► Fiat Grande Panda Electric driven
► First in a new family of Panda models
► A triumph of design that drives well, too
If you’re after a small, stylish electric car, 2025 is seemingly the year you’ll be spoilt for choice. What makes the new Fiat Grande Panda Electric even more interesting, however, is the aggressive pricing and emphasis on functional simplicity as well. The Grande Panda EV reviewed here starts at £20,975, making it cheaper than any direct rival, while the alternative hybrid version – which we haven’t driven yet – is £2k cheaper still.
Even so, this is one cool-looking little car. Extra emphasis on the little. For although Fiat’s gone for Grande in the name, it hasn’t made this new Panda massively bigger. At 3999mm in length, it’s 20cm longer than the previous non-Grande Panda but still shorter than a number of competing superminis. And while proportionally it has the appearance of an SUV, in reality it’s a rather dinky thing, standing no more than 1629mm tall.
Instead, the badging signifies this is the first of a whole new family of Panda models promised over the next two or three years. With those cute pixelated headlights, an integrated charging cable the coils away behind the grille, and an interior that’s both stylish and useful, Fiat could really be onto something here.
At a glance
Pros: wonderful design details inside and out, undercuts rivals on price, comfortable and composed
Cons: efficiency hasn’t impressed us so far, not as spacious in the back as we’d hoped
What’s new?
The Grande Panda uses the new Stellantis ‘Smart Car’ platform – a low-cost ‘multi-energy’ solution that’s already in use under the latest Citroen C3 and the returning Vauxhall Frontera. Smart Car is intended to take the fight to the new wave of budget-crunching Chinese brands. And, let’s face it, Dacia.
There will be at least seven models across the Stellantis group that end up using the same kit of bits, which can accept petrol, hybrid or pure electric power. The need to be cheap is accompanied here with plenty of ground clearance and a high seating position. So although the Grande Panda is basically a small hatchback, the pseudo-SUV appearance is likely to be shared across all Smart Car models.
Like-for-like, the Grande Panda is usefully cheaper than both its present platform mates. Yet this doesn’t seem to have held Fiat back in terms of styling or detailing. In addition to the delightfully chunky exterior, that unusual tethered charging cable and the broadly appealing interior design – which is full of neat and endearing details – the Grande Panda uses some funky sustainable materials on the inside as well.
Specifically there are interior panels made from recycled beverage packaging (approximately 140 cartons per car) and there’s a new ‘Bambox’ textile finish to sections of the dashboard in the range-topping La Prima version. This is 33 per cent real bamboo and apparently developed especially for the Grande Panda. How appropriate.
What are the specs?
Since you already know the length (3999mm) and the height (1581-1629mm), we might as well mention it’s 1763mm wide, excluding the door mirrors. The wheelbase is 2540mm, giving tiny front (788mm) and rear (671mm) overhangs. In spite of this, the boot is an impressive 361 litres even for the electric version, stuffed full of batteries.
With 44kWh of those, the Grande Panda Electric gets a 199-mile WLTP driving range. That’s a little short of the quoted best for the Hyundai Inster (229 miles) and Renault 5 E-Tech (248 miles) – but you’ll pay at least 10 per cent more for either of those.
Fiat CEO Olivier Francois accidentally told us that larger and smaller batteries are under review for the future. But for now Fiat thinks 44kWh is the right size at the right price.
In our initial real-world testing on the launch in Italy, the Grande Panda isn’t looking super-efficient, though. In low but hardly arctic temperatures (7-8 degrees C), after a morning’s driving 50 per cent battery was showing 86km of remaining range. That’s 53 miles. We hadn’t been sympathetic, but we hadn’t driven like hooligans, either.
As such, whether 44kWh is enough for this small city car may depend on how quickly you’re going to want to charge it. DC via the public network is limited to 100kW, but because the battery is so small you’ll still get 20-80 per cent in under half an hour.
That curly cable up front can only handle 7kW AC max, so while it’s certainly a welcome feature it’s only going to be useful in limited circumstances – and when you’ve got more time, since 20-100 per cent at this output takes 3 hours 43 minutes. You can option 11kW AC if that’s worthwhile to you, but this comes via the same rear charging port as DC rather than the built-in cable (up-rating that would be too heavy).
Performance is… adequate. The Grande Panda EV has an 83kW electric motor (equivalent to 111bhp), will go 0-62mph in about 11 seconds and has a top speed of 82mph. It’s nippy but not over-eager – probably deliberately so to avoid overwhelming the front wheels.
How does it drive?
With some relief, we’re pleased to report the Grande Panda drives rather tidily. Talk of lost-cost EVs around here and we’re immediately put in mind of the Dacia Spring, which is dreadful. Thankfully, the Fiat is a far, far better proposition than that, instantly feeling like a properly engineered and carefully calibrated effort.
In fact, for a small city runabout with standout styling inside and out, the EV probably drives even better than it really needs to. The steering is weighty and direct without being overly pointy or requiring too much effort, and everything feels well controlled.
The urban ride over some reasonably torn-up Turino streets comes across as remarkably impressive. We start aiming for speed bumps and potholes with the intention of trying to upset it, and largely it soaks up everything with defiant composure – only really getting noisy when a wheel drops suddenly onto a lower surface.
It’ll be interesting to see how this translates to the UK, with hints that severely disrupted surfaces with offset ripples will start to confound the chassis a little more. Go faster and there’s a slight jiggliness that verges on but never quite reaches annoying.
It rolls a little, too. But not excessively, and with a progressive motion that makes it easy to predict. And while the limits aren’t especially high, it does everything it needs to with an assured confidence that seems exactly the right fit for its price.
In much the same way, we weren’t overly bothered by the wind and road noise. Yes, this is present, but it never becomes intolerable – even at motorway speeds. For the kind of car this is, it does more than fine.
What about the interior?
Keeping in mind we’ve been driving the top spec La Prima, with its contrasting Bambox elements, the Grande Panda’s interior is a triumph of visual interest and practical features. The mix of shapes, textures, materials and details is so clearly and confidently designed that we almost want to give it a round of applause.
Blue sustainable plastics. Yellow tinted transparent Perspex. Squircle upholstery that harks back to the door cards of the 1980 original – a tiny version of which is prominently featured as if navigating the Lingotto test track that has influenced the large oval motif that appears repeatedly inside. It doesn’t sound like it should work. But it really, really does.
The iconography in the digital instrument cluster. The simplicity and responsiveness of the infotainment screen. It’s all a wonderfully pleasant surprise. And while the plastics are hard, and occasionally a little rough-edged, the design and implementation avoids any sensation of it seeming overly cheap. Instead, it seems entirely apt.
What’s more, it’s all very functional. There are over 14 litres of storage in the front – including two glove boxes and a shelf that’s influenced by the ‘pocket’ dashboard design of the original. There’s loads of head room, too.
In the back it isn’t quite as accommodating as we were hoping – although it’s certainly more commodious than a Renault 5. The concern isn’t space as such, however, as a 5ft 11in adult can sit behind a similarly sized driver with kneeroom to spare. But because the floor is quite high, those with longer legs will find air between the underside of their thighs and the seat base. Which is unlikely to comfortable for long.
Again, fitness for purpose in this kind of car suggests this needn’t be a deal breaker. Kids certainly aren’t going to be an issue, and adult friends will be fine on shorter trips.
Before you buy
The Grande Panda Electric comes in two spec and price points at launch. That headline £20,975 gets you an entry-level (RED) variant, supporting the charity of the same name (as Fiat has done for a while now). For this you get standard red paint, LED headlights, the 10.25-inch infotainment system, cruise control, six airbags, lane keeping and autonomous emergency braking.
The compromises include 16-inch white steel wheels (actually pretty cool?), manual air-conditioning and only rear parking sensors. All told, entirely liveable, we reckon; the e-motor and battery are exactly the same but the Grande Panda (RED) is slightly quicker 0-62mph than the La Prima – taking 11.0sec instead of 11.5. There’s only a 22kg difference in kerb weight, so some of that speed loss must be to do with the wheel size.
The La Prima costs £23,975. In exchange you get 17-inch alloys, automatic air-conditioning, the Bambox dashboard, built-in satnav, front parking sensors, rear-view camera, wireless phone charger and heated front seats. Everything a little car needs? Fiat certainly thinks so as it’s offering only accessories rather than options.
As for rivals – the list is varied and interesting. Fiat is pitching the Grande Panda EV against everything from the Peugeot e-208 to the Dacia Spring. Given the styling, we reckon it’ll mostly pitch up on shopping lists alongside the Renault 5 E-Tech and the Hyundai Inster. And deserves a fair crack at your wallet when it does, too.
Fiat Grande Panda Electric: the initial verdict
The Grande Panda is a hugely important car for Fiat – as to the brand it represents the first proper assault on the B-segment since the death of the Punto, an area of the market that used to be fundamental to the very essence of Fiat. It’s entering a tough arena, too, which is already bristling with appealing competitors.
So the firm has gone big on style to create an instantly recognisable product, wringing everything it can out of the simple but flexible Smart Car platform and leveraging its heritage to maximum effect. And importantly, it’s done this without resorting to being overly derivative or retro.
Instead, it’s delivered a desirable small electric car at an aggressive price that’s packed with interesting details, clever features and enjoyable materials. It looks great, is easy to use, and drives with polite engagement that plots a happy path between comfort and competence. When we get hold of one in the UK and put it up against its closest rivals it could well prove a five-star car.