IS the Fiat 500e the PERFECT Budget Electric Car for You?

[@advredbikes]

Thanks, Eric for that awesome review. Great little car for the city I think and you’re right should be two levels of burn your butt Also heated steering wheel would be terrific. Looking forward to the next video.

[@apexerman1]

Very good review. I currently own a manually-equipped 2018 500c and I love the go-kart-like driving experience. I would wholeheartedly pull the trigger on an electric convertible or Abarth if those models became available. Unfortunately, small cars have a dismal sales history in North America and I'm not convinced Fiat will bring those special models over. That's a shame because the I think the secret sauce lies in its fun potential. Used EV's will address the market for affordable, efficient cars. The 500 should stand apart from the competition by making them objects of desire rather than objects of necessity. The current "Inspired By" series is a step in the right direction, but the convertible and Abarth are essential to that goal. People will free up disposable income on a purposeful fun machine. Utility advantages are fine, but not unique. Most EV's don't offer wind-on-the-hair fun, tossible size or iconic styling. This thing is a puppy on four wheels! Let's get the electric 500 to deliver the automotive version of the zoomies. 🙂

[@TheNovakReport]

Thanks for your comment, and I generally agree with what you said. The 500e Abarth that I've heard about adds about 60 hp and I'm sure is more fun than this unit I drove. But I think if they really wanted to, they could get something over 200 hp and that would be fun, given it's small size and weight. There are more micro EVs coming to North America. The Kia EV3 and the Vinfast VF3 are two that quickly come to mind. I don't know if we'll see many performance micro EVs at first, but there definitely is a "fun-factor" potential that would be tempting for many if peppier variants are offered.

[@Slayyyter_bitxh]

I really want to upgrade my 2015 500e but the lease deals are not great on these 😕

[@TheNovakReport]

Maybe a longer lease? More money down? Take a lower residual?

[@livhuff2854]

You buy a Hyundai Venue for $24,000 Cdn. There is a big difference between that price and the electric 500. You can buy alot of gas for the price difference

[@TheNovakReport]

$24K is the price for the base model Essential trim, but that isn't comparable to the features offered in the 500e. To be comparable, you're looking at the Ultimate trim and it's $28,200 price instead. So the gap is more like $9,500 instead of the almost $14,000 as you suggest. According to NRCan their estimated annual fuel cost for a Venue is $2,175, while the estimate annual energy costs for a 500e is $608 or savings of $1,567 per year. Estimates for basic annual maintenance for a Venue start at $197 in year 1 up to $737 in year 5. For a 500e those figures go from $63 to $376. EVs also have other benefits such as the ability to drive in HOV lanes even with one occupant - a big savings in time depending on where you live and how much you drive. This isn't to make a case one way or another. It's only to point out that when total cost of ownership is determined the roughly $9,500 gap in purchase price gets whittled away a lot more than you think, and the price gap is far closer overall.

[@jeffcohen9246]

Only 117 hp. That shows where this guys head is.

[@TheNovakReport]

It does?

[@TedNomura]

Would be a great second car if basic model would cost less than $15,000.

[@TheNovakReport]

How many ICE base models cost under $15K?

[@haroldpearson6025]

Talking budget, go for the Dacia Spring.

[@TheNovakReport]

Dacia isn't available in North America, but I appreciate the comment and suggestion.

[@TITANIOFORT]

Expect the bill went you will chance the battery after 8 up to 10 years … You will be desperate!

[@TheNovakReport]

Except that a) batteries in EVs are lasting more than 8-10 years on average. In fact, there isn't an EV available in North America that isn't warrantied for at least 8 years with 70% of charge compared to new being the threshold. And b) prices for EV batteries are dropping all the time. In fact there was a new academic study released which said EV batteries will be cheaper than gas engines by 2030 - or less than your 8-10 year dire prediction. I think you need to update your false rhetoric.

[@Дмитрийб-с4г]

shitbox

[@TheNovakReport]

Do you own one? Have you driven one?