I drove the Fiat 500e for a week — this tiny EV is like a double-shot of espresso

When my colleague tested out the Fiat 500e last year, he said that “this tiny little EV isn’t lacking for charm.” I can certainly agree to that sentiment after driving the 2025 Fiat 500e Giorgio Armani Collector’s Edition for a week.

Frankly, the first thing that garnered my attention before stepping into the driver’s seat is the $30,500 MSRP of the base trim. That’s cheap when it comes to looking for the best electric cars around when the average price of an EV has ballooned to $57,245 in the most recent report from Kelley Blue Book.

With the Armani Collector’s Edition that I specifically tested out, that price goes up to $35,500 and comes equipped with extra premium features — like full LED headlamps and taillights, a wireless charger for your phone, 10.25-inch main touchscreen display, and much more. But while the price for this affordable EV is tempting, it does come with its own trade-offs.

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2025 Fiat 500e: Specifications

2025 Fiat 500e: Testing summary

In total, I drove 423.8 miles in my week’s worth of testing the 2025 Fiat 500e Giorgio Armani Collector’s Edition — accumulating an average efficiency of 144.5 mpge. This converts to 4.28 mi/kWh and comes in second place for having the best efficiency I’ve tested in an electric car this year. The only other one that beats it is the 2025 Hyundai Kona Electric with its 4.3 mi/kWh efficiency.

I’m surprised that the Fiat 500e is really good here because it’s a small car meant mainly for city driving, where electric cars are known to perform the best — much more than highway driving. One important thing I want to note is that it’s rated for up to 149 miles of range, but based on my average efficiency and its 42 kWh battery, it means that it could actually get up to 179 miles instead.

Despite these good results, it’s still a low range EV that will require more charging. For example, the similarly priced 2025 Chevrolet Equinox LT has 319 miles of range. That’s a huge spread if you intend on charging it at Level 3 charging stations when you’re out and about. At home, though, I will say that it’s much faster than any other EV I’ve tested with its average Level 1 charging speed of 5.06 mi/hr.

2025 Fiat 500e: What I Like

Easy to park

This one’s obvious for the fact that the 500e is the smallest EV you can buy in the U.S., making it a breeze to park. That’s especially true in densely packed neighborhoods where sometimes you see that one neighbor trying to squeeze into that in-between spot where there are two adjacent driveways next to one another.

Thanks to its small size, I’m able to quickly and easily park the Fiat 500e in those tight situations. This makes it a valuable resource when you’re trying to parallel park it too.

One of the most efficient EVs

I really need to stress the Fiat 500e’s efficiency because it’s one of those EVs that can actually deliver better range than what the car maker claims. The Giorgio Armani Collector’s Edition shares the same FWD AC three-phase with permanent magnetic rotor as the base trim.

Since I’m able to achieve an average efficiency of 4.28 mi/kWh, this means that it’s very possible for it to beat its estimated 149 miles of range. Now, I will admit that I drove it in primarily Sherpa mode to maximize its efficiency, but it’s still pretty impressive at how this compact sized EV gets good range for its battery capacity.

Really fun to drive

Even though it has a peak 117 hp performance from its electric motor, I have to admit there’s serious power behind the 2025 Fiat 500e Giorgio Armani Collector’s Edition. The e-mode selector allows me to switch between its three different driving modes: Normal, Range, and Sherpa.

In Normal mode, it delivers tight steering and zippy acceleration that makes it fun to drive. Even though it’s still a far cry from sports EVs like the BMW i4 m50 Gran Coupe and Dodge Charger EV, I have to say it has just enough to prove that it has serious muscle power.

Fast Level 1 charging speed

Like I mentioned already, the 2025 Fiat 500e charges pretty fast on Level 1 charging at home. If your daily commute amounts to 40 miles round trip, its 5.06 mi/hr charging rate easily gets to that with 8 hours of charging overnight. Very few EVs I’ve tested ever get to a rate of 4 mi/hr with Level 1 charging, so for this to get over 5 mi/hr is unbelievable.

2025 Fiat 500e: What I Like Don't Like

Lacks adaptive cruise control

I’m a big fan of adaptive cruise control, wherein a vehicle can maintain its lane on the highway while applying the necessary braking and acceleration to maintain cruise control speed. While the Fiat 500e does come with standard cruise controls, it lacks the dynamic performance of other EVs because it doesn’t maintain its distance or position in a lane.

Meaning, it does keep the 60 mph speed I initially set, but it won’t slow down if there’s a car in front that’s getting really close — so it’ll continue driving at that set speed. This requires me to pay more attention when I use cruise control, whereas other EVs practically drive the car for me.

Tight interior, even less storage

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I can see the benefit of the Fiat 500e in larger, more densely populated areas, but its small size means you’re getting very little room on the inside. Even though I feel comfortable sitting in the front seats, there’s practically no leg room in the back — that’s unless you have younger kids who are better suited for them. Trust me, you’re not going to be seating adults in the back.

Furthermore, there’s barely any storage inside of the vehicle. In fact, there’s only a single cup holder in the front, which isn’t stable at all to hold larger sized drinks. There’s enough room to pack three grocery bags in the trunk, but it certainly won’t handle a Costco run on the weekend.

No blind spot light indicators

By now I thought all cars would have those blind spot light indicators on each side mirror standard by now, but the 2025 Fiat 500e doesn’t have them at all. It’s an issue I have because I’ve found those lights to be extremely helpful when I’m changing lanes. Sure, the blind spots aren’t too bad from the driver’s seat, but there have been a couple of close calls when I thought my blind spots were clear and in fact they weren’t.

2025 Fiat 500e: Bottom Line

If there’s one thing that I can say about the 2025 Fiat 500e Giorgio Armani Collector’s Edition is that it’s undeniably different. With this particular trim, I really like the small details all around the interior cabin space that gives it a sporty look and feel — like its eco leather trimmed bucket seats, JBL Premium Audio system, and support for wireless CarPlay and Android Auto.

Yes, it’s one of the most efficient EVs I’ve tested all year, but the trade-offs make it hard to recommend over other ~$35,000 priced EVs. Its biggest selling point actually becomes its weakness because despite its fun and easy to drive experience, the limited amount of interior space gives it less utility than affordable EVs like the Hyundai Kona Electric and Chevrolet Equinox EV.

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