MOTORING: New Fiat 500e is fashionable, adorable, maneuverable, affordable

New for 2024, the Fiat 500e measures slightly longer, taller, and wider than its predecessor, which reigned from 2013 to 2019. This retro-modern-looking two-door hatchback, powered by a 117-horsepower electric motor, stores enough zoom in its 42-kWh battery pack to boast a combined average driving range of about 149 miles. With minimal curb weight and a powerful electric motor, the 500e is undeniably fleet of foot, accelerating from zero to 60 mph in an elapsed time of about eight seconds — top speed clocks in at 93 miles per hour.

However, accelerating to that lofty speed and holding it saps the battery quicker than you can say, Caitlyn Clark. There is no frunk, the space under the hood is populated by the battery, charging gear, electronics, and the motor.

Plugging in at a DC charging station (rated up to 85 kW) adds 31 miles of range in just five minutes. More specifically, a zero-to-100 percent charge on a Level 2 charger takes six hours. With a home AC wall outlet, charging slows to a crawl — think watching a kettle of water boil for 37 hours. The EPA rates 500e mileage at 110 MPGe combined, 121 MPGe combined, and 100 MPGe highway.

This green car's braking distance when traveling 70 mph, from rubber melting, screeching tires to a dead stop, is a respectably short 184 feet. This brings up a salient point. Taking your foot off the pedal and slowing for traffic or stoplights activates regenerative braking. You feel the forced deceleration in the seat of your pants. That's pertinent because the feature significantly shortens braking time while aggressively charging the battery pack. Watch the dashboard digital gauge increasing the range estimate.

Fun-to-drive, the diminutive 500e darts around corners and curves. Behind the wheel, I found an appropriately sized 10.3-inch touch screen infotainment system running Fiat's latest Uconnect 5 software. There is no start button. Once the driver buckles the seat belt, the car is ready to GO! Select Park, Reverse, and Neutral by way of dash buttons. I particularly appreciate the pedestrian alert and the custom musical theme, which reflects the Italian sense of style. Radio volume and Drive Mode controls are located on the center console.

This four-passenger, two-door hatchback is a compact car. The driver's seat height adjusts manually, and the steering column tilts and telescopes. The passenger seat lacks height adjustment. To gain entrance, taller passengers duck below the low door opening. Once inside, the headroom is fine, and the front seat space is comfortable. Back seat leg and elbow room are limited; in other words, it's a snug fit. Back seats split/fold but do not lay flat. Because of the roofline slope, headroom in the back is tighter than in front. A modicum of toe space beneath the back of the front of the seats and an elevated rear seat cushion provide relief for what would otherwise be knees tucked uncomfortably under the chin.

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Door handles are electronic. On the exterior, there is a release button beneath exterior pull handles, and inside the car, round buttons on the armrest.

Finally, if your notion is to regularly road-trip a 500e, reconsider. Or if your plan is to make grocery runs, drop off kids at school, and you have rather wisely budgeted for a dedicated charger, then a Fiat 500e second car/commuter could be your cup of Chianti.

Tim Banse wrote The Gazette’s Motoring car review column from 1989 to 2013 and has published stories in Popular Mechanics and Yachting magazine. He’s toured carmaker factory floors in the U.S. and Japan and raced cars at Riverside, Watkins Glen, and Michigan International Raceway press events. He’s stood close enough to a crash test to feel the shock wave reverberate off his chest. His first car was a vintage ‘56 Chevy Belair.