Review: Fiat 600e La Prima

Fiat 600e La PrimaFiat 600e La Prima
Fiat 600e La Prima
Julie Marshall spends a week getting to know the Fiat 600e – the Fiat 500’s big brother

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.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

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

Fiat 600e La PrimaFiat 600e La Prima
Fiat 600e La Prima

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.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

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

Fiat 600e La PrimaFiat 600e La Prima
Fiat 600e La Prima

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.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

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

Fiat 600e La PrimaFiat 600e La Prima
Fiat 600e La Prima

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.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

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

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1877
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice