New Fiat 500 Hybrid 2026 review: the perfect EV alternative, if it was a bit quicker

Verdict

Fiat has managed to bring the 500 Hybrid to market in double-quick time, attempting to counteract dwindling EV demand with an efficient, affordable, petrol alternative. Indistinguishable from the Fiat 500e, it loses nothing when it comes to style or sophistication, with its dinky dimensions and timeless design sure to win plenty of hearts across Europe. Confined to city streets there’s plenty to recommend, but the lack of a turbocharger or any kind of meaningful electrical assistance means it quickly runs out of steam on faster roads.

We didn’t think we’d see the day, in 2025, when we’d be driving a brand-new car fitted with a petrol engine and a six-speed manual gearbox. Alas, with little more than a month before the year is out, that time has come. In the face of stagnating electric car demand, Fiat has found a way to shoehorn its mild-hybrid three-cylinder ‘Firefly’ motor into the previously electric-only 500 supermini.

It’s no simple task, and the brand’s designers and engineers have spent the past 20 months adapting the 500’s EV platform to cater for this new powertrain. The engine bay is tight; Fiat’s European chief, Gaetano Thorel, told us in no uncertain terms that anything bigger than the compact Firefly 1.0-litre simply wouldn’t fit.

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On paper, the headline numbers are laughable. Lifting its powertrain from the Italian-market Pandina city car, this new Fiat 500 Hybrid gets just 64bhp and a paltry 92Nm of torque. Fiat claims the 0-62mph sprint – if you can call it that – takes 16.2 seconds; the open-top Cabrio extends this to a barely believable 17.3 seconds. No turbochargers here – just a very mild hybrid system fed by a 12-volt starter generator.

But the maker, and its board of management, insists this car isn’t about stop-light drag races or B-road blasts. The 500 Hybrid, it claims, is “the perfect choice for efficient, urban motoring”. To see whether this new version warrants a place in the fashionable 500 range, we travelled to the Italian firm’s home town of Turin to battle the traffic and test the newcomer’s mettle.

The first thing you notice in the car is the control weights. Like in the electric 500e, the steering is so light you can change lanes or bay park with your little finger. But here, that feeling extends to the clutch pedal, as well as the gearshift, which falls easily to hand and pops neatly into place with each throw. It’s not the slickest transmission, but with so few new cars even offering a manual these days, we’re not complaining. 

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Adding an automatic gearbox, we’re told, would have increased the price by around 2,000 Euros (£1,750) – a premium of around 20 per cent on this Torino launch car. And with such a focus on value, the development time and associated costs ruled it unviable from the get-go.

You sit quite high, and there’s limited adjustment in the driver’s seat. This gives you a reasonable view out through the side windows, but thanks to the relatively tall dashboard and bulky rear-view mirror assembly, upward visibility can be restricted at times – like when you’re first in the queue waiting for the lights to go green, forcing you to crane your neck skywards.

Moving off is easy thanks to those featherweight controls. But allow the engine to bog down in the lower reaches of the rev range and you’ll find the hybrid 500 painfully unresponsive. Luckily, that rarely happens; even at 30mph in fourth gear, the engine is sitting at a spritely 2,000rpm – exactly where Fiat claims you’ll have 90 per cent of the car’s 92Nm of torque.

Put your foot down and you’ll feel a slight jolt as the car edges forward, but there’s no real sensation of the car accelerating. You’re just forced to watch and listen as the revs build and the thrummy three-cylinder engine crescendos toward its 6,500rpm red line. The 500 Hybrid is the dictionary definition of ‘linear power delivery’.

But honestly, around town it holds its own. The 500 Hybrid will keep up with traffic up to 40mph or so, and ticks along nicely at a restrained cruise. The short wheelbase means the car does bob about a bit beneath you, and you feel every last rut or ripple in the road. Yet it’s never uncomfortable – maybe because you’re never going fast enough to hit anything at any real speed.

It’s only once you breach the city limits that things start to come undone. The 500 Hybrid is perfectly capable from a handling perspective, but the first-car feeling soon wears thin; rowing through the gears for little discernible change in speed is tiring – in an age of punchy, downsized turbo engines and electric motors, the naturally aspirated Firefly feels borderline prehistoric.

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The 500 Hybrid isn’t an awful motorway car – that sixth gear ratio means it isn’t screaming at the national speed limit – but even the slightest incline will see you scrubbing speed involuntarily. Don’t worry, it’s not like you need to draught HGVs to maintain momentum, but in our experience, Fiat’s claimed 96mph top speed feels totally out of reach.

Given this car’s budget billing, though, and its unashamed focus on urban mobility, concessions must be made. Indeed, if you’re after something to exclusively get you from one side of the city to the other, and have no access to home or public charging, then the 500 Hybrid oozes charm in a way rivals like the Kia Picanto, Hyundai i10, and even the Toyota Aygo X simply can’t. Only its boxier but similarly sized Grande Panda sister comes close for character.

Visually, the only way to spot the petrol 500 alongside its electric stablemate is via the small slot-shaped grille on the front, or by hunting out the ‘Hybrid’ badge to the rear. Even the tailpipe has been hidden behind the bumper. Alternatively, you can peer through the window in search of that six-speed shifter.

While production of the hybrid 500 has already started at the firm’s Mirafiori factory, right-hand-drive cars aren’t due until Q2 2026. We’ll miss out on the entry-level Pop edition – at least to begin with – meaning a line-up of three trims, including a semi-exclusive Torino launch car.

Largely mirroring the base Icon model, Torino cars get unique fabric and vinyl seats, plus extra badging at the base of the rear side windows. All models feature at least 16-inch alloy wheels and LED lights, while inside there’s body-coloured dashboard trim, twin digital screens plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, automatic air-conditioning and rear parking sensors. The 500 Hybrid doesn’t scrimp on safety kit either, with every car boasting autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist and traffic-sign recognition. 

La Prima buyers get bigger wheels, tinted windows and a fixed glass roof on hatchback versions. Inside there’s vegan leather seats in a choice of colours, a bi-colour steering wheel and a so-called ‘matt-pearl’ dashboard. The infotainment system is upgraded with a reversing camera and built-in nav.

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The software is carried over from the EV, and feels like a huge upgrade from Fiats of old. The screen is perhaps a little shallow, but you’ll find most of what you need in there, with usability boosted by a row of shortcut buttons down the side. The climate controls are easily accessed via physical piano keys just below the air vents.

Prices will be confirmed early next year, but we’ve been told the 500 Hybrid is likely to start from under £19,000, with a £1,500 walk-up to the top trim, and another £3,000 for the Convertible. It means you should be able to get a car with all the bells and whistles for around £1,500 less than a basic 500e – a car capable of just 118 miles of range.

Those substantial savings could also extend to the car’s running costs, though you’ll have to be properly hypermiling to come anywhere close to the kind of rock-bottom bills associated with off-peak home charging. Still, we managed 42.1mpg hooning between the traffic lights of Turin – a number that quickly jumped to almost 50mpg at a more considered cruise. We’ve little doubt you’d be able to match Fiat’s 53.3mpg claim in daily driving.

Quality is befitting of this car’s projected price, which is to say you’ll find plenty of scratchy plastic on the dashboard and doors, improved by the flashes of colour on our test model. The steering wheel is coated in a soft, leather-like material, but the shiny, piano-black gear knob feels cheap to touch. The less said about the hard-faced centre console, the better.

Overall though, those who were enamoured by the electric 500 when it launched in 2021, will find just as much to love about the Hybrid. Yes, the 183-litre boot is tiny, and yes, the back seats are useless for anyone but small children. But the 500’s shape, its stance, and its adorable personality, do just enough to distract from all of that. Fiat’s onto a winner, we’re sure.

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