Fiat 600E first drive | compact electric SUV with Italian flair

Proven Stellantis platform which commands the last word in Italian styling - most evident in the La Prima version. Superior comfort and consummate cabin detailing although boot and legroom in the rear struggles to compete with other small SUVs.

Overview

So here it is, the Fiat 600e. Due to land on UK shores in early 2024, the Italian car maker’s latest charge into the electric space bears all the design heritage of its best-selling sister the 500e which today accounts for 60% of Stellantis’ sales of electric vehicles.

Fiat has long cemented its reputation in designing some pretty compact cars and its newly launched Fiat 600e demonstrates how the Italian carmaker has tweaked that original formula to offer a car with more family-friendly space.

Fiat knows its stuff having dispatched 23 million B segment cars off its production lines. This time, Fiat designers were asked to conceive an upgrade of the B segment so went about redesigning the car’s aerodynamic profile and adding an extra metre in length compared to the 500e – hence the ‘Super B’ title.  

Read our review of the Fiat 500e here.

Now it is targeting a significant market share in Europe which counts for 4 million potential customers with a fully electric model which it insists can carry five people in comfort and has thrown in several La Dolce Vita ‘experiential’ touches that confirm its stylish pedigree.

It's like Cinquecento, but bigger, bolder with more room to spare, easier access, moves up the in-car tech ladder, with impressive horsepower and economy offering 250 miles on a single charge.

Available in two different full-electric versions, Fiat 600e La Prima and Fiat 600e RED - with a hybrid version to follow in 2024 - Fleet News was offered the pricier La Prima to drive.

Comfort and practicality

The 500 retro-styling cues are pretty evident. However, the 600e is 4.7m long and 1.78m wide in a bid to compete with the best in the compact SUV class.

Swab the matt ivory dashboard for design DNA and the Jeep Avenger’s birthright is instantly apparent. While borrowing from the Fiat 500’s more elegant rootstock in terms of panel, the centre console, 10.25-inch infotainment centre and digital gauges all scream Jeep and yet overall it’s achieves a modern, streamlined and uncluttered look.

The extensive use of hard plastic surface throughout the cabin would arguably not stand excessive rough handling and the plastic covering used on the console storage may show early signs of wear. In fact, the only soft surface was found on the covering of the steering wheel.

Fiat says it has designed the storage bin between the two front seats – which features wireless smartphone charging - and door bins to offer a combined extra 15 litres of useful space. That’s a bonus and arguably makes up for the mean-spirited 360 litres of boot space – which would challenge the storage needs of most family routine outings – and really does not hold a candle to other car boots in this class.

Legroom and space in the room has been increased allowing for an extra 30mm of legroom compared to the 500e. Room in the back is adequate for anyone with average leg length but certainly don’t offer to take the basketball team home – well, only if they live nearby. Several charging ports around the cabin should provide distraction during what could be a cramped experience.

The cream synthetic leather upholstery in the La Prima version meanwhile is superior. Picked out in contrasting turquoise embroidery complete with Fiat-monogram, the front seats speak luxury, have admirable lumbar support, electric adjustment, wow-factor massage settings and three-stage heating plus a hands-free power liftgate.

Fiat is only offering a limited range of bright colours – Colours of Italy, to be precise - no grey in sight on the 600e palette despite its popularity in the UK – which recall Italian landscapes: Sun of Italy, Sea of Italy, Earth of Italy, Sky of Italy and which underline Fiat’s vision of creating a fun, dynamic and stylish car.

The RED version comes in red, white and black from the bodywork to the dashboard fascia and recycled fabric seats.

The Fiat 600s’s exterior look is enhanced by 18in diamond cut alloy wheels, matte black skirts and wheel arches on La Prima – the Red version 16in’ steel wheels come with bi-colour covers

Safety and technology

Too new to have been tested by Euro NCAP, all versions of the FIAT 600e boast proven safety and assistance features, offering level 2 assisted driving. Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) come as standard to prevent accidents and six airbags are ready to deploy in the event of one.

Drowsy Driver Detection, Traffic Sign Information, Autonomous Emergency Brake (AEB) & Vulnerable Road User (VRU) Protection and Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) plus Intelligent Speed Assistant (ISA) are further safety features while Emergency E-Call Assist provides the vehicle's exact location to emergency services.

In addition, the La Prima has front, side and rear parking sensors with 180-degree rearview camera plus blind spot detection and comes equipped with adaptive cruise control with ‘level 2’ autonomous driving.

In term of fundamental technology, the engineering pedigree is assured: Stellantis’ e-CMP2 architecture, electric motor and cabin tech bear not an insignificant resemblance to the new Jeep Avenger, also hailing from the group stable and delivering decently average performance in terms of range.

The 154PS electric motor has proven credentials and provides the power to allow the Fiat 600e to accelerate from 0-62 mph in nine seconds before reaching top speed of 93mph – not as nippy as some compact SUV contenders but still worthy to get you out of tight spots quickly.

Three driving modes  - Eco, Normal and Sport - deliver performance according to requirements with Sport Mode allowing the car to exploit the motor’s full potential.

The 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system meanwhile is agreeably straightforward, intuitive and responsive and positioned high to make it easy viewable.

Driveability and Range 

The Fiat 600e’s 54kWh battery pack provides enough energy to travel 250 miles (WLTP) driving on a combination of both motorway and urban roads - or a maximum 372 miles around town.

Although actual range was not tested on our drive, the Jeep Avenger’s performance of 200 miles is likely to be a good indication of actual range between charging points.

The new FIAT 600e comes equipped with a 100kW DC charger and can charge the battery from 20% to 80% in 27 minutes. The model also comes with an 11kW onboard AC charger and Mode 3 cable for charging at home or in public, which delivers a full charge in less than six hours.

Despite the 154hp motor that drive the front wheels – the standard on both versions, acceleration is more than adequate although noticeably reduced in Eco mode in order to achieve maximum driving range while the other two modes deliver the extra poke one would expect.

What is striking is the quietness of the drive, with its tweaked aerodynamic profile, suppressed road noise capability and whisper quiet motor.

Fiat borrowed from the Jeep Avenger in building the car around an identical wheelbase and no extra changes have been made to the suspension. Even so, at speed, the suspension absorbs uneven surfaces extremely well, aided no doubt by Fiat tweaking the 600e’s damper system to delivers a softer drive.

Despite a useful 10.5 metre turning circle ideal for city roads, steering is distinctly light and steering angles became harder to judge when cornering. Regenerative braking is also quite light which prevents one-pedal driving, although this was offset slightly by switching into B mode.

Winding up the hillside en route to Asperga outside Turin, a certain degree of lean when negotiating bends became apparent – similar to many SUVs.

In Sport mode, taking the car up to its safe limits, the stability control system failed to prevent a slight loss of traction – although this was less apparent in Eco mode which is only to be expected from a car principally designed for urban roads.

More generally, in terms of performance the Fiat 600e offers exactly the performance you would expect from a medium power petrol equivalent combined with highly predictable handling expected from a fully electric compact SUV.

Company car tax and running costs

With a starting price of £32,995, the Fiat 600e represents excellent value for money when compared to rival EVs. It's cheaper and has a longer range than the Vauxhall Mokka-e. It also undercuts the Kia Niro and Hyundai Kona Electric, although these can go further between charges.

Company car tax (20% taxpayer) will cost just £11 per month, as the 600e sits in the 2% benefit-in-kind tax band.

Running cost data for the 600e is not yet available, but we'll update this review as soon as we have the figures.