Fiona Shafer reveals her experiences of the electric Fiat 500e

Having nagged Maarten to organise a very small car for me to review, mainly so I could check out the tall person in small city car scenario, this experience got off to an inauspicious start for both of us. Be careful what you wish for in life. By Fiona Shafer – CEO of MD HUB

A FOB STORY

Pouring myself into the Fiat, never in my wildest dreams did I think I would spend the best part of an hour trying to start the bloody thing. Having turned it on, I could not release the parking brake to drive away. And then I couldn’t turn the car off .

A key symbol warning sign appeared and being quite determined to fathom out what on earth was going on, I read the very small and frankly sparse manual. I had to Google ‘how to start a new electric Fiat 500’, before fi nally watching some You Tube video reviews. After all that, I was still none the wiser.

I reluctantly called Maarten, who arrived jokingly saying he was coming to rescue me (and oh, what copy that would have made), only to fi nd that he couldn’t work out what on earth was going on either (to my slight satisfaction).

So, picture this, two 6ft plus motoring journalists in a tiny car going nowhere any time soon.

Th e irony was not lost on either of us. Several calls later to various people who should know what is going on and a recommendation to press the SOS call button in the Fiat, resulting in an immediate response from Fire or Ambulance, neither of which we needed, to which we gave our profound apologies.

Maarten unhelpfully suggested we order a pizza.

A local Fiat dealership pretty quickly asked us where exactly we had placed the key fob? Transpires that you must not place “Th e Fob” under any circumstances in the depths of the central console as it deactivates the key resulting in a call out from an engineer to reset it.

So, let’s start again… literally.

If looks are important to you as you pootle around town, then this cool, stylish Italian car should be high up on your shopping list. I drove the very lovely Rose Gold Icon edition which, whilst the paint job will set you back an additional £600, is really rather gorgeous. And if you ever wish to match your car with your outfi ts, then I would suggest that this one will go with most of one’s wardrobe.

It has lots of lovely design and eco-friendly touches including a motif of the original iconic Fiat design and ‘Made in Torino’ inside the door handle, little triangle signal indicators, Vegan-friendly fake leather on the steering wheel and seats are made from 20% recycled materials.

But, like most thing’s characteristically Italian, it does not go through life quietly.

Th e car produces a very strange, tinkling sound rather like an ice cream van siren when you turn it off , it bings and bongs when you open the door and then the horn beeps loudly and irritatingly every time you lock the car.

Th at said, if you are hurtling around narrow Sicilian streets imagining you are in an episode of Montalbano, it will make itself known. But be mindful that very same sound might just get a British neighbour’s teeth gnashing.

It has three driving modes – Normal, Range and Sherpa mode (read Eco mode) – which reduces output from the electric motor and gives you a top speed of 50 mph, turns off climate control and will make sure that you get to your destination.

It is great for zipping around town but I found the ride on country roads frankly unnerving as the steering is so light that the car vacillated over every bump and camber

A good friend who is a die-hard convertible fan, has a Prima Fiat Convertible version which cost £30,000 and says that whilst fun to drive, it is like a ‘souped-up golf cart’ when in one pedal mode. And that she has never got 200 miles on a charge – the best she has got is 167miles.

I think that sums it all up rather well.

The off ending item

POSITIVES

• It looks super stylish and very Italian – likely the prettiest small electric car on the market. • Easy to park with light steering. • Good visibility. • Adjustable and comfortable front seats that accommodate long legs. • Brilliant turning circle. • Infotainment system is intuitive but phone pairing an issue still. • Economical. • It’s suitably nippy 0-62 mph in 9 secs. • Heats up instantly in winter.

TECH STUFF

MODEL TESTED: Fiat 500e Icon ENGINE: Electric 42kwh POWER: 118bhp SPEED: 0-62mph 9 seconds TOP: 93mph PRICE: £27,995 AS TESTED: £30,132

NEGATIVES

• Key Fob position – be careful where you put the key. • Persistent brake squeal. • Lack of space in drivers footwell for your feet which can be a tad disconcerting. • Rear windows don’t open. • Hard to fi t a baby seat in the back of the car. • Very little leg room in the back although suffi cient for this size of car. • Tiny boot but good internal storage. • Seat belt does not retract very well and was found dangling on the ground a couple of times.

A Sherpa will always get you to your destination but I am not entirely confi dent at this stage that if you let this little beauty out beyond the city walls, you will get the best out of it.

If you just want a City car, then at around £27,995 new, this is fantastic value and you will be the talk of the town. 8/10

It has lots of lovely design and eco-friendly touches

DYNAMIC