FIAT 500e convertible review - the likes, dislikes, efficiency and running cost of this little EV
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- Опубликовано: 23 ноя 2022
- This is a Fiat 500e La Prima 42kwh convertible electric city car, and this is my review following a 500 mile journey across the UK in a day. (Check out my other video for that trip in more detail).
This is a charming little electric car but what do I like and not like about it. The pros and the cons explained.
Plus what kind of efficiency does it get. How much does this little EV with about 37kwh usable capacity cost to charge? What’s it’s real-world range?
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I have a 2014 Fiat 500e here in the US with 54,000 miles. Been a really great vehicle and the battery has held up very well after all these years. Glad Fiat decided to bring back the 500e to America in 2024. I’ll probably be buying one, great car.
There is nothing in common with the 500e being reviewed. The one you mention is the old petrol car retrofitted by Fiat with electric motor. This car is literally build from scratch, a clean start by Fiat. But the good news is that I heard the new 500e is coming to US in the next year or so.
@@johns4651 I know that but they are both Fiats and similar in many ways. Anyways, I’m just mentioning how I’ve enjoyed my older Fiat 500e. It may be older and a compliance vehicle but it’s still a great vehicle. It’s electric and fun
I’m so excited for its American return! I’ll be ordering one and will be my 5th Fiat ❤️
I have always heard of fiats being cars that have to be fixed a ton. Is it true if the electric that you have? Has the cost to own been good? Do you think that getting an older version with 20,000-50,000 would be a good deal? Seems like it might, they are good price.
Seeing you try to exit the rear seat of that 500e was hilarious, Richard...!
The lengths you go to for the sake of consumer advice is to be applauded... 😉
I had an original Fiat 500. 2 cylinder engine in the boot. I used to travel with four of us all building site workers about 15 miles a day. We called it the fart box.
I have the Icon version with the smaller wheels at 16 inch, ride is more comfortable and on a run in the summer managed 4.9 miles to the kWh with out hyper mileing. The brakes do grab a bit in range mode, notice one comment mentions rear brakes being the problem but the car uses the front brakes for this, rear brake for parking, I found with a bit of practice I could avoid the jerk, but it takes a lot of effort. I drive from Dumfries to Somerset a couple of times a year and only charge 3 times about 350 miles. It takes about 7 and a half hours depending on traffic. Had a Zoe before and this drives much better on windy roads is way more fun than it ought to be!
You know what makes me like this car? It's the character and charm that it has! It reminds me of the not too distant past when they actually made cars that had unique design elements. Vehicles in the United States are so vanilla. Every thing is a black, grey, silver or white crossover that looks the same . Btw I want to see the Abarth 500e review when it becomes available
I have the same car as on test but in grey. The comments re your left foot are spot on. A tray to convert the front into a frunk is available from Germany but is expensive at around €185. I store the charging cable under the passenger seat and rear footwell. Good review👍
I’ve had the the la prima hardtop since June - range does vary a lot, back in July I’d did 2 50mile round trips between bath and Bristol - part motorway at 60 mph and hilly countryside and got 4.8miles per kWh even with the ac running. Generally averaging 4 miles per kWh but last few weeks running the cabin heater it’s dropped to 3.2-5 miles per kWh. I have exactly the same gripes about as you but still love it.
About 5:00. You're a brave man. Trying out the back seat for the viewers. Going that extra mile. Thanks!
My wife loves her La Prima, what other car plays opera at low speeds to warn pedestrians, has a great dynamic speed limiter, no more speeding fines, wish my Tessy had that. One pedal driving works really well. Braking grabby and noisy, Pains are engine start/stop always forget to press it, doesn’t self lock, it is great though, get one, you will love it except the price.
I did a 550 mile road trip in my 2022 500e in the middle of September 95% motorway. Was still getting 4miles per kw at 70mph
4milesx37.3kw = 149 mile range at 70mph. I find it very efficient. In the summer town/city driving I was getting over 5 miles per kw.
The wind in your hair 👌Richard 😀
Love little fiats, such great cars, the panda will be the one when it comes out, perfect small little cars, always make you smile
Good review 👍 We have the same car in Rose Gold. Totally agree with the rear drum brake grab. Kinda annoying and a strange choice by FIAT over disc. S/W is a bit glitchy at times but overall we really enjoy it. Esp with the roof down 🌞 Nippy enough for us... 😎
Amazing video as always. Also thank you for the amazing service with my new model 3.
Thank you! I trust you enjoyed your drive home
@@RSEV We ended up just driving home instead of staying over. Amazing car, Thanks.
Richard, I've been watching your videos for a while now and with your excellent blend of informative comment together with a bit of humour, I think it's time you started to enquire about getting your own TV programme. A younger Derek Matthewson on Bangers & Cash type thing maybe.
Great video mate
Yup Cabriolet really nice. We have Rose Gold one. Slow speed one pedal is a bit jerky. The auto hold is severe as well. Also acceleration pedal is really non linear. Not seen 5miles/kWh under any driving conditions. But great little car around town overall. Love it.
It's a shame about the driver's footwell, it's a design flaw that can be easily fixed: The plastic trim pops off, you need to rotate an orange connector 180 degrees, but you can then cover the gap with a carpet trim like the passenger side, and you gain an extra few inches of foot space. The rear seat belts can be permanently raised with a wood wedge under them. The passenger belt just needs a clip to prevent the connector from dropping too low. The boot needs a rubber trim over the top plastic, and that stops water accumulating. You can fit a dashcam behind the main display, connected to the fuse box in the glove compartment. There is space just below the gear switches for a phone holder for if you don't want to charge. There is space for a small car bin after the coffee folder. Lovely car with these tweaks. No regrets about buying the convertible if you don't need the rear seats for long journeys :)
you should start a business offering these modifications. I really like this car
great presentation.
adorable practical car for city runabouts.
probably ideal as the second car (when the first car is a bigger petrol sedan or SUVs for longer trips).
thanks for the thorough review - one aspect i think you missed was seeing how the rear seats folded - if you think of this as a two seater, it doesnt actually look like the seats can fold down when you have your seat in place as a 6 footer...
We have exactly the same model since feb. 21 and I agree with you about the disappointing maximum range of 200km. Despite several updates, the software is still shabby and buggy but it's a nice and funny car to drive. I bought and installed a frunk from frunk.at to store the cables and save room in the tiny trunk. It's worth the money !
My wife & I both loved this car (convertible) on test drive 18 months ago. Hot sunny day definitely helped! Truly a fun EV city car. More fun than the Honda e although the latter is RWD. Very expensive for this model and the real world range not quite good enough for the asking price. And this is not really a 2+2, but rather a 2+0 (just extra storage space). Not that ideal for kids or small adults in the rear either.
We had four adults plus luggage from Manchester to Suffolk this Summer no problem and no complaints from the rear passengers. Range takes a big hit when loaded up but we got CCS when we needed it no problem. Charges very quickly to 80% but I do agree it's an expensive option but ideal for our needs and the open top EV one pedal driving experience is perfection for us.
Great video. Thanks
When I test drove the Icon (twice) I took a good look around it and wondered how seriously Fiat wants to sell the RHD models. The driver's sun visor had no mirror, but the passenger's did. The driver's seat only had 4-way adjustment but (yes, you've guessed it) the passenger's had 6-way controls. Astonishing.
Seems this would have been better to be unashamedly a 2 seater with more storage space though i guess you can just pile stuff on the back seats. . Doesn't even look practical for kids in the rear, i doubt todays huge baby seats would fit so it would only work for say 5-8 year olds as older than that they wouldn't fit and where would luggage go? Fun for nipping around town for a single or couple.
P.s kudos for not spending ages telling us every detail of the styling but just briefly showing and letting the viewer make up their minds.
Very cute and loveable. So is the Fiat.
The rear seat test was hilarious 😂😂
About 5:33. 'It's like I've been born again.' Almost peed myself.
Great video
Another great review Richard, shame the range and rear legroom is so poor, but agree it looks great, outgoing BMW i3 probably a better option?
We had a Smart forfour as our local runabout which was great but I sold i after 18 months for more than I paid for it new. We considered the 500E because we have had a couple of ICE versions before and loved them. The new 500E is a really nice car but it was a struggle to get child seats in for when we take the grandkids out. I never liked the look of the i3 but decided to test drive a nearly new one. Took me about 1 mile to decide to buy it. It's bigger than the 500E but still easy to park and much more practical. It's also quite quick and really fun to drive. In mixed driving I am averaging 4.9 m/kWh but that would reduce on the motorway no doubt. CCS is only 50kW so not a great long trip car but Ok for occasional journeys.
Good video, but I'd have liked some comparisons to other, similar evs, plus a price reference to show how it stands, comparatively.
I think my car must be a tardis, I’ve got a 2016 petrol hatchback and I’ve had 3 passengers all over 6ft tall fit absolutely fine on a 100 mile round trip. Mine’s also got a little cut out to wedge your left foot into.
I've had one of these La Prima's for 17 months now and put 10300 miles on it. Its nice to drive but has shocking software (which has been updated several times but its still rubbish compared to my IONIQ 5) and range is only 160 miles not 199. Only use it for shopping and picking two small kids up from school but have once taken it to Yorkshire and back (130 miles).
Will this be available in the US? I have owned several convertibles. I love convertibles and have been waiting for someone to come out with one. Hoping they add a frunk to it since space is so limited in convertibles.
Contrary to popularity I’ve always preferred the Smart Fortwo with its unbeatable turning circle of less than 7 metres and king of parallel parking with a total body length under 2.8 meters! Would love to see you do a review on one 🚗
I can get my classic triumph herald better then that as the wheels go full 45 degrees sideways crab style. But the smart car I agree is better then the fiat something different.
Difference is; the Fiat is pretty and the Smart is fugly.
@@maxflight777 Beauty is within the eye of the beholder. It’s like a pug ugly but cute
"It's a shame I don't have ISOFIX on my butt" 🤣 Great idea Richard!!!
Three 500's in the family so far, and if we ever buy a new car, this will be it! Mine you we've had more Porsche's :)
I wish Fiat would make the long promised 500 giardinera estate with a slightly longer wheelbase…. We love ours and after a year of living with still love it though as someone who is 6’3 I agree foot space is bad but I forgive it Because it never fail to lift the spirits… Re range we have never got less than 120 miles in winter and 145-150 in summer. A+ for reliability too!
It has an friendly little face with a little angry thrown in 🙂
The first car I ever drove when I was 12 was one of them 😆 I'm 44
Great accurate review. I owned the hatchback la prima for 12 months. Software is awful, it loves switching back to Kms, and nags about charging on longer journeys even though there's enough charge. Mine was at the dealer for 3 months with electrical fault, then 2 weeks at the annual service for failed software update. Form over function and probably the most expensive fiat ever. Glad I don't own it any more.
I’ve had mine for 2 years/12,000 miles. Had the km/miles glitch in the first year but I don’t think I’ve had it in the last year. My two regular round trips are 130 and 200 miles and it has handled them well (I top up on the 200 miles route).
All agreed on all points, but surely the brake ‘grabbing’ is a software tweak? The brakes don’t grab so badly in ‘Normal’ mode, but on ‘Range’ mode, it’s REALLY annoying! Just a few milliseconds delay on the brake activation should be simple enough!
About 6:19. Could the foot space be because Fiat designed this as strictly a left-hand drive vehicle? I wonder if the left-hand drive version has a similar problem?
own a left hand drive one. i’m 6’2’ and there’s space for my foot. watched several videos about this and it’s only a problem for the right handed drive cars
I am surprised you are getting only 120 miles on the motorway, I did a 156 miles trip in the laPrima today, from Suffolk all the way to Surrey, with about 20 miles to spare. And it was bloody cold! I suggest you ask Fiat service people to have a look, something is not right. Mind you, I tend to stick to 60mph to extend range but still..
I agree with the 120 miles. 60 mph on motorway isn't most peoples real world speed. Even fully charged our La Prima only shows 161 miles which the dealer says in "normal"
@@R1ch1eBTV Interesting. perhaps because our car is brand new? When fully charged it used to show 190miles when picked up, now slowly dropping based on driving history I presume, but still getting at least 160 on the motorways. But you are right, I do stick to 60 most of the time to extend the range so perhaps that partially explains it. But we do get 200 in the city (on mostly 30mps roads) , at least in the summer.
@@johns4651 ours is also new. Less than 4k miles on it. Tyres all set to 35/33 +as per fiat door tag. I'm sure if I did a long trip at 60 with driver assist enabled I'd get in the 160s but it's not for me going at that pace
@@R1ch1eBTV makes sense, thanks! One thought I had, if sticking to 60mph makes it possible to reach your destination without stopping to recharge, then in some cases it actually may be quicker than 70mph then looking for a charger and waiting to the top up.
3:52 "I don't think this is going to be the best in the rear" ...... mate !?!? ..... 🤣
Wonder if only a 3rd person in the back would be a better option. Maybe if the centre console was redesigned the back seat passenger could stretch their legs out. How come EV's dont have retractable cables built into the body work?
Whats its production carbon footprint? , so how long does it take to recoup that if saying your preventing say 50mpg fossil fuel use ?
40/50/60mpg, good point but the ICE days are done. Clean air in the cities is going to be very refreshing.
Great car
Maybe you’d like to try the overcoat and sweatshirt wearing test in the back seat of some other cars too ? 😂
No lumbar adjustment????? I’ve been waiting for this to come to America, but I absolutely need lumbar. I’m am soooooo bummed !!!!! 😢
Evening mate
I worked it's out the other day. You can get a brand new hybrid fiat 500 for c£14,000. These are £26,000. I'd have to drive 80,000 miles in the 500 hybrid based on £1.65 a litre (250 miles a tank)before I'd even breakeven, and that's not assuming charging the 500e which at today's KW prices won't be too far off a normal tank of fuel. How are they hoping to shift people towards EV's?
You fit perfect in the back seat 🤣
Plus is there another electric convertible ?
Aside from the Smart Fortwo convertible, no!
They really should get rid of the low profile tyres. Really hampers the ride quality badly.
£33,645 for a Fiat 500C EV. As apposed £19,140 for the petrol equivalent.
Imagine the impact on the *TSLA share price* when Elon delivers a cute, compelling and affordable small EV . (Given the utter dominance and differentiating factor of the Supercharger network)
Lots of Tesla' on car transporters today leaving Southampton, on route to their new owners. 😀
Safe to say you’re not the target customer… you presumably carry neither a handbag nor a man bag! I can see why it appeals as a town car, for those with a more petite frame!
Guess wot I had to buy a ev because I couldn't get hold of anything else. All ready costing me arm and leg the charger supposed to be free but still charged me £250. Let's see if they battery lasts me more than 100 miles.
I don't believe you would need a seatbelt when you are sitting in the back seat of this 500 E.😊
Maybe good for very small people and the range too little here for America. I think it is adorable but it is like a toy car.
Good 👍 try Fiat 500 but just keep thinking 🤔 could be bit better mmm #buzzofftoxic
3:08 handbrake turns are dangerous and stupid so you must take off your seatbelt first
when the car is a left hand drive you have lots of room for ya leg
Why o why is this our only choice of ev convertible.
Range in real world should be 150+ if wltp is 199. 120 very disappointing
Yep. 199 is impossible in real world. 120 is about the norm for me. Fully charged it says 161 which you'd never get. Same spec as this review sample
@Richie Baldock Is that with combined motorway driving and city driving?
I believe that the more optimistic number comes from the idea that this is primarily a city car, which will be beneficial for the range.
I think I’m generally getting around 150-160 on mine, bit less if its cold, bit more in perfect (battery) weather. I drive in range mode. The best I’ve had on the guessometer was 200, this week it showed 174 at 100%. Mine is a hatchback rather than cabrio.
@@David_Polak combined but I like the zip so tend to drive it as I enjoy it rather than going for top range. If we are going long distance we are generally loaded up so would just about achieve 150 but rarely get over 4 mi/kWh