a morning’s moderately brisk driving over mixed roads, 50% charge was suggesting just 53 miles of range were remaining.

For an EV, it’s more mildly nippy than decisively punchy, but this and all of the above fits with the laid back, rather charming nature of the entire package. It’s still got enough performance to deal with the cut and thrust of commuter traffic and doesn’t feel out of its depth on the motorway, either.

Precise, weighty steering gives the front end a directness that serves you well when hustling around a busy city centre. The limits aren’t especially high, and the Grande Panda rolls a bit in the corners, but it’s consistent and predictable.

Given the kind of car it is, this all feels very well judged, especially since Fiat has done a great job of the ride comfort. This is especially impressive around town, where it soaks up potholes, speedbumps and cobbles with remarkable poise.

You will experience some wind and road noise at higher speeds, but nothing we found to be excessive – conversation with passengers is still easily maintained.

When it comes to charging, the Grande Panda is the first modern EV to include an integrated charging cable. Curled up behind what would have previously been the front grille, this is suitable for 7kW AC connections only.

Standard DC charging is also available, via a port at the back. This is limited to 100kW max speed; you’ll still get a 20-80% charge in 27 minutes, but only because the battery pack is so small. You can also have an 11kW connection back there. This cuts the 20-100% AC from 3 hours 43 minutes with the 7kW integrated cable to 2 hours 53 minutes.

There is also a Grande Panda Hybrid, which uses a petrol-electric automatic drivetrain, but we haven’t been able to drive this yet.

Company car tax and running costs

The Grande Panda is too new for us to have all its running costs data, but with its low starting price of less than £21,000 it’s one of only a handful of cheap EVs that are viable family cars.

Monthly company car tax bills will be less than £10 per month, thanks to the 2% benefit-in-kind tax rate. This should make the Panda a highly desirable model on company choice lists, as well as salary sacrifice schemes.

The car’s biggest rivals, currently, are the Citroen C3 Aircross and the Vauxhall Frontera. Both of which offer a similar package, albeit with a slightly different level of flair.