Fiat 500e: the best electric city car ever?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- The all-electric Fiat 500e is now available in New Zealand and if you live in a city, you won't find an easier car to drive (and park). It has tiny dimensions, a super tight turning circle, and heaps of features, so could this be the best city car Gav's ever reviewed? Only one way to find out: click on the video!
If you'd like to see how the Mini Electric compares, here's the link to that entertaining video: • Mini Electric review: ...
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I'm in the UK and Ive had this car in Rose Gold for nearly 9 months now and I love it! super cute and super quick off the mark which makes lots of 'mercedes/BMW and RR' males get such a mood on as I burn them at the lights usually with me laughing as they whizz passed me seconds later trying to prove a point red faced and grumpy! Seriously thou this is a great car for city living... small back seats are only good for small children or quick trips for adults and then if they have mobility problems they are not getting in or out the back! I do a weekly food shop in this for my mum and dad even done a few trips to the tip with a whole load of my old living room wooden flooring and only had to make one trip its deceptively big when it needs to be - the front is just like any other car and it seems like only men have an issue with the 'left foot' placement I find the little slope on the left is fine for me and I have size 7s so not the small lady feet of most! There are a few little niggles thou the ABS on mine is super dramatic it screams at me even when nothing is in front of me and often states abs applied yet Im still driving along happy as larry? the radio only DAB cuts out alot especially the more electrical items you have plugged in (charging phone and dash cams etc) not sure if this is a car problem or dab? Also more often than not my car likes to tell me that my key isnt in the car yet it clearly is and im still driving along the road? I think I just have a dramatic car which to be fair suits me perfectly!
One thing I hate thou is the back window washer it literally dribbles after use like an old man...... so annoying! but only small niggles which means I love my little car!
LIsten, I’ve driven the first model of this car for 8 years, and when my kids were small, the back seats were fine. Nobody ever rides in the back seats. I keep them folded down, and on that level it has TONS of cargo room, especially for trips to the grocery. So what it’s for two people. That is enough 90% of the time. I can fit 15-20 bags back there. ALSO, when I go to the lumber yard on my trips while working on projects in the city, I open up the sunroof and put the 2x4s up there and loose the truck lid. Works great. I cannot say enough about these cars. I cannot wait to buy the new one when they arrive in the US. I live in a city, so they are perfect for that. Plus I can get 80 miles in any direction, charge, and come back home. It’s a great car.
That said…. I bought my Fiat used for $11,000 when Fiat was trying to dump them on the California market back in 2015. Remember that? You can google it. They weren’t committed and just sold these so they could qualify for the Cali market. But now 60,000 miles later, trouble free, pure joy… I cannot say I would look forward to paying the top retail price. I am trying to figure if the price he quote was in NZ money. If they are around $33k, I won’t think twice. If they are honestly upwards of $48k I would have to go for the larger models of other brands. I sure hope the prices are fair when they arrive in the US.
"Seated heats"🤩👍
Not in Australia yet but always love your reviews Gav. As comparison my 28kWh Ioniq gets 200-240km range in summer and about 170-210km in winter but as you know all depends on multiple factors. I only charge my car on the granny charger as I rent and haven't had any problems but then I don't arrive with 0% either think lowest I arrived home with was about 12%.
werll the granny chargis is a bit risky, because the wall sockets are not made for a long.time use wiith 2 kilowatts: it b´may cause a fire, especially when the conntact is not perfect. chooe a maximum of 1,5 kW (with 230V) and you have high loading losses of up to 20 percent, because the constant loss from the loading control which changes the AC to DC and provides safe charging, is proportionally higher with low loading the best way is a three-phase wallbox with 11 kW. the charging loss is only ~5% and the loading ist faster and still safe fpr the battery. high loading powers with 100 kW will damage the battery on long term and the result is a much faster degregation (dendrits), which can dramatically reduce the lifetime of the battery.
@@friederich66 So you gonna pay the owner to install a dedicated EV charger then for me??? I have paid myself with zero input from the owner a dedicated 16A circuit with 22A wiring and 15A outlet. The electrician that did it has done other EV charger installs so he knew what he was doing. Plus interestingly he said using the extension cable I had been using to charge off a non-dedicated 10A outlet was also fine, my extension cable was heavy duty type as well. Not everyone is able to be in the small percent owning a home thanks to over-inflated real estate prices.
@@TassieEV Well, let me tell you a few things. 1) The socket is not designed for more than 2 kW in the long term. If you can regulate the charging power, you should not exceed 1.5 kW. charging will be longer, but you will gain security. The manuals state that the Grannycable should only be used in an emergency. neither should you use extension cables, every car manuals stress that., compare the size of the granny cable: it is much thicker.
The contact in a socket can develop a higher resistance over time, and therefore overheat and cause fires. I had this in my garage when I used astrong electric heater with an old outlet that was starting to smell and realized a blackburntoverheated plug. No insurance pays in casae of fire, It's risky! for this reason i had bigger wires and a special outlet installed to eleminate even the lowest risk wwhen i use thaat cable in case my wallbox refuses.
Wallbox: no owner that has to pay for that, what a stupid argument. i own the house myself. of course not everyone can afford that, but the owner must allowe a wallbox on your own costs, but only if the wiring allowes that. if not you mst charge with a public charging station, i have a cheap version with a fixed 11 kW 3-phase, nothing else. 400€, plus 200€ for installation by a gedistered master electrician. i had it installed for safety reasons so that i needd not use the nirmal outlet
in germany you must register such a wallbox to your provider and there is an 11 kW limit to prevent overload for the public grid. as an alternative you can have a "strong-power" three phase "red" socket, of course with reasonable fuses and wiring, also with the need of registration.and again installed only by a registered master electrician. stronger boxes wit 22 kW must be akllowed by your provide, and this is expensive becausse you need special wiring, special meter and fuses, an it costes a special´monthly fee for providing such high currents.rules are strict in germany.
to make it short: charging on nomal sockets are erisky and nly in case of emergency. extension cables are forbidden. istallastions only with master electricians. and respecting the rules.( here you are not allowed to do any work in your installation, not even install a wall socket. you are only allowed to connectdevices,. change (old) fuses and change light bulbs. )
Love the reviews - really looking forward to seeing what you have to say about the GWM Ora...
Thanks mate. :) Ora Good Cat video should be live this Friday! -Gav
Researching this car and while I'm far from even being able to afford the price tag, it's exactly the kind of size and looks in a car I'd love to have in a car one day. Especially since my current place has a stupidly tight garage I struggle to park my 2017 Lancer in. Didn't necessarily want a car as big as the Lancer but for my needs now and at the time of buying it, I needed the power. Love driving it but the size for my circumstances is a bit of an issue sometimes.
I was looking at getting the latest Suzuki Ignis at the time paid half-half but they just looked so ugly to me!
One day I'll have a car like the Fiat 500.
Look into used ones. I bought a used 500e, 2022 model year and 12 000km on the odo. The price was 25 900 EUR so alot cheaper already than new. Also take into account the possibly cheaper fuel aka electricity in this case. Depends on where you live tho, in Finland electricity is cheap so driving a 100km costs like 2EUR
I am about to buy a 2018 fist 500e for 15000 usd. Probably a bit overpriced considering where I live. It’s got way less range than the new version but a hell of a lot cheaper. I hope tiny cars will return to America. Small cars are amazing. There’s also some used electric minis with somewhat reasonable prices
@@Roach_Dogg_JR Consider also that the old gen does not have fast charging, so you can’t really go out of the city much
Looks really good Gavin especially up the back roads of Te Kuiti taking those corners really well :)
Taking the 'work from home' strategy to a whole new level. So, EVSE planned for your garage... that's a slippery slope, before you know it you'll be putting PV on the roof and then batteries to best gain from all that [redacted] hometown sunshine sourced generation. Really looking forward to your future videos!
[ I am teasing you. ] First you get the EV, then some PV for the roof. Soon you want more PV. Then you want even more PV. No good can come from this! [ I was teasing you. ] PV is a good thing, though seeing it in action will likely make you want more and more of it. This is especially true if you have the skills to install it yourself because that makes it even more affordable.
I'm in love with this thing, perfect size for me....thanks for your video, you sealed the deal for me !
Extremely overpriced,awesome video though
All cars are overpriced
@@astra-rb6sz no they aren't,Chevy bolt isn't,MG 4 isn't MG ZS EV isn't,Neta isn't.....
Not anymore lol
@@chewie_nzhaha yeah! Now it’s a bargain!
Great review. There's an Abarth version on the way which will be better optimised for those twisty roads, my ICE Abarth certainly is. Had a look at the demo vehicle (think that car) recently and was surprised the packaging was no better than the (now old) ICE car despite being a totally new designed for electric platform. The part I don't get is the economics as, for me at least, the cost difference just doesn't stack. It would be about a decade to breakeven.
I think being based on the same car, the Abarth version will not be a lot different to drive - a little faster, but it will be about $10,000 more expensive again. Is it worth waiting for? I dunno :)
@@alexshepherd If like ICE Abarth handling and steering much sharper than 500, at the cost of ride comfort :)
Gavin, Love the video! Please do more little cars and little trucks!
love seated heats
Looks like a pretty nice city car.
I get it. I'm massively out of touch with just about all things Aotearoa after living abroad for do long. That said, why the fluff are cars so expensive in NZ? I love the Fiat 500e, but it's ridiculously expensive for the size of the car. After all, that battery pack is [a lot] smaller than most EV's on the road today, therefore I find it pretty difficult to justify the price tag.
Expensive in the U.K. too, approx. £30,000, which is a lot for such a tiddler.
@@geoffreyjones6019 Yeah, I can't understand why some of the more basic EV's are so expensive here in the UK too. Some of the so-called city cars have price tags not too dissimilar to that of cars with much larger battery packs, luxury features & finishes. Even making allowances for the high price of refined lithium, cathodes, anodes & chip shortages due to incredible demand levels, something still smells a wee bit fishy.
Stellantis is not making money on their BEVs (or much on anything actually).
“I hope you don’t buy it because every time I sell one it costs me US$14,000. I’m honest enough to tell you that.” Sergio Marchionne. Fiat CEO 2014.
“We are talking about a very strong change in the direction of the industry. We can’t simply put this new world on top of the old world; it’s a complete transformation. The technology for EVs means that our production costs are 40% higher than for an internal-combustion car. We can’t just pass those costs on to consumers because we would lose half of our customer base. We can’t stop the middle class from having access to new cars. So because of regulations we have no choice but to absorb that 40%." Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, Mar 2023.
ICE OEMS make EVs not because they want to, but because it allows them to sell ICE in countries and states that require them to reduce their average CO2 pollution. Known as compliance cars.
Small cars are unprofitable, regardless of their drive system, are usually not on display at dealers but are special order and only available as loss leaders to entice new buyers into a brand relationship.
Buy a GWM Ora $10.000 dollars cheaper, better and bigger interior, bigger boot, same range and 5 star ANCAP.
yeah but its bigger, thats a bad thing.
The Ora is definitely the smarter decision financially (and the video's coming this week) but the Fiat is undeniably more "fun" in the city! -Gav
Entertaining as always Gavin. If you really want to try a fun little EV you have to seek out a Twizy, it really is unbelivable fun and would make a great video.
Will NZ ever get the Twizy?
They were never officially sold in NZ as far as I know but I'm pretty sure I drove past one last year in a small town! -Gav
Hi Gavin,
I've watched most of your reviews, and I do enjoy them. Love keeping up to date with all the new EVs coming out.
One thing I'll never understand is why you're so against what you call 'granny chargers'? I've owned a Model Y for half a year now, and when using around the city, and doing day trips (I regularly do Auckland to Mangawhai/Hamilton day trips), the granny charger is more then sufficient. Only times you need anything more then that is doing mid to long road trips - at which point you use the rapid chargers (which I have - on a 6000km road trip around the south island). There's very little reason the vast majority of people need a 7kw charger at home.
So my question is - is it your opinion, or is it ecotricity's opinion that everyone needs a 7kw charger?
Out of interest, how long would your Model Y take to granny charge from 10% or so charge?
I can see it both ways, if you're mixing short commutes with road trips and fast charging then a granny charger will keep you topped up no worries. If you're doing longer commutes or driving for a lot of your work day, a good home charger would be essential.
@@mrgilbe1 It charges about 37% in 10 hours. Which is what I usually try keeping it at since that's when I get my night rates. That's enough for about 150km.
Even my really long days staying within Auckland doesn't exceed 120km. So I'm really question what people mean when they think 'commute'.
If they're commuting from Hamilton to Auckland daily. Then yes I agree you should get something more. But I really don't think most people are doing that kind of commute. Even my co-worker who commutes from pukekohe to Albany is only pulling in bit over 120km. And that's already a rediclious commute.
Howdy! Certainly not an official view, just my own and it's purely from a convenience viewpoint. Granny chargers can work for many people who only drive short distances (I used mine for years) but as many former "petrol heads" are now buying EVs, many don't want the inconvenience of waiting 24 hours after a long drive. Bottom line is, once you've got a 7kW charger installed and got used to the convenience & speed, trickle charging feels like using a dial up modem. -Gav
Seriously? More than $50k for this little thing? I guess you're talking about NZD, but even then it's more than 30k USD. Maybe at 15k USD it could be OK...
As I mentioned a the end of the video, the Fiat 500e is definitely a "fun" purchase, not a purely logical one. Like buying a brand name watch or a fancy bottle of champagne, it's something you'd buy to feel good. And it does that VERY well. If you get the chance this weekend, book a test drive in one and let me know what emotions you felt. It's hard to convey in text, but there's an emotive, human element to this little city car that makes it really shine! I just love it. -Gav
Awesome little car,but I'll get the Abarth version.
$56k for *that?* Gimme a Lambo. :D
lambo cant to your boat 800km without stopping tho
Great review. I’m really looking forward to seeing one in person.
They really are snazzy. I don't know why I love it so much! -Gav
Hope you review the Ora Cat. Unless i missed it.😅
Coming soon!
Did you play the Chills? Legend!
Cool review. By the way with the steering wheel on the correct side, you have some Space for your foot 😎🤪
Great video
Ooh I want one!
it's adorable
Such a shame they're not importing the Cabrio. Perfect little run around for the NZ summer, and if they had imported it, would have been NZs only convertible EV.
Great review, thank you!
Good review but please show the price without rebates too. This Fiat appears to be virtually Atto3 priced with about 50% of the value.
Just recently had to trip to Auckland, and we rented a 500E from Europcar for the 2 days we were there. From fully charged pickup in Manukau, we drove up to Howick, then back to a friends house in Wattle Downs, then back to our B&B in Pakuranga. Day1 left us with 71% in the battery, so a quick top up to 96% at a BP charger in Ellerslie in 20 minutes while we had a coffee and snack, then out to another firends house over in Waiatarua which was more country roads, and even gravel for the last few kilometres, then back to the airport in Manukau. Overall, the car did great, and it's absolutely OK pootling around in Auckland traffic. However, in the really strong winds we had on the first day, it was not happy with side winds at 100kph, and wet roads made it feel fidgety on the highways. Paved country lanes were fine, but when the surface deteriorated it was uncomfortable with the suspension really not handling the weight well on potholed and gravelly road. The biggest complaint I'd have is the left foot, I never really got it comfortable, and if I had any one more trip longer than an hour I think I would have started to be very uncomfortable.Closest competitor is the outgoing Mini E model. I had a short test drive of one, and in comparison, the Mini drives better, but I have no idea how Mini can make such a small car feel so big (in terms of having to watch width on narrow roads, while having very little internal space). The Fiats informationtainment feels well integrated, with the ability to put the builtin nav on the main dash, but we mostly used CarPlay and Apple Maps as it integrated better with my address book and picking addresses out of my calendar for navigation each time we got in the car. The Mini also has CarPlay, so would be almost an identical experience. Mini are also running out the current top spec model for about $50K, so if I was spending my money, I think I would pick the Mini, just because I fit the drivers seat and footwell better, but I did like the little Fiat a lot, so if you have small feet, your comfort may be better.
Why no more fog lights?
A great review
Love my Prima E Cab.
It’s a cool car I’ve got one just love it .
Seated heats?
in germany it has a three phase 11kW charging which loads th battery in about 4 hrs. i have no idea why it is only 7 kW for you....
Hi there! Most New Zealand homes do not have three phase power. Hope that helps! -Gav
Can I ask a question. I just have a new Kia with lane keeping assist . It gets totally confused on country roads and darts about. I have to turn it off all the time.
That is a pain.
Have you experiences experienced this in other cars. Ireland must be similar to NZ in road types.
Hi Patrick, I've not had much luck with lane-keeping assist working well outside of smooth, predictable motorways with nicely painted lines. They all tend to struggle on country roads unfortunately so I'd not recommend using them outside of highways. All the best! -Gav
@@EcotricityNZ thanks Gav. Now to find how to turn it off permanently.
th-cam.com/video/QkcldWIp3KA/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/QkcldWIp3KA/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/b_Y_JcRVwKg/w-d-xo.html
Cheapest new EV in NZ now, apparently. 35k for the cheapest one. A steal imo.
Seats 2 adults (at a stretch) and has negligible cargo space. Absolutely zero utility...it is a toy. Even at 35k I think stellantis is the only company stealing from you if you buy one. No surprise they didn't sell any at nearly 60k and is such an indictment against the local industry that they marked it down so heavily.
My left foot wouldn't agree. How on earth did they not think to accommodate some space to rest your left foot 🥴
I personally think our #RenaultZoe is the best all round option. Better range & cheaper than a #HondaE #Mini #Fiat500 lots of internal space & bigger boot.
A 2021 crash test saw the Zoe receive poor safety ratings across the board, with a final safety rating so low it didn't warrant a single star. Hugely outdated now, and not worth the price if you care about safety for your family.
that poor cup
It is good but not the best. MINI Cooper SE EV is better. Drives like sport car and is amazing for city.Mind you it is more expensive. Both are perfect for city I bought MINI and am never going back to oilburners.
Premium version of $US8000 chinese Wuling Air.
for 65k i say its not worth it. super rip off. You can get a bigger car bigger battery and faster with better tech for 65k (model y).
You do realise that normal means Italian normal.
The Abarth version is much better looking.
Did he say seated heats? Is that how they say it over there? Really? Ha.
Beito. To. Onda. Kaija. Ubio
56k
Fir a Fiat 😂
Thanks for the laugh
$56,000 !!! that 's a big nope
Chicken nugget 😅
Silacan. Ovome. Ta. Kaijo
Biojo
EV's R SCAMS...$51K+, half hour to charge...RIDICULOUS
the left-foot-problem is not the result of a construction error. it iss the result of the fact that you british pwwople constantly refuse to drive on the right side in the truest meaning of the word. we continental people are much smarter.
by the way: do you know why we sit on the left side of the car? it comes from the fact that centuries ago, you normally wore your sword on the left side, because you normally are a right-hander. so when you mounted a horse, you did this from the left side (and still do), so that your sword does not hinder you when you climb up on the saddle.
as a result we kept that habit and therefore nowadays enter the car from that left side and drive on the right side of the street.
were all your knights left-handed?
What a bizarre comment. Definitely the strangest one this week. Thank you! -Gav
@@EcotricityNZ it was a pleasure.i can add another fact. The spiral staircases in fortress towers are Always clockwise upwards. So the defender had more space for his sword one the outer wall, where the (triangularish)steps are larger whereas the aggressor could hardly use his sword on the inner side of the staircase where the steps are small and the Center ist in His was.
really shows how worthless the New Zealand dollar is when you have to pay $56k for that.
great idea to waste a coffe mug on a lame intro 👎🏼
Maybe a reference to: th-cam.com/video/IBrDPSYzP3Q/w-d-xo.html Never mind the width, feel the quality!
You should smile even more when you drive the BYD Seagull, because it should only be $25,000
The official launch is coming very, very soon so I'll let you know! -Gav
dilf
Any one liking EVs must be off their trolley.
Best selling car in the world is a BEV.
You're on the wrong site!
Yeah, we'll see how long this EV/SCAM FAD lasts.@@waynerussell6401
They won’t sell this shit 😂 with this overpriced price… Chinese ev car will take over the ev car with their good price offer
Nice review. Always interesting how new adept of a cult is so much into it. I'm sure that human input in climate change is more by war activity and rocket launches which destroy way more than you can save by EV cars, which have to be produced, equipped with battery (very nature destructive process) and then recycled. Pure energy is nice, but wind generator blades also have to be built and they are non-recyclable !! Nothing is coming for free. But if this idea distract public attention from other problems - that's fine. I've been at war three times (front military hospital doctor), so play any games, just don't fight - tanks will never become EV's and same about missiles and aircrafts. Now I'm an old disabled kiwi (Scandinavian breed) and really want to get EV to go to town from rural area once a week, but with what you get for living from state which disposed you and left, there are no chances - it took 3 years to get a walking frame (most eco friendly transport!😀). You are doing a great job, just getting me smiling despite pain in fractured back and limbs, thank you for that! P.S. But I'm still a bit jealous to see how easily you walk and can even travel. We don't value simple things until we lose them. Just one trip a week to buy potatoes can become just a dream.
这个车👀美…🈶点像咖啡🐱的眼睛😂😂只是电动的就差了…！😫