Fiat 500 - Electric motor, drive and performance

The Fiat 500 was always a good city car, but it’s been made even better by the addition of electric power. Key to this improvement is how well Fiat has engineered the 500 to make it such an effortless and uncomplicated car to drive – particularly at slower speeds. One-pedal driving is possible if you choose the Range drive mode, helping to take some of the strain out of navigating busy urban streets and maximising your driving range. On the whole, the 500’s electric drivetrain is reassuringly smooth and quiet on the move.

Refinement is decent for such a small car, although we’d avoid the bigger 17-inch alloy wheels because they create too much fidgeting over the lumps and bumps of typical UK tarmac. The 500 can take on motorway driving without encountering the same level of wind noise that the Citroen e-C3 suffers with above 40 mph. The only real niggle about the 500 outside of town is its light steering at speed which contributes to a slight dead zone at the straight-ahead position, and feels a little disconcerting.

Fiat has made the on-board tech a real highlight, with the top-of-the-range 500 featuring Level 2 autonomous driving. This means the car is able to adjust acceleration and braking, while also ensuring it remains within the designated lane, although the driver has to be ready to resume control at any time.

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0-62mph acceleration and top speed 

Depending on which battery size you go for, the 500’s single electric motor that drives the front wheels produces either 92bhp or 116bhp. The base model will do 0-62mph in 9.5 seconds and hit a top speed of 84mph, while those fitted with the bigger battery get that little extra oomph, so they can do the same sprint in nine seconds exactly and max out at 93mph. Both versions are faster than the e-C3, which takes nearly two seconds longer to complete the same 0-62mph sprint.

The addition of electric power suits the 500 very well, because the 220Nm of torque and the typical instant drive associated with all EVs make even the less powerful models more than capable of keeping up with traffic in and around town. Even on the open road or motorway, the Fiat doesn’t feel out of its depth, with enough power on tap for overtaking manoeuvres.

If you’re after something with even more performance, the souped-up Abarth 500e could be a suitable option. In typical hot-hatch fashion, the all-electric Abarth sticks with front-wheel drive, but power output from the single electric motor jumps to 150bhp with 235Nm of torque, enabling it to hit 62mph from a standstill in 7.0 seconds.