By C.A. Haire
Consumers shopping for a new electric car will notice most in the showroom are very expensive. Occasionally one pops up that is not only reasonably priced, but has impressive styling. This applies to the Fiat 500e.
Currently, it is the most popular small EV in Europe, and Fiat wants it to be as successful in the Southern California market, with a starting price of about $35,000.
There are four versions offered. The Inspi, with its bright red paint, is an attention-getter. Inspired By Music (black) and Los Angeles (white) are displayed. We were issued the Inspired By Beauty, with its nice-looking metallic gold paint.
One of the advantages of this 500e is its small shape. This allows it to cut into heavy traffic, although with only 117 horsepower, doing so isn’t done quickly. It will fit into any size parking space, and sometimes you can create your own in certain spots intended for motorcycles or bikes.
Because this is a small vehicle, there is no room for a large battery, thus no ability to have the extended range of a full-size car. The factory claims 141 miles from a full charge.
In mild California weather, where an EV battery works efficiently, this claim should be accurate. This is certainly more than adequate for city commuting, for which the 500e was designed.
We did most of our driving in the hot desert, with temps in the 100- to 117-degree range and the air conditioning on full blast. After about 100 miles on the clock, the battery was starting to run dry, but it was still enough juice for our daily chores. Yes, you could drive this from Los Angeles to New York if desired, but the number of stops at a public charger to refill the battery would be maddening. This is a city commuter only.
The 500e has been around since 2013. There are plenty of used ones on the market at a reasonable price, which would make it an excellent second car. It’s certainly fun
to drive.
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