OU
LivingwithaFiat500
Good as gold
James has awarded the Fiat 500 the freedom of the City of London after it earned its stripes around town
Running costs Official range/tax 199 miles/£0
James Brodie
Practicality
Boot (seats up/down) 185/550 litres
whatthiscar canhandle. Thoseexpectations haveshiftedalittlesincetemperatures dippedoverwinter,withthecar’s range OURtimewiththenew,all-electricFiat readoutpredictablydropping.Theresult 500hascometoanend.Butnotwithout isthatthisisasmallEVyoucandobigger journeyswith,butcomewinter,you’llbe alittlepompandcircumstance.Onits stickingtotownwiththe500. departure,I’vedecidedto handtheFiat Andthat’s noshame,becauseitexcelsin theKeytotheCity,butit’s anawardthat tightcitystreets.Myfinaltripinthecartook certainlycomeswithsomecaveats. For the past six months, the 500 has lived meoutof Londonandbackinagainduring a variedlife. We’vedrivenitlongdistances, rushhour,andenteringthecapitalonthe returnlegmademerealisewhatI’llbe testingouttheUK’s growingEVcharging missingnowthattheFiat500hasgone. networkintheprocess,andithadastint Thisisajoyfulcartodrivearoundtown. asaruralrunaroundfordeputyconsumer Compactdimensionscombinedwith editorTristanShale-Hester.It’s inthecity excellentall-roundvisibilityandlight thatthe500hasimpressedusthemost, controlsmakeitatotaldoddletowindit though,andwhilethat’s notsurprising, throughtightstreetsandawkwardjunctions. itdoeslaybaresomehometruths. WhenItookdelivery,thewarmweather IfoundmyjourneyhomethroughLondon, meantthatalmostatonce,Ifoundthe500 usingsomelittle-knownshortcuts,tobe wasanEVcapableof beingmorethanjust oneof themostenjoyabletripsI’vehad inthe500.Itwasaperfectsend-off. acityrunaround.Inbattery-friendly I’vespentanawfullotof timedriving temperaturestheclaimedrangeof 199 milesiscertainlywithinreach,withalittle thecarinits‘Sherpa’drivemodeinthecity, whentheweatherhasn’t beentoochilly; bitof effortneededtodriveefficiently. Eventakingthecaron aweekendtripto thisautomaticallydeactivatestheclimate ruralNorfolkdidn’t exposeanylimitations. controltoenhance thecar’s maximum range.However,I’vebarelyneededtouse Instead,itbolsteredmyexpectationsof James_Brodie@autovia.co.uk @jimmybrods
54 6April2022
Fiat 500
FINALREPORT Fiat’s baby EV is hot in the city and good elsewhere if the weather’s not cold the500’s ‘Normal’drivemode.TheRange mode,instead,is verymuchthedefault, offeringupenoughpowerforjourneysat motorwayspeeds,whileenablingone-pedal drivingintown.It’s aset-and-forgetmode, soyoudon’t needtofiddleendlesslyto find aset-upthat’s bothsympatheticto driving rangeandperformance. Exceptforatricklechargeonathree-pin pluginNorfolk,I’veonlychargedtheEV publicly.Roadtripshaveincludedstopsat IonityandInstavolt.Butmylackof ahome chargingsolutionis notideal,giventhat Ihavenoaccessto off-streetparkingora top-uppointof myown. Thankfully,I’venothad tofighttogetthe 500refreshedatmylocalSourceLondon chargingpoints,andIneveroncehada momentwhereaFiatwithaflatbatteryhas satoutsideonthestreetwhenIneededit themost.Itgoestoprovethatwithabit of effort,runninganelectricvehiclewithout ahomechargeriscertainlypossible.
Essentials
Fiat 500 Passion 87kW
On fleet since: August 2021 Price new: £26,995 (before Govt. grant) Engine: Single 116bhp electric motor, 42kWh battery CO2/tax: 0g/km/£0 Options: Cloud Grey metallic paint (£1,000), 16-inch alloys (£350), wireless charging (£150), 10.25in touchscreen w/ nav (£500) Insurance*: Group: 16D Quote: £446 Mileage: 4,743 miles Efficency: 3.7miles/kWh Any problems? Infotainment glitches *Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.
“Even taking the car on a trip to rural Norfolk didn’t expose any limitations” www.autoexpress.co.uk
