Fiat 500 : Leading the electric charge

Motoring column by Leigh Robinson

There are more new electric cars in Norway than petrol or diesel ones and while the numbers were twice as many in the UK as in 2019 we are still a long away off topping battery power.

However in 2020 a total of 108,205 battery electric were sold in this country and you can guarantee that in 2021 that figure will certainly double.

The Fiat 500 with its petrol electric hybrid engine is leading the charge in the small car market and in the spring the all new electric model will arrive, which is certain to be a winner. Not bad for a pensioner who first came to the market 63 years ago!

But Fiat won’t be just keeping a 500 electric, they will be running the models side by side with the 2021 hybrid version leaving it for customers to make their choice.

The 1.0 litre petrol Hybrid Hatch goes from £12,770 to £16,900 with the Cabriolet version going from £15,420 to £19,550.  Comparing that to the forthcoming all-electric Hatchback model the price will be from £20,000 through to £27,000 which means at least £7,000 more expensive. The electric cabriolet is from £26,000 to £30,000 and that is after the Government £3k grant is applied.

The Fiat 500 hybrid is the brand shuffling towards electrification and the Fiat Panda hybrid is also part of the electrification line-up.

The 1.0 litre 500 model is combined with a 12-volt belt driven starter generator unit which provides 70 hp. The unit also has a battery pack and the CO2 emissions of the new petrol-hybrid unit range from 119 – 124g/km depending on the spec.

As for fuel economy the 1.0 litre hybrid will give you more than 50 mpg either in town or on a run. The first year road tax costs £175 followed by £150 for year two and afterwards. Company car users will pay 26% benefit-in-kind tax. Insurance is Group 8 and warranty 3-years/60,000 miles.

The original 500 had a rear wheel engine but in 2007 a front engine was applied. There have been a number of revisions along the line.