Fiat 500e EV starts rolling off the line for the American market

Unveiled in 2020, and announced for the American market in 2023, the electric Fiat 500e is headed to our shores. The first American-spec examples of the pocket-sized, retro-styled hatchback have rolled off the Mirafiori Assembly Plant located near the heart of Turin, Italy.

At launch, the 500e range will include a single trim called (RED) Edition. It stands out with red-painted door mirror caps, LED headlights, 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, and a red dashboard. While it's available in red, of course, buyers can also choose Tuxedo Black and Glacier White. It's reasonable to assume other trim levels will join the range later in the production run, but Fiat hasn't revealed its future plans yet.

Although we haven't driven the American-market 500e yet, we took a spin in a European-spec model in 2023 and walked away impressed with the interior. It feels much nicer overall than the last-generation 500 (which retired from the American market in 2019 but remains available new in Europe), and it's packed with fun little design details such as the Turin skyline etched into the wireless charging pad's mat.

Power for the 500e comes from a front-mounted electric motor linked to a 42-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. The motor sends 118 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels, and the battery holds enough electricity to deliver up to 149 miles of driving range. That's not much, but Fiat notes the 500e was developed for urban buyers and says the model can charge to 80% in 35 minutes. Alternatively, a full charge takes 4 hours and 15 minutes when using a Level 2 charger; that's an advantage of using a small battery.

The first examples of the 2024 Fiat 500e are scheduled to reach our shores by the end of the first quarter of 2024, and the first batch of dealer-allocated cars sold out in less than a week, though a specific number hasn't been revealed. Pricing starts at $34,095 including a $1,595 destination charge and excluding incentives. Every 500e will come with a Level 2 charger or charging credits at public stations.