Why you should pick up a used Fiat 500e electric car

Wanted to post this video explaining how cool these little electric cars are.

[@megananderson8833]

I've had my 2017 500e for a little over a month. It was a bit of an impulse purchase and not what I had been looking for but the price was too good to pass up. I LOVE this little car. It is perfect for city driving and commute if the range works for you. I was a little worried about the range when I first got it but have found it is not a problem. We drive way less per day than most people probably think and even if the battery degrades it will still be plenty for my work commute. The stereo is decent. Acceleration is perfect for city where you just need to get to the next stoplight. I have had people try to race me (I think they thought it was an Abarth) but I have won every single time :) In conclusion, I think everyone who does or can do mostly city driving should get one of these suckers.

[@jamesd3000]

Megan Anderson thanks for the feedback Megan....you said it perfectly.....people just don’t know what gems these babies are ; )

[@passionquebecetdecouvertes3370]

Hello, I live in France and I have a Fiat 500e from California. First of all, the Fiat 500s are very much loved here in Europe. I wanted a fun electric car for my daily commute. And I fell in love with this Fiat 500e on a trip to California and bought a used one that I brought to France. I find it a lot of advantages, it sneaks everywhere in our small town centers in France. It can be recharged anywhere on 240v terminals in 3 hours and at home at 220v in 4 hours. In addition, the screen can be configured in French and in km / h and the odometer in kilometers. Regarding autonomy is very sufficient for me to go to work, see my family and my weekend walks. I am single so no need for a family. see you soon

[@jamesd3000]

Passion Québec Et découvertes Thank you sir....for the excellent review from across the pond ; ) They are fantastic little cars....and they just have so much personality.....you just have to love them ; )

[@toyotaprius79]

How!?

[@DOJIELDIENVE]

This is a great second or third car anyone can enjoy. It’s has cost me $0 in maintenance in three years. I have a few free chargers near me as well. I do have a gas car I use for longer than 80 mile trips. 30mile round trips are possible if you keep the speed low between 65-70 and if it’s not freezing cold out. Perfect car for town and city driving. Quick light to light and easy to park. Sometimes I park in garages and pay a little more than street parking but get a free charge so I can gun it home on the freeway. It’s super stable at speed. Mine is lowered about 2”. Madness lowering springs and koni yellow struts. I’ve also replaced the stock aero wheels for ones that are less aero but much lighter. I do miss the Abarth, I couldn’t keep both and this was a no brainer below 10k with some months left on the original manufacturer’s warranty at the time.

[@MarcelloQuieti]

a little word of advice from a fiat 500e owner. 5 years old, 38k miles on it. left town for a vacation and left it in the garage for 17 days. at my return, car dead, towed it to the dealership. they said it was my negligence leaving it unplugged for two weeks. result, main battery needs to be replaced, cost 18,000$, and warranty won't cover it. amazing

[@namasnamas3002]

Not only fiat but smart electric same problem!

[@blanktitle198]

If the car is left are no charge, it won’t turn on? Can’t you plug it in like an old phone?

[@namasnamas3002]

@@blanktitle198 unfortunately no, it would be easy trick. Battery management system discharges all the capacity from hv cells pack. This doesn't happen on Nissan leaf or zoe ant so on, smart and fiat 500e are problems.

[@noramatten-esalenmassage]

Hello Marcello I am sorry and surprised to hear that Fiat said it was negligence on your part as my manual under the point vacation simply asks the owner to blow out the AC and in storage it says that the preferred way to store it is to have it plugged in- no where does it issue a warning that if you do not have it plugged in you could damage the car. I have to say I have a similar issue with my 2015 Fiat 500e with only 17000 Miles on it. I am being told I need to replace the PIM a $9000 repair even though the code show its the battery. The dealer also tells me that Fiat will not honor the battery warranty but are not willing to give me a reason. I have contacted Fiat but they just point me back to the dealership who tells me I need to talk to Fiat. Researching this issue I have found MANY fellow owners who, upon taking their dead car to the dealership were told that they had to replace the PIM before Fiat would be willing to consider replacing the battery under warranty even though they were unable to show that there was anything wrong with the PIM. So while I LOVE the car I can't recommend anyone buying one because A the possible cost of the repair and B the bad customer service and refusal to honor their warranty.

[@MarcelloQuieti]

@@noramatten-esalenmassage Hi Nora; i'm sorry you're on the same situation. i've spoken to several fiat 500e owners in the past year along with online research. replacing the PIM is standard practice from Fiat so they have you put out 7-9k before they decide to do anything, even though they know the issue is the battery; there's dozens of cases, all the same issue with the battery dying. Just here in Dallas, the two fiat dealerships have several 500e sitting in the parking lot with the same problem. I don't think there's a single fiat 500e in the country where the manufacturer replaced the battery. the best case scenario is Fiat offering to buy back the car; they usually offer a decent amount but unfortunately most often after you've replaced the PIM and paid 7-9k

[@Parkeralto]

I just snagged a 2017 500e also; same color, same price. I feel I got the deal of the decade. Everything about it is better than I expected; solid little car that's fun to drive. I plan to put solar on the roof and essentially drive for free.

[@jamesd3000]

Michael Parker so cool to hear brother....sorry for the long delay....I didn’t see the comments for awhile. Thanks for letting everyone know your experience....these cars are just the bomb!

[@flolou8496]

@@jamesd3000 Can you think of a certain Level -2 home charger for the 2017 500e that would be a great pick? (There are so many to choose from with different features, I'm overwhelmed by them all, the electrical wiring in my house is rather old if that's an issue?)

[@jamesd3000]

@@flolou8496 So sorry....but I have not taken the time yet to research the options. You will want to make sure and check with a good electrician. Wish I could help you more in that department. Good luck and please spread the info here if you get some good equipment.

[@anonuser]

When the AC goes out and it costs $7k to fix it at a dealer you might think twice. Google a 500E AC compressor and see that the list price is over $6k!

[@icebreaka1969]

as a mechanic, I will not suggest lowering the fiat 500e, because battery is located at bottom, if something hard hit the bottom, your car may catch on fire, li-ion battery can catch on fire super fast when they got punchers. If people who owns 500E out there and wants some more performance, you can upgrade your shocks from OEM to Bilstein B6 or B8, or simply use Coilover system to keep original Height and gain performance, you never know what is on the road, I ran over a rock in san francisco Fell street, that damn rock cost me 8k to fix up my subaru wrx, because my car was lowered about 1.5 inch front and back, specially if your car is electric with big battery below it, it is a big no no to lower it.

[@jamesd3000]

I really appreciate your feedback. But I am quite curious why the brand new Fiat 500e is substantially lower? Also not sure why the Tesla’s are all riding lower to the ground as well. It just looks like the engineers went a little overboard on the ride

[@ovwing]

I agree. We bought one of these a week ago and love it!

[@jamesd3000]

Peter Wing Welcome to the club. You just can’t go wrong with these little guys ; )

[@dennisalexanderreilly8624]

Bought mine in September, one of the best values in a used, car and for buck. Puts a smile on m face every time. It was my Covid sanity and Self care purchase.

[@jamesd3000]

@@dennisalexanderreilly8624 Great to hear DENNIS....they are a hoot....hard to explain to people. Keep in touch ; )

[@katherandefy]

I want one. Loved Mini Cooper too.

[@jamesd3000]

They do both have a charm that is hard to describe. I love this design sooo much. I’m pretty sure Stephenson designed both of them.....and he has a great way with curves ; ) They also are the two funnest cars I have ever driven. I hope you snag yourself one.....and for maintenance sake I hope it is the little electric one.

[@healthyhuman2360]

I’m on my 2nd 500e. This one is used, first was new. I’ve also had an Abarth, I miss my Abarth even though I replaced it with an Alfa 4C. I figured this was a good middle ground and the price is amazing right now.

[@jamesd3000]

Healthy Human So right you are. I fell in love with the Abarth as well.....but also wanted electric. These almost serves both worlds. The great looks with the super efficient and snappy ride ; )

[@DoritosResidue]

Just got mine a month ago 2016 for 6000 OTD, 36k miles, clean carfax and private sale. Seller even lowered the price to less than half on the title for less tax! Great secondary car, I would not buy this as my only car. But these are the deal of the century!

[@jamesd3000]

M Navarro thanks for the great feedback....they are a hell of a deal....people just don’t realize ; )

[@jacobodelriopartida6855]

Hola amigo yo tengo el mío, es 2017 vivo en la Ciudad de México y es mi Baby consentido porque es divertido y super económico de mantenimiento, además de hermoso todo mundo me lo chulea pocos se dan cuenta que es Eléctrico. Agradezco tu video y concuerdo contigo al 100% en dos palabras es una maravilla de auto.

[@mcain6983]

Damn it, looks like I am getting one now

[@jamesd3000]

M Cain Please do....I promise you will love the ride and thank yourself later.....cheers

[@rp9674]

Mini looks huge to me now after driving my Fiat 500e for 4 years

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

The short range would be okay with me *IF* any sort of fast charging was available as an option for the Fiat. I mainly drive to and from work and the store, etc so the 83 miles of range would be perfectly fine, 99% of the time. But if I did ever have to go outside that range, I would have to wait at least an hour (more like 2 or more) at a level 2 station. The sub-$10,000 price for used ones is EXTREMELY tempting, however!

[@heyyougonnafinishthat8658]

Not a perfect replacement for an only ICE car, but...It's the perfect daily driver for a two-car household for sure. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHzCpGWwjK2egZo

[@ccvr6]

This car makes an excellent second car and/or short commute car. It desperately needs a fast charging option. I am in the process of selling my 2013 model now. It has been flawless and incredibly reliable, but I just don’t need it anymore. Plus, the Chicago winters make the car pretty useless for most of the year. I’ll miss it, though.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

@@ccvr6 I can imagine there is quite an extreme range hit in those Chicago winters.

[@ccvr6]

JustWasted3HoursHere yes....it was so cold one morning, I got in it to go to work and it told me i only had 35 miles of range with 100% battery. I did have the heat on, which zaps about 10 miles off of it. Luckily my commute is all city streets. An expressway commute would have been simply impossible. And my job at the time did not have charging available. It was only 5 miles away, which made it possible.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

@@ccvr6 Wow, that's a HUGE drop in range for cold weather! Glad I live in Florida where it only drops below 40 degrees a few days out of the year. Normally, our "cold" is 50 degrees or so... Did you park yours outside or in a garage, and does it have the feature where you can precondition the cabin to be ready (cooled or heated) as long as it's plugged in? This is a really nice feature. Heated seats and steering wheel are also WAY more useful than I ever would have thought.

[@toviyalovelightlife6180]

Are you still happy with this car?

[@rbruce63]

My question is where can I buy one coming out of a lease and how much to pay for a 2017 model? I am in the same ship as yourself with a 2012 Volvo that's become a money pit.

[@jamesd3000]

hello there… Thanks for writing. I live on the West Coast Portland to be exact. There are quite a few still available here but I bet they’re hard to find in the Midwest and down south. Mine was an off lease car and it also was a 2017. You are definitely making the right decision… I have not spent a dime on this car in the four years I’ve had it… And yes, that Volvo and my mini Cooper are absolutely money pits. You should be able to find a good quality car with only maybe 35 40,000 miles for about 11,000. That seems to be about the going rate at the moment. It’s pretty easy to find a low mileage unit since electric cars are not driven quite as far. Sorry, I took so long to get back to you. I don’t check KZbin often enough but the best of luck to you and I hope you find the perfect little car. Please let me know if you do….. and welcome to the Fiat family ahead of time…😉

[@christoroppolo8742]

If the battery under the car is damaged and needs to be replaced how much does it cost? Where would it be taken to do a job like that?I m really close to getting one. 👽

[@jamesd3000]

Hello Christo. So sorry it took me a long time to get back to you... I wasn't checking my KZbin messages. To answer your question... These cars come with an eight year warranty on the battery, which I believe is transferable. It's also made by Bosch incorporated, and they are a very precise manufacturer. Nothing in life is guaranteed, but I believe these batteries have a very long lifespan and are super reliable. Unlike Nissan they incorporate a very professional battery management system and are also heated and cooled. This for the most part eliminates battery degradation. I hope this helps you in your decision. Please let me know if you have any further questions and the best of luck to you.

[@christoroppolo8742]

@@jamesd3000 thanks. I finally got a 2014 Nissan Leaf In excellent condition for exactly what I wanted to spend. Next week I’ll be Dropping a brand new Bigger battery thanks to the battery exchange program ! I am way into this electric car thing and am going to install a pro charger too ! Bye bye gas car. “This” I can maintain! Save the earth ! She’s all we we’ve got! Peace 👽

[@toyotaprius79]

I'd wish..

[@txwylde]

Yeah but the downside is that if you go to trade it in later, the trade in value stinks because Fiats do not retain their values very well. :(

[@jamesd3000]

Bill Kinkead I hear you there Bill. The beauty is you get into it so cheap....that you can easily get your money back....because you only have to sell it for around $4500 when you are done to get your money’s worth. I know I can easily get that much around Three or four years from now....especially if you keep it real cherry.

[@robertpryor7225]

Does not do 80 miles at freeway speed. if you don't ever want to find public charging and walk a few feet, you shouldn't get 1. The stock wheels are aero, aftermarket will cost you a little range. If you want more space, unscrew 4 nuts & remove the trunk organizer, put a piece of carpet in it's place.

[@robertpryor7225]

There is hidden mini storage under the back seat floor.

[@macrumpton]

Mine will do 80mph just fine. It reduces the range dramatically, but it will do it.

[@robertpryor7225]

Mine too, I meant 80 miles range though. I think some owners think they're doing 80 or 100 miles because the rain estimator says that.

[@robertpryor7225]

(...range estimator)

[@jrcracing1]

@@robertpryor7225 If I needed to go 30 miles to work in the morning and then 30 miles at night to go home. Would the Fiat 500e handle that for me? Would I have to recharge it at work?

[@typhoon320i]

35 miles at 95%....What!

[@silvergt4254]

i drove in rain, and it literally stopped working!!!

[@dommopa4464]

You can have it.

[@jackdale9831]

HOW does it get charged-up, if @ home!?! Do you plug it in, in the 120 or 240? How LONG, then, charging, to then go 80 miles? You're ASSUMING we'll only take short trips. What if we wanted to go 400 miles one way? How often & for how long would we need to re-charge? I hear with its piddling range, if using the A/C, you could only drive about 80 miles. What a TERRIBLE range! Do I need a special "set-up" @ home to recharge it? You "do-NOTHING-Go-Nowhere-Dweeb!" You're merely content to drive across town & back! The way its configured, Fiat COULD have doubled the range with nearly doubling the battery. I guess I really need a hybrid, where I can be charging my battery while driving down the road. Thanks for the Vid, but we didn't GET much charging info.

[@robertpryor7225]

It's not for you, do not buy one

[@macrumpton]

It comes with a 120v charger which takes 23! hours to do a full charge from 0. Of course you hardly ever have it down to 0, and topping it up works fine while you are at work or shopping. For less than $200 you can get a 240v charger that plugs into a clothes dryer plug that will do the same in 4 hours. I think it is best to look at it like a commuter car, and if you are doing lots of trips longer than 80 miles then it is probably not for you. I only drive on long trips a couple of times a year, so renting a car for those times is the way to go, meanwhile I get the reliability and economy of operation with my Fiat. One bonus is that lots of areas have free 240v charging, so if I need a faster charge I can get it free just 6 blocks from my house. BTW I got my 2016 model for $6k with about 85% of original capacity.

[@jamesd3000]

Jack Dale It is definitely not a long distance car Jack. But from my experience it’s super easy to just rent a car on the rare ( 1 to 2 times a year) I travel far from home. The money you save in gas will way more than pay for that . Just something to consider.

[@MMAFan20]

Lol why do people who have no business buying something complain and moan and want to destroy a product everyone loved. Do you realize this is a $4500 car which is a steal! Don’t freaking buy it !!!!!

[@lindat6761]

@@MMAFan20 Wow, where are you finding a 2017 model for that under $5K price? Are we talking about one with over 100K miles?