USED BUYER'S GUIDE Fiat 500 Electric

FROM £9,000 Company's smallest EV offers style and charm by the bucket load - and at decent prices - but it does force you to make a few compromises

- Richard Dredge

WHEN Fiat brought back its funky fifties favourite, the 500, in 2007, it was a genius move. Whereas the original 500 was basic transport for the masses, the second coming was all about premium urban transport.

Intended to be Fiat’s answer to the reborn and hugely popular MINI, which had arrived in 2001, the 500 proved to be a smash hit, to the point that it’s hard to see how Fiat could have survived without it. At one point it accounted for more than 80 per cent of the company’s sales, so it really was a life saver.

When Fiat introduced the third-generation 500 in 2020, it was a pure-electric vehicle and while buyers haven't taken to it nearly as enthusiastically as they did with previous editions of the 500, that doesn't mean this chic pint-sized EV isn’t worth a closer look.

HISTORY

ORDERS opened in June 2020, for the range-topping 500 La Prima, which came with a 42kWh battery and an 85kW charging system; it was priced at £29,995. A mere four months later the full range was announced. The cheapest option was the £22,995 Action with a 24kWh battery and 92bhp, and above this were the £26,495 Passion and £27,995 Icon, with a 42kWh battery and 116bhp motor.

At the same time the 500C convertible was introduced, in Passion, Icon and La Prima forms; this open-topped edition was mechanically identical to the hatchback. Since then Fiat hasn’t adjusted the 500e model range, although it has introduced a couple of special editions: the Red 24kWh and 42kWh (October 2021), and the 42kWh Bocelli, with a JBL premium hi-fi, in May 2022.

WHICH SHOULD I BUY?