Fiat 500e elettrica. Source: Fiat
Electric hatchbacks make perfect sense for city driving but Australians looking to make the switch have not had too many options. Things are about to change with the launch in Australia of the Fiat 500e.
The small two-door EVs specifications and arrival date have today been revealed by Fiat. And it’s only months away. The Fiat 500e was the fourth best selling electric car in Europe in 2022, behind only the Tesla Model 3, the Model Y and the VW ID.4.
The car would also be one of the very few European-built EVs to arrive on Australian shores with its design, engineering and manufacturing all done in Turin, Italy. Fiat proudly states this as part of its launch:
“Fiat 500e – the first full-electric model in Fiat history and 100% designed, engineered and manufactured in Turin, Italy.”
The first of these Italian-built hatchbacks are expected to arrive at the dealerships by mid-year and will be priced from $52,500 before on-roads. These will only be offered in one trim, the “La Prima” trim which in Italian stands for “The First”.
The Fiat 500e is rated one of the most environmentally friendly vehicles according to Fiat, scoring a five-star Green New Car Assessment rating. It is the first vehicle to achieve a maximum 10/10 in the Energy Efficiency Index as part of this rating.
This is one of the smallest EVs to hit the Australian market so far and in dimensions according to the ev-database, it sits at:
It also has four seats for passengers with up to 550L of boot space when the rear seats are down.
Getting into the details of its powertrain that gives the 500e some of its green credentials, shows that an 87 kW front-mounted motor powers the wheels. The same motor’s peak Torque output is 220 Nm and can get the hatchback from 0-100 km/h in 9 seconds.
The motors are fed by a 42 kWh battery which can offer up to 311 km of range in Europe.
The battery can be AC-charged at up to 11 kW. The fast charging speeds are also impressive for a car this size. It can be fast-charged at a suitable DC charger at up to 85 kW. Fast charging using the CCS2 Port on the Fiat 500e can get the battery from 0 – 80% in 35 minutes.
For comparison, the BYD Atto 3 with a larger battery is capped at 80 kW, although we have seen it get up to 88 kW on The Driven’s tests.
The pricing of the only trim starts at $52,500 before on-roads and it’s expected to arrive at the dealerships by mid-2023. There is also a “Register your Interest” page for those considering the new 500e.
Various colours are available for the 500e including:
When it comes to safety and convenience features, Fiat’s electric offering includes:
The Fiat 500e is quite a unique offering, not only because of its two-door design but also the form factor. We need smaller electric vehicles to help our cities decarbonise. The more options on the market, the better.
Fiat 500e First Drive Impressions from Fully Charged
La Prima standard equipment highlights:
Exterior:
Interior:
Features:
e-Powertrain:
Pricing
| Grade | Power | Battery | BVP* |
| 500e La Prima | 87 kW | 42kWh | $52,500 |
*Base Vehicle Price includes GST, excludes all on-road costs and dealer delivery.
Options:
| Model | Option | Code | MSRP* |
| Fiat 500e | Premium paint ¹ | – | $700 |
| Tri-Coat paint 2 | 278 | $1,600 |
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.
Utility ActewAGL has launched what it claims is the capital's largest mixed-use electric vehicle charging…
A fake British government media release outlining a new policy on reducing the capacity of…
BYD's cheapest best-seller EV launched in Europe, along with a new name, bigger footprint and…
Tesla's fastest Australian-bound SUV spied, testing in Germany ahead of imminent launch.
Fleet of five ID. Buzz Cargo electric vans have been delivered to Schindler Lifts Australia,…
Volvo Trucks unveils a new long-distance electric truck which boasts up to 600 kilometres of…