The Fiat 500e is An Actually Cheap and Fun Used EV!

Max and Jordan take a look at a used 2019 FIAT 500e to see if this early Italian compliance car is the best used EV under $25,000! Find out in the video.
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#FIAT #500e #ev
0:00 Intro and Walkaround
5:39 Driving and Interior Impressions
15:48 Buyer's Guide

[@jon199680]

The 500e is not a very practical car, with limited range and very limited space inside. But in spite of this, it's the best car I've ever owned. It's such a fun little car to throw around town, and for most people who drive alone, it will do just fine. With its small size and zippy acceleration, it's so easy to maneuver through traffic. I've had my 500e for about two years, it's been a great experience overall. Just don't overpay for one, 18k is way too much to ask for one of these. I paid 8k + tax for mine in 2021. Right now I could probably get a used tesla model 3 or chevy bolt, but nope, I'm sticking with my 500e. I don't think id trade it for any other vehicle.

[@robertsineath8329]

I have owned one for 4 years, never had a problem. Very fun to drive. Bought mine for $7,500 and still love it!

[@rp9674]

I bought mine for $8,000 just over 4 years ago, 1 alignment and tires, that's it

[@Pancho55_]

What year and how many miles were on your fiat when you bought it. Thanks!

[@caseyat88]

Got my 2013 for $5k a few years back. Still 17 kWhs usable at 70k miles. In AZ winters, perfect weather, I average 5.4 mi/kWh over hundreds of miles. Easy to drive, park, maintain. I prefer it over our Bolt EUV in some ways.

[@gaikaviortas455]

I have one of those, it is a great second or third car, everyone in my family loves it and it's #1 choice if you need to go somewhere not too far. As for sunroof, I wish we got one without it, because it is already small car plus front seats are raised up, so without sunroof there's more headroom for the taller person. As for road tripping, I bought it 300 miles away and it took me 25 hours to get home through the snowstorm, but that was once in a lifetime event( which I would do it again in a heartbeat). Also prices now are horrible, two years ago at $5200 it was a great deal, now it worth more than double of that, I don't think there's a justification for paying that much for it

[@robinwilson8435]

I'm looking at one 280 miles from me. It's a 2015 with 31,000 miles. Guess I may be spending a night in it, although through WA and OR I don't anticipate any snow storms! Hoping I can find level 2 chargers and I'll putt along at 55 to save range.

[@ken830]

Styling is okay and the price was pretty good for used ones pre-pandemic. My brother bought 1 of these and liked it enough that my parents got one too, but booth of them developed electrical issues within a year or two rendering them utterly unreliable and we got rid of them fairly quickly.

[@magripinop]

You have a great dynamic review. exchanging differing views is healthy. I like it

[@Wolfson47]

Interestingly, Jay Leno's wife drives a Fiat 500e. Jay owns a large number of fabulous cars, but she likes the Fiat for her around town car.

[@rp9674]

Great story, it'd be better if it was true

[@kappawear]

"My wife doesn't drive anymore, and I didn't want her stuck and not knowing what was going on," Leno explained in People Magazine December 2022.

[@LaJuanHughes]

I bought a 2017 for my wife when her model y was late. But it's a fun car. A electric go-kart for the street. I am now about it for a ford ranger body sway EV conversion. It will be my fiord 500e. My budget EV conversion.

[@zachkane7378]

I really like the new branding stuff looks great, keep up all the hard work, you should have half a million subscribers.

[@CrankyOldNerd]

I got one of these used in 2018 for $7900. I used it to teach my kids how to drive. Sadly, in Summer of 2021 the AC died, and no one inf the NC would touch it/fix it. Was a great car to keep the kids in town but not have them use gas.

[@fenceman53]

Lol that will keep the kids geo fenced

[@TheLamrith]

Thanks to reviewing this one. It is hard to describe to people just how great a car they are. The only real concern buying one is that there is ZERO support from Mfg. The combination of only CA/OR as mentioned, plus Fiat pretty much pulled out of US market and left owners without support for repairs. They use other Fiat items, so upgrades to seats, wheels, etc are easy. Wheel and tire upgrade really wakes the cars up, and they become real gokarts. Super easy to bomb around in, park about anyplace, zip around in traffic. Get home plug in to a L2 (car maxes at 6.6KW) and charge back up in couple hours IF drained fully. They are just ultra simple straight forward car. GREAT as mentioned as a transition car from typical ICE to 1st EV. I just sold mine, only because I went to an EV6 so I could do roadtrips and was concerned about long term parts/repairs on the 500e.

[@blast3001]

Purchased my 2016 500e back in 2019 for 7k. It’s a ton of fun to drive and perfect for a single person city car. You can put a kid in the back who isn’t much older than 10. If you want to put a rear facing car seat in the back forget it. Does t fit unless you move the passenger front seat all the way up and tilted forward. Also it’s a Chrysler so build quality needs a lot of work on the interior. I wouldn’t pay 18k for this car. Less than 10k for sure.

[@Hildepedia]

Ditto almost. Bought our 2015 back in 2019 for around $6K with under 30k miles from a friend. It’s my DD and I love it. Almost 60K miles on it now. So much fun, low maintenance, ice cold air, etc. and I’m 6’0” 250+. A little narrow but comfy enough for sure Much easier to get in and out of that my Volt.

[@colinmyers273]

My wife drives this. I have a model 3 and she loves her fiat EV. Just enough range to go back and forth from work! 16k miles from when we bought it with 30k miles! We got our blue 500e for like 10k

[@brentlafrades6403]

I have a 2016, love the car. Tires super cheap. Never had a problem. My go to car for daily driving. Has about 70k miles.

[@davidconner9027]

Great review Max!

[@frankdelemos8809]

I’m looking for one of these right now! Thanks for the video.

[@genyosai]

My uncle had one when they were first released in Cali some years ago. he loved it.

[@andersn8547]

Great job guys!

[@ashtinhill5664]

You should definitely do the original Hyundai Ioniq EV 2017-19 and 20-22. Both are slightly different, great cars and super efficient. Pretty affordable right now also. Love this series. 😊

[@ryankassel5691]

Great video Max! It's a bummer it doesn't have DCFC

[@iMaxPatten]

Thanks Ryan! No DCFC and the short range seem to limit it to city parameters - but would be nice if FIAT had more brand cache in the US and we got the new one that's got all those goodies!

[@JP-sw5ho]

I love your work here

[@91kitt]

I have a Fiat 500e and love it! Great city car. Hoping maybe in the future there will be some aftermarket company that can add DC fastcharging and battery upgrade 🤞

[@mamadouaziza2536]

Why though? There are plenty of cheap used electric cars with DC fast charging. Chevy Sonic e, BMW i3.

[@91kitt]

@Mamadou Aziza I just love the Style of the Fiat 500e, I know there are others available, but the Fiat has always been my favorite

[@mamadouaziza2536]

@@91kitt no one is denying it isn't a cute car to look at but the sheer lack of some features make the car a no sell

[@lloydranola]

Found this video because I'm finding these for $12k or less. This might be the next daily driver while I hold on to my 17mpg SUV for long trips. Thanks for reviewing!

[@thatmex]

Im jealous, I only owned one for a month. The guy from the dealership didnt push my paperwork forward and so I just gave it back and didnt want to do with them. I loved how it handled, it was like a sleeper mountain runner. A lot of torque and most corners are at best 60 mph so it was perfect for canyons, the range was just the most disappointing thing but I would still take it.

[@randombloke10]

Good news for the US is the new 500e is coming, they’re great cars here in Europe so hopefully you can all enjoy fast charging much more range and a little more poke from that 100kW motor

[@djkenny1202]

They are grossly overpriced. Only like 6-7 have sold in Italy.

[@randombloke10]

@@djkenny1202 yeah but sadly the last time I checked most Italians drive German cars. It’s a great car, better than any Abarth I’ve driven and nearly as good as my old Giulia which is very high praise indeed

[@djkenny1202]

@@randombloke10 my friend wants 10k, wth $3000 back is 7k. I’m so so less my final cost is $5000. He’d need to go down to $8000.

[@murdockscott]

I have owned my 2014 for about six years and it’s been fantastic.

[@jedidrummerjake]

I bought mine 3 days ago and so far I love it!

[@Vivra_Verra____]

Wonderful car. Very quick from 0-40 and is super fun to drive. Upgrade the radio to an aftermarket Extron system which is a 7 inch touchscreen android 11 based system that also has wireless CarPlay. Basically makes this car like a mini Tesla. I got mine, a 2014 with 48,000 miles for only $8,000 with the sport package recently. Excellent condition. Was so lucky to find it in my area at that price. But yeah even if you find one that’s more expensive it’s definitely worth the price for what you get. It’s a Fiat 500 that’s electric, not much else to say. Great car and package. I would definitely upgrade the battery to something with like 150, 200 miles of range with fast charging. It’s that good of a car. I wish the US got the newer Fiat 500e version form Europe but unfortunately they don’t want to sell small cars anymore here in the US.😢

[@conrado800]

They just announced the 2024 Fiat 500e is coming to the US!

[@-Enginerd]

I sold my 2013 with 45k miles on it for $7500 recently. Even at that price, there wasn't much interest. While a very fun car, battery degradation was significant (≈40% reduction) so I was somewhat thankful to see it go.

[@davidv2464]

This is why I don't buy a used one. I had a '15 i3 BEV and it only had 77% capacity after 34K miles, so I got rid of it. Would love another EV but I think I'll wait for better batteries.

[@planefan082]

​@@davidv2464 There have been massive improvements to batteries in the last 2-3 years. New EVs' batteries are now usually expected to outlive the rest of the car, so you shouldn't need to wait long.

[@everythingpony]

Well yeah after 10 years you're going to lose quite a bit of battery reduction

[@KalleSWBeck]

August of 2020 I passed on one of these for 6,500 whoops!

[@cbenson513]

I'll likely be in the market for a low-cost ev city car next year. I'd go for a used i3 (non-Rex) way before this fiat. One pedal driving, heating and cooling of battery, dc "fast" charging, better interior, likely better build quality. Edit to add -- And you use bimmercode app to mod software settings!

[@mamadouaziza2536]

And the i3 comes with a heat pump, active cruise control and auto breaking. You're right, with Bimmer Code and a dongler, you can unlock the self driving feature..

[@rp9674]

I own both, 4 years. I3 needed a charger a dashboard panel (warranty), driver seat belt for $900 off warranty, oil change for the REX, 12v battery, tires, alignment. I3 is sophisticated and nice, Fiat as only had an alignment, tires and battery, the battery just drops in, BMW has the registered in the computer we had dealer do it for $300. Tires are about a $1k for BMW. $630 for Fiat

[@cbenson513]

@@rp9674 Good info worth keeping in mind. I'd still take the i3 for all its advantages and would expect higher maintenance costs, but that's just my take and definitely something anyone should consider.

[@Greybone62]

The Chevrolet Spark EV do have Liquid Cooling as well. And some were built with DC-Charging Plug.

[@michaelblue7852]

Would get the E-Golf over this. So much more car.

[@dyhppyx]

I've had two of these. They are awesome especially if you add the go pedal accessory.

[@robinwilson8435]

Go pedal accessory?

[@Kimbrough87]

I own a 2017 Hyundai ioniq limited electric love it and now you cant find them for sell im never selling mine and I only paid 14k for it dealer called me asking if they could buy it back for 18k I said no....

[@webcrsn]

Are you going to test the BMW i3 Rex?

[@markeissler]

I owned one of these cars. 100% a fun car to drive. Some days it would start up with 110 miles of range. It’s all recalculated according to your previous driving. But. Things to note are that you will suffer from range anxiety. There is only Type 2 charging which is hella slow. Many of these (2015 and earlier?) suffer from a bug wherein you will have to disconnect the 12v battery every now and then to clear a false error in the computer or the car won’t start (always travel with an open ended box wrench of the right size to deal with this issue). And finally: these cars came with 3 years of connectivity for remote access to the car via a phone app; after 3 years there was no way to extend the service or transfer it; probably doesn’t matter now because the 3g service it relied upon (or was it 2g?) probably doesn’t exist anymore. Be forewarned. I wouldn’t buy one of these now. Overpriced at $14k. That’s what they were going for a few years ago.

[@dyhppyx]

You guys should try the i3 used with extender

[@mamadouaziza2536]

Thats what I said but most recent used ones are over $25k

[@willpatton9529]

Lol to say this car is better than the bolt is funny no DC charging wow its hard enough owning a Leaf I couldn't imagine not having the option.

[@rp9674]

only came with 15 inch wheels. He said wheel cap, they're not wheel covers they're alloys with arrow inserts that are different on the sport model, less range.

[@thenerdyarab7622]

What about a Ford Focus Electric?

[@RPRosen-ki2fk]

I like Max as a presenter/reviewer, but I've got to say the episodes where Jordan joins in are BETTER. I'd say it's a case of two plus two equals FIVE. Also does the 500 at least come with heated seats? I would consider this car for a run around.

[@blast3001]

Yup has heated seats as standard.

[@ulfw]

I don't. He tries too hard, speaks way too fast and way too much and just seems too fired up. I miss Jordan who is always a lot more chill, confident and funny and comes off as more honest and direct.

[@gordoncrichton7657]

Works for the Uk as a second car, typically they are a second hand car. So yes makes sense second hand but not new, hence no new car’s available

[@Notmyjob1]

These cars were also sold on Poland

[@toofast4radar]

That's one of those cars you buy when they get to under $8,000.

[@MylesV]

Like they were 3 years ago, hopefully the prices come back down

[@Kimbrough87]

18k. Wow 😂 I paid 8800 for my 2017 and had 20k miles on it

[@luismanuelmendoza789]

here i am, waiting to see if the seats folded 90 degrees.. and there you go not showing it to us :(

[@williamclark6466]

The Italian electric blast. Zippy

[@mamadouaziza2536]

I guess the i3 is next to be reviewed? That car has got so many different variants: 22kw battery 33kw battery 42kw battery With or without a REx BEV only version has a heat pump Various interior worlds Various wheel options Sports Version Optional DC Fast Charging on the 2014, standard after 2014 Sunroof Bimmer Code can unlock all the disabled European features

[@iMaxPatten]

Yup, stay tuned :)

[@mamadouaziza2536]

@@iMaxPatten I'll be looking out for that review!!

[@theodoreolson8529]

In general "compliance cars" are sort of one off. I believe Fiat just walked away from these cars and getting parts or service support is a pain. I don't own one, have I got this wrong?

[@FuncleChuck]

That would be my fear too, as a compliance-car Honda Clarity owner…

[@rp9674]

For body and suspension they made a billion Fiat 500s, the rest, junkyard. Mine has been very reliable for 4 years.

[@theodoreolson8529]

@@rp9674 Yea but I'm not sure there were too many made to begin with. I'm okay with junkyard supply I just worry the electrical/battery components are like hens teeth.

[@rp9674]

Hard to tell, it looks like a lot of 500e"s in Southern California

[@conrado800]

Don’t get the sun roof! Less headroom and breaks easily

[@mamadouaziza2536]

Why not review a BMW i3s with REx fully loaded? That car has a liquid cooled battert and a heat pump on the all BEV version. The more recent model have a range of 160 electrical miles and continuous range with the BEV version. Some are $25k

[@rp9674]

I own both, 4 years. I3 needed a charger a dashboard panel (warranty), driver seat belt for $900 off warranty, oil change for the REX, 12v battery, tires, alignment. I3 is sophisticated and nice, Fiat as only had an alignment, tires and battery, the battery just drops in, BMW has the registered in the computer we had dealer do it for $300. Tires are about a $1k for BMW. $630 for Fiat.

[@mamadouaziza2536]

@@rp9674 Wow.. Yeah, tire replacement is usually $250 per tire on the i3. The battery is a DIY project and after its replaced, it needs to be recoded via Bimmer Code.. Its best to just keep purchasing a warranty on these cars ($3k for 3 years with a max of $2700 a year in repairs that they will pay).. If buying used try to get one that is certified by BMW that has a good warranty otherwise buy a third party warranty. These cars are very overpriced for the early models which are out of warranty (I personally would not pay more than $10k for a 2014 thru 2016 due to battery degradation and the amount of possible repairs the car may need).

[@rp9674]

@@mamadouaziza2536 oops, I wish I had extended warranty when it ran out

[@tazeat]

Haha, I used to own one of those. I put a car seat in the back for fun and it was easier to put my kid in through the tail gate. Pile of junk with a crappy battery but it was a little fun. Very easy 1 wheel peels out of the front.

[@tazeat]

I bought my 2014 for 6k 4 years ago and it was a lot then given the annual fees for an extra electric car in WA. I trailered it up from CA, they were pretty cheap there. wouldn't buy one again and I wouldn't buy one for today's laughable prices. Good luck doing that stretch on i5 without being on a trailer xD.

[@tazeat]

I always thought cars like this would be the perfect application for an EV, super cheap city cars you can soak up all your commute miles. Small cars like Japanese Kei cars that can be parked anywhere, save resources and be incredibly useful at reducing congestion, emissions, etc with using your standard gas vehicles on the trips you actually need the capability. The electricity cost per mile on one of these is almost zero. But, it just didn't work out, registration, taxes, and insurance just make it prohibitive to keep around and it wasn't useful for much else. Talking about the actual car, the range dropped like a rock on the highway, inefficient HVAC sucked down juice especially when cold, and I think mine had a fair amount of battery degradation already and it wasn't even that old. But if you worked within 30 miles of work, it makes a fine commuter car easily doing the round trip and charged in a couple hours on level 2 at home.

[@mamadouaziza2536]

@@tazeat battery degrading? The car doesn't have Level 3 charging, which will degrade a battery rather quickly.. In order to not drain the battery quickly while driving on the freeway is to keep the car at 70mph and make sure the power needle is in the middle. The warmer the battery the more range you will get. Drove one of these around Studio City, its a decent car if your commute is within 40 square miles (size of Paris and San Francisco).

[@tazeat]

​@@mamadouaziza2536 Charge speed itself doesn't really reduce battery longevity, charge cycles, SoC its stored at (nearly always 100%), and heat does. The Fiat always charges to 100%, mine had about 65k miles on it and previous owner definitely kept it outside in CA sun, so I think that was part of it, but it was a decent percentage lower than EPA capacity/range... A lot of the forums show similar results after a few years using alphaobd and you can get a pretty good idea of battery health. That said I haven't owned the car in several years. The highway range hit is just a physics problem, its small and light, low speed stuff it can do well over 4mi/kWh which is really good, but you can't get around the aero impact at speed which doesn't really care about vehicle weight and puts a hurt on efficiency on a car with such a small battery. Again, it's fine if you can stay within the intended range, but there's not a lot of buffer day to day especially when the overall range only gets smaller over time.

[@mamadouaziza2536]

@@tazeat So true.. I was in a 2014 i3 this past July (Vegas car since it was new) and the car had 17.7kw usable on a battery that only had 18.8kw usable to the driver (battery is 22kw but has a 2.8kw buffer).. We all know it can get to 120 degrees in Vegas for weeks during the summer and after 8 years the battery on that car is still healthy.. Car even has the original 12 volt battery.

[@afzalnadvi6467]

A chevy bolt under $25,000 is the best value hands down

[@QALibrary]

The newer version of the 500e is meant to be a lot better car with a real range but America is never going to get them because the 500 sales dropped off the cliff and FAIT have now withdrawn the car from sale in the USA and closed/closing there dealerships as well.

[@barryw9473]

No DCFC and low range makes it cheap.

[@henryachilles8808]

great beginner for an eco-minded teen

[@djkenny1202]

Over 5k for a nice 2015 is too much. $7000 MAX for a 2018 with under 20,000 miles. Don’t overpay!! These get 100 miles, at best. New EVs get over 200 miles.

[@johnpoldo8817]

I want a cheap work EV, but this won’t cut it.

[@TheLamrith]

how long is your round trip commute? I would not hesitate to do a roundtrip of 60miles with one. Plug in when you get home and the car is 100% again the next morning. They are surprisingly roomy inside,. I am 6'4" and fit with plenty of room to spare. Better in fact than my Taurus.

[@Edward3D]

With no DCFC, no heat pump, and 80 mile range, I’d take a cheap used leaf (battery degradation, poor handling, ugly face and all) over this. If the 500e was only $1k more than a Leaf it’d be more appealing

[@TheLamrith]

They used to be more affordable, but the last year chaos in car market made the prices more than double. I bought mine a year ago, sold it last month and got cash for what I paid for it after taxes, fees, etc a year ago. and that is TRADE IN at a dealer paid me that much... They sold he car for $4k more after 2 weeks on the lot. Right now they are overpriced for sure.

[@Edward3D]

@@TheLamrith wow! Hope they come down in price a lot eventually because I love the look of 500

[@koolkev75]

18000 for 80 miles , oh no pass lol 😂

[@silvergt4254]

i am selling mine 6k, it doesnt run!

[@rp9674]

I assume you check the 12v battery and tried disconnecting it overnight?

[@silvergt4254]

@@rp9674 yes :(

[@rp9674]

@@silvergt4254 sorry, that's sad. I hope there are a lot of independent EV repair shops in future.

[@undrachvrsage]

Nope.

[@leonchen89]

Useless car. Can’t even get out of the city it is purchased from.

[@dwftube]

Makes sense in Europe as a town/city car but not really in the US.

[@Iceeeen]

It really was sold on the wrong continent. The amount of 500e imported to Europe is crazy. Fiat made the right decision with the new one. Btw the 500e is a wonderful car. Because it's just a car. Drove a Skoda Enyaq today for about 3,5 hour drive. 1 hour in I would like to have hammer so slabb the stupid touch screen crap. The one the designed that vw UI has zero experience behind a wheel. It also snowed a bit and the stupid cruise control got disabled and wouldn't even work as normal without the stupid fancy stuff. A cruise control that worked just fine in a 70s car they somehow lost the know how today

[@FuncleChuck]

I gotta say dude, 99% of my driving is in the city I live in… If you’re constantly driving to other cities, it’s not for you - but 1) Why are you doing that? And 2) stop. Just stop it.

[@dwftube]

@@FuncleChuck Well... maybe the city where someone works isn't where they live. There are a number of reasons for why this could be - family ties; affordability; partner works in a third city and they live in the one in between etc etc you get the idea. For close city/urban areas this car works, but for the country and intercity it doesn't. This car would fit my life perfectly as I can do everything I need to in a 15 mile radius (actually half that if I don't need a major shopping centre), but I know plenty of people for whom that just isn't possible.

[@rp9674]

I've been driving mine four years no problem, 30 mi to work how must charge at work. 81K miles.