Fiat 600e review: New £33k electric family car is here – but should you consider the cheaper hybrid version?

Fiat is hoping to inject some ‘La Dolce Vita’ – the sweet life – into our motoring lives with its new all-electric 600e family crossover.

But news surrounding its arrival is everything but sweet – in fact, you could say it’s a little sour.

That’s because the recent decline in demand for electric cars in the UK has forced the hands of Fiat bigwigs to hastily announce a cheaper hybrid version will also come to Britain, in the hope it will prop-up sales while EV demand is on the rocks.

We’ve driven the 600e EV to find out if it’s worth the £33,000 outlay – or if you should hold tight for the hybrid to hit showrooms.

Fiat’s new electric family car: The 600e has arrived in the UK with enough range to take owners from London to Middlesbrough in one hit. But is the new EV too pricey for Britons?

The original Fiat 600 was launched in 1955 and sold 23 million across Europe before being discontinued in 1969. 

But my word, how it has grown since. 

That early car measured just 3.12m. The new 600e is 4.17m and sits between two previous models – the Fiat Punto (4.07m) and the Fiat 500X SUV (4.27cm), marking Fiat’s return to the ‘B-sector’ of mid-range cars. 

But looking at Fiat’s restricted range of new models today, the 600e should be considered the bigger sibling of the flagship Fiat 500 electric car.

It aims to capture much of that fun but in a bigger, more practical, package that appeals to families.

The 600e should be considered the bigger sibling of the flagship Fiat 500 electric car. It aims to capture much of that fun but in a bigger, more practical, package that appeals to families

Stats at a glace: The 600e can accelerate to 62mph in 9 seconds, hit a top speed of 93mph and has a claimed range of 254 miles

Fiat 600e: How much does it cost?

The 154hp all-electric 600e with a 54kWh battery accelerates from rest to 62mph in 9 seconds up to a top speed of 93mph.

With a range of up to 254 miles, it could – theoretically – get you from London to Middlesbrough on a single charge. Though we are mindful that ‘official’ range figures need to be taken with a pinch of salt – and the mileage claim is also impacted by seasonal conditions.

The 600e will be available in the UK in two trim levels.

The base 600e Red starts from £32,995 while the higher-specced 600e La Prima – which is the model we drove at launch – rings in from £36,995.

So it’s fair to say that the 600e isn’t cheap. 

But Fiat offer its own £3,000 ‘e-grant’ contribution – effectively a discount – to customers buying its pure electric EV cars, including the 600e.  

It’s a two-finger salute to the government, which still has very little in terms of grants towards EVs and homechargers, despite ministers’ desperate need to boost electric car sales to meet their clean-air targets.

With the e-grant considered, it brings the price paid down to £29,995 and £33,995, respectively. This makes the 600e one of the most affordable family-size EVs in the UK, though is still some £4,000 pricier than the MG4.

The base 600e Red starts from £32,995 while the higher-specced 600e La Prima – which is the model we drove at launch – rings in from £36,995

While those prices sound steep, Fiat has an ‘e-grant’ available to customers, which slashes the cost of a new electric model by £3,000. It’s a two-finger salute to the UK Government, which still offers little in incentive towards buying an EV today

Fiat 600e – first impressions 

Will it fit in my garage? Fiat 600e

Built: Tychy, Poland

On sale: now 

Price: from £32,995

Length: 4,171mm

Width with mirrors: 1,981mm

Height: 1,523mm

Wheelbase: 2,562mm

Kerb weight: 1,520kg

Propulsion: Electric Motor

Power: 115kw / 154hpkWh

Battery: 54kWh

Acceleration 0-62mph: 9 seconds

Top speed: 93mph

Emissions: Zero

Vehicle Excise Duty: Zero 

Range from a full charge: 252 miles

Charging times:

11kW AC (to 100 per cent) wall-charger: 5 hours 45 minutes

100kW DC (to 80 per cent) raid charger: 27 minutes

3.7kW AC to 100 per cent: 16 hours 10 minutes

Boot volume: 360 litres

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Though an Italian brand – with the Italian flag proudly flying on the rear bumper – the 600e is actually built in Poland, where Fiat has long-standing links.

Riding on 18-inch diamond cut alloy wheels (RED has 16 inch), our La Prima 600e test car was well stocked with kit including rear privacy glass, chrome accents, a six-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with massage, and sat-nav added to the 10.25-inch central touchscreen, a hands-free powered boot lid.

It has three driving modes: ‘Normal’ for cruising; a frugal ‘Eco’ mode; and, finally, ‘Sport’, which sharpens the throttle response for the most sprightly sensation.

In the latter mode, the 600e feels surprisingly engaging at the wheel, especially when taking into account this is a family runaround.

It’s charismatic, charming and comfortable with decent range. Okay, the performance is far from Ferrari, but it’s engaging enough for the average British licence holder.

There are some lovely design touches, too.

This includes the flip and fold cover on the centre console storage cubby hole which mirrors that of an iPad. 

And it has proper physical buttons for air-con. Bellissimo!

Plenty of safety features come as standard.

This includes adaptive cruise control, traffic sign and speed limit recognition (vital with so many 20mph zones), autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, pedestrian and cyclist detection an.

Spec up to the La Prima and you even get blind spot detection, a rear view 180 degree camera and semi-autonomous Level 2 driving capability.

As for space, the back seats are roomy enough for two adults, while the boot’s 380-litres of luggage space is on par with a Volkswagen Golf. 

Ray says the 600e feels charismatic, charming and comfortable – and comes with a decent range: ‘Okay, the performance is far from Ferrari, but it’s engaging enough for the average British licence holder’

Like all new motors, the Fiat 600e comes with a flashy touchscreen infotainment system. But it does have separate control buttons for the air-conditioning, which made our Ray very happy

There are some lovely design touches, too, Ray says. This includes the flip and fold cover on the centre console storage cubby hole which mirrors that of an iPad

You have to pay £600 to not drive an orange car

While car buyers will mostly be impressed by the safety kit on offer, not everyone will be taken with Fiat’s standard colour options.

The Italian marque claims its new ‘La Dolce Vita’ philosophy to bring a more colourful, chirpier tone to the roads is why its – free – standard paint is orange.

It says this is to represent the Italian sun, while sceptics will says it’s an ingenious way to make customers pay extra for a less eccentric tone.

The £600 optional paints include stone, blue and green, which reflect Italy’s earth, sky and sea, apparently. 

And grey is banished entirely for being too dull.

While Fiat’s endeavours to brighten up Britain’s roads can be saluted, it’s a very bold move to not offer the most popular UK new car car colour for the last six years running. 

In 2023, more than a quarter (26.8 per cent) of all new cars were grey, which represents over half a million sales.  

While grey is off limits, both black and white (Britain’s second and third most popular new car colours) are among the £600 options.

And while we’re talking about necessary extras, an enhanced charging cable is also a £400 option. Boo! 

Fiat’s last-minute call to introduce a 600 Hybrid

While we were impressed with how well the 600e drove and its practicalities, there is a petrol-power fly in the ointment. 

The new 600 was originally intended only as an electric car. However, concerned that sales generally of pure electric cars to private buyers have plateaued – and even fallen – Fiat has taken a decision to add a mild hybrid option to the line up.

A shortage of public charging points and the removal of government EV grants from private buyers has added to this problem, says Fiat. 

Or put another way, the political class who ‘talk the talk’ are failing to ‘walk the walk’ on matters of electrification.

Having marched the motor industry up the hill of switching to electric cars and banning petrol and diesel from 2030, the politicians and campaigners failed to account for real actual consumers being luke-warm on the idea and failing to buy what is being produced in sufficient numbers.

The Fiat 600e’s boot offers 380-litres of luggage space. This is on par with a Mk8 Volkswagen Golf

So is the hybrid a better choice for Britons for the time-being? The last stepping-stone to full electrification in 2035, maybe? 

Well, on price alone, the 600 Hybrid does seem better value.

It will cost from £23,965 on the road and the top of the range 600 Hybrid La Prima from £26,965. That is a difference of £10,030 on the price of range-topping La Prima electric and hybrid models.

The new 100 horsepower 600 Hybrid marries a frugal 1.2-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine to a 21hp electric motor and a 1KW battery, linked to a 6-speed automatic gearbox. 

Acceleration is no match for the 600e, stomping from 0 to 62mph is 10.9 seconds (1.9 seconds slower).

Buy now or pay less for a 600 Hybrid later? Ray Massey gives his initial verdict having spent time behind the wheel of Fiat’s electric family car

Fiat 600e: Cars & motoring verdict 

We liked the no-nonsense effervescence and effortless fun of the all-electric 600e.

While the entry 600e Red is pretty well stocked too, we think the £4,000 premium to trade up to La Prima is worth it for the useful extras it offers.

Driving it from Broadway in the Cotswolds and traversing the highways, byways and towns and villages of rural Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire was a delight – not quite the Tuscany beloved of middle-class British tourists and second homeowners, but arguably the closest we have to Italy’s ‘Ciantishire’.

Fiat – like the Godfather – is an Italian that wants to make you an offer you can’t refuse.

Though if it wasn’t for the e-grant offer, many drivers would find the price uncomfortably high.

Even with the £3,000 off, it’s hard to look beyond the price premium over the 600 Hybrid. 

Until Britain’s roads are better equipped with chargers, it’s hard to argue against playing it safe and choosing the ‘electrified’ hybrid rather than the all-singing, all-dancing 600e EV.