Devon


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<p>Downsizing has been a hot topic in our house for some time now. Not the house, mind you. With fuel prices what they are, all eyes are fixed on my trusty (and sizeable) seven-seater Audi Q7 SUV.</p>



<p>I’m very conscious it might feel like trading in a roomy detached house for a maisonette. But electric really is the future. And as small cars go, I really do like the look of the Fiat 500e. So I headed up the road to see the friendly team at Hampshire’s Snows dealership and borrowed one for a few days. Beep, beep!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE DRIVE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://hants.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2022/09/Snows-Fiat-and-Audi.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28119" /><figcaption>Will the Fiat 500e convince Muddy’s Robyn to downsize her car?</figcaption></figure>



<p>After a quick ‘how it works’ explainer, off we went. Or rather, off the Fiat 500e went – like a racehorse out of the starting gate. Surprisingly, you really do have to watch your speed, especially as the drive is – as everyone’s favourite eccentric Icelandic singer would say – “oh, so quiet”. And it’s so smooth too. I really wasn’t expecting that.</p>



<p>Homeward bound from Snows through the New Forest I had great fun nipping around the Forest’s twists and turns – and bumping over the cattle grids. In all honesty I did miss being high up with lots of space, something I enjoy about my SUV. But then I really don’t miss stopping at the garage for diesel and forking out ridiculous amounts of money for fuel – the downsizing trade-off.</p>



<p>Size aside, there are other things to adjust to with this little car too – the brakes in particular. The Fiat 500e has regenerative braking, a way of taking the wasted energy from the process of slowing down a car and using it to recharge the car’s batteries. It’s a smart idea and feature (this little car is full of them). But it does take some getting used to.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FUEL &amp; POWER CONSUMPTION</h2>



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<p>The Fiat 500e is very efficient – claiming up to 199 miles on a charge. I had it for four days and only needed to charge on day three after running around town for shopping, kid’s activities, supermarket runs, horse runs, forest drives and a trip down to the seaside.</p>



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<p>There are a few driving modes to get to grips with but they’re fairly straightforward. ‘Normal’ mode is pretty much ‘not in a hurry’. Range mode restricts power to maximise range. And Sherpa mode really reduces the battery mode, gives you a top speed of 50mph as well as turning off climate control. If you’ve low charge remaining, this should help get you to where you need to be.&nbsp;</p>



<p>As a small, eco-minded&nbsp;electric car with great range, the Fiat 500 really delivers the much lower running costs many of us are craving right now. Charging up on the mains is currently a lot cheaper than running a car on petrol or diesel. And if you top up at a home charger using cheap overnight electricity, a full charge will cost a lot less.</p>



<p>Patience is the key though. If you’re in a rush, the Fiat 500e can reach up to 80% battery in 30 minutes – but on the household standard plug it took me a lot longer. And it can take up to 19 hours from low to full charge.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE LOOKS</h2>



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<p>Shiny new metallic colour aside, the 500e looks a lot like the old Fiat 500. The basic shape has remained pretty much the same since the Fiat 500 was given a retro-modern makeover in 2007 (now itself a much-loved, classic look – and if it ain’t broke…).</p>



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<p>Our family was buzzing with excitement at driving around in this cool little electric number for a weekend. My children came with me to pick it up and absolutely shrieked with delight at seeing the “blinging” rose-gold coloured “tiny car”.</p>



<p>Child No.1 (actually a grown-up 18) has her very own, non-electric Fiat 500 and was very envious of my souped-up rose-gold eco model (and now wants one, obviously). And my nine-year-old car-mad son insisted we stop by his friend’s house to see if they could all fit in. Err, four boys? It’s a no! But they had fun trying.</p>



<p>I have to say, the interior on the Fiat 500e is absolutely lovely, real quality and really streamlined with nice interior colours. Full disclosure though – it took me a while to work out how to get out (cue slight panic!). Turns out it’s a button rather than a door handle. Phew.</p>



<p>The storage was a bit of a surprise too. Sure, it’s a very small car but there are places to stash your essentials, like the car door bins and places to put your phone.</p>



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<p>There’s no escaping the fact the boot is very small, especially as you need to keep the charger lead in there. But I did manage to do a quick M&amp;S shop with three carrier bags, which easily fitted into the boot. And if you haven’t got the kids with you or squeezing in any other passengers, there’s always the back seat.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">COOL STUFF</h2>



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<p>The Fiat 500e has a few mod cons, like the 10 ¼ inch screen on the dashboard. The digital instrument panel is really clear (even without my specs on) so I could easily see the Maps. The entertainment has lots of features like Apple Play. And it’s really responsive too. Siri was on great form and understood every word I said.</p>



<p>The fact that the Fiat 500e ‘tells you’ when you’re good to go is also very cool – the car is so quiet, until you get used to it, it’s a bit hard to tell otherwise. And I really liked the connected features and the downloadable Fiat App, too, which helps you keep track of the charge.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE PRICE TAG</h2>



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<p>The on the road price for the zippy Fiat 500e is a reasonable £29,435 – comparable with other electrics, including the likes of MINI Electric. A definite bonus, electric power means no road tax, as well as savings at the pump.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<p><strong>Good for:&nbsp;</strong>Solo journeys, a shared run around and small families with one or two children. The Fiat 500e is ideal for shorter trips like school runs and shopping and can easily manage longer trips, although you’d need to do your homework on charging points enroute. And best of all, it really is a fun and nippy car to drive – a very tempting downsize option.</p>



<p><strong>Not for:</strong>&nbsp;Families with very young kids – the three-door configuration and small size would be hard to fit pushchairs and all the paraphernalia that goes with smaller humans.</p>



<p><strong>Fancy a test drive?</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.snows.co.uk/jeep/contact-us/southampton/">Snows</a>&nbsp;is the go-to dealership for Fiat in Hampshire. Finance options for the Fiat 500e include a £1,000 deposit contribution, £4,450 customer deposit and 36 monthly payments of £355 with 5.9% APR Representative*.</p>



<p>Full offer details available here:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.snows.co.uk/fiat/new-vehicle-offers/fiat-500e-offer/">https://www.snows.co.uk/fiat/new-vehicle-offers/fiat-500e-offer/</a>&nbsp;.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Snows has four dealerships located in Southampton, Portsmouth, Sarisbury Green and on the Isle of Wight. Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.snows.co.uk/fiat/">snows.co.uk/fiat</a>&nbsp;for more information.</p>



<p><em>*Finance example is accurate at time of publication and may be subject to change.</em></p>


She’s electric: Muddy road tests the Fiat 500e

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