Review: Fiat 600e La Prima

If you like the Fiat 500’s quirky styling and cute good looks but find it just too small to be practical for day to day living then take a look at its big brother the 600e.

It’s not a great deal bigger than the 500 but will seat five and has plenty to commend it.

The electric range is an official 252 miles combined courtesy of the 54kWh battery and 154bhp electric motor that drives the front wheels.

It accelerates from 0-62mph in nine seconds which doesn’t sound particularly fast but we had no complaints whether pottering around town at 20mph or battling up the motorway at 70mph.

Of course, as a city car it is most at home in an urban setting when the light steering and good all-round visibility make parking a cinch. The motor is all but silent and makes for a relaxing ride.

There are three driving modes to select: Eco, Normal and Sport. To save on trips to the charging station (I don’t yet have my own system) it was kept on Eco for the majority of the time.

For such a small car it is surprisingly comfortable over speed bumps and badly maintained roads.

Driving an electric car gets easier the more miles you do. One skill is learning how to use regenerative braking efficiently to come to a smooth stop and maximise the range.

The interior picks up a lot of its styling cues from the Jeep Avenger and, like the Avenger there is a row of helpful buttons for the climate control.

We drove the top of the range La Prima trim which differs from the entry-level RED with the addition of 18n alloys (up from 16in steel wheels), ivory synthetic leather seats, driver’s seat with massage function, heating and lumbar adjustment, hands free electric tailgate, and wireless charger.

It also has a built in sat nav, but in common with many people I tend to use my phone and connect to AppleCarPlay. The infotainment system has six speakers instead of four in RED

Other La Prima additions include all-round parking sensors with a 180 degree rear view camera, adaptive cruise control and blind spot detection.

Storage room is decent with 360 litres in the boot. In La Prima the boot floor is adjustable so making it easier to lift heavy loads in when it’s at its highest setting. The charging cables sit underneath out of the way which is useful.

Rear seats fold 60:40 to bump up storage to 1,231 litres.

There are plenty of other spots to stash things around the cabin including a big box covered by a strange soft magnetic folding lid.

Using a fast charger the 600e will charge from 20-80 per cent in around 30 minutes. It also comes with an 11kW onboard charger and a Mode 3 cable for charging at home or in public, which gives a full charge in less than 6 hours.

La Priima comes in at £36,995 against the RED at £32,995.

Specifications

Fiat 600e La Prima

Price: £36,995

Engine: 54kWh battery

Power: 154bhp

Torque: 192lb/ft

Transmission: Six-speed DCT

Top speed: 93mph

0-62mph: Nine seconds

CO 2 emissions:0

EV range: 252 miles