The Fiat 600, either in its petrol “mild” hybrid versions or as an all-electric Fiat 600e, is a very attractive package. It’s got the same delightful retro vibes as the much-loved Fiat 500 (in all its generations), and as a compact SUV, the chubby, cutesy styling at least gives it a more distinctive and characterful air.
It’s usefully bigger than a 500, and ideally sized for a young couple or smaller family. The boot isn’t especially capacious, nor versatile, and if you’re concerned about space then best opt for a Skoda Kamiq, blander but much more practical. If you care about looks, then, aside from the frog-faced Nissan Juke, the Fiat is the outstanding choice.
As a Stellantis group product (and we’ve heard a lot about that company lately), the 600 and 600e share a good deal of their technology with their internal combustion and group brethren – Peugeot 2008, Vauxhall Mokka, Jeep Avenger, Citroen C4 and Alfa Romeo Junior (among others).
The packaging is different, and the looks, obviously, but the driving characteristics of the 600 and 600e are very much in line with their in-house competition.
On the whole, this is a good thing, because they all are easy to the point of being restful to drive, and, with no great pretensions to sportiness, they all perform almost entertainingly.
The perceived quality of the Peugeot exceeds the more playful interior of the 600 range, but it’s all a matter of taste. The main drawback is the automatic gear selection, with the buttons for Park, Neutral, Reverse, Drive and “Manual” set a little too forward on the centre console for those of us with shorter arms.
(The “Manual” setting, by the way, means that you can use the paddle flaps to change up and down gears in what’s really an automated manual box – but there is no point to it unless you really want to thrash the thing.)
THE SPEC
Fiat 600 Hybrid 136 La Prima
Price: £27,975 (as tested; range starts at £23,975)
Engine capacity: 1.2l petrol, 3-cyl, 6-sp auto + 48v elec system
Power output (hp): 136
Top speed (mph): 124
0 to 60 (seconds): 8.5
Fuel economy (mpg): 57.6
CO2 emissions (WLTP, g/km): 109
The mild hybrid version doesn’t have the full-on hybrid technology you’d find on, say, a Toyota Prius, so it won’t go more than a mile on battery power alone – it’s there to boost fuel economy and add a little to performance. It works.
The example I tried returned really excellent fuel consumption in mixed driving, with 60mpg overall easily obtainable from the 1.2 litre, three-cylinder engine; and the electric version has a credible 200-plus miles real-world range.
There’s even a choice of hybrids – 100hp or 136hp versions, with the battery electric knocking out a more potent 154hp, with torque to match.
Maybe because the electric variant doesn’t have a lump of metal under the bonnet, the steering felt lighter, but that’s not a hardship round town, the car’s natural métier.
All the versions are bright and funky inside, with good visibility and, in the more upmarket versions, the autonomous aids that help for a safer drive.
The only thing that went wrong with either of the 600 cars I drove was the electric boot mechanism. Having caught my head in it, a purely human error, for a time the automatic closure which you activate via a handy button, refused to fully descend. So I had to push it down manually, against its will.
It sorted itself out after a while, but I did wonder if the creature was really as useful as the designers seem to think. The boot lid isn’t especially heavy or high, and if it goes wrong you’re left with a vehicle you can’t lock. More trouble than it’s worth, obviously.
As an EV evangelist – a difficult calling right now – I’d always advise people to at least consider an electric alternative, of which there is now a fabulous variety.
As one of the more charming and better value options in its segment, the Fiat 600 hybrid should be tried by a prospective buyer, but it would be shame not to also trial the 600e, with its added refinement derived from virtually silent running and slightly brisker acceleration from rest.
In normal circumstances, the question would be whether the £7,000 or so premium demanded for the electric version over its mild hybrid equivalent, given the prospective annual mileage (the higher the better for a battery car) and ease of charging at home.
At the moment, however, things in the car market are far from normal, with conflicting incentives and disincentives to the transition to net zero creating near-chaos and, indeed, some industrial disruption.
So it is that right now a new or almost new Fiat 600e from one of the big discounters can be had for about the same as the hybrid 600 versions – no “electric premium”, or even a discount.
There are huge bargains out there, and there’s nothing wrong with the cars, only with the policy framework that surrounds them.
It’s probably not going to last, but at any rate, your choice of petrol hybrid or electric is made much easier by the levelling effect of current market trends.
There’s not much to be optimistic about right now when it comes to boosting our living standards, but the arrival of the bargain electric car – cheaper to buy and more economical to run than its internal combustion equivalent – is something to be celebrated.
The Fiat 600 and Fiat 600e provides the most intriguing of case studies. For a while, you can have your cake and eat it. Have fun.
