If there’s one thing the new car market isn’t short of right now, it’s Stellantis E-SUVs with 156hp/54kWh powertrains. So, following on from the DS 3, Jeep Avenger, Peugeot E-2008, and Vauxhall Mokka, it’s perhaps understandable that Fiat’s designers might have felt pressure to make the new 600e stand out. And on that front, it’s mission accomplished, with cartoony front-end styling Fiat admits is designed to look like a smiling face, complete with ‘eyelids’ over the headlights. This distinctive approach continues inside too, with a big painted oval dashboard making for a conspicuously striking feature, although this is plastic rather than the metal it might first appear to be. This is painted (unsurprisingly) red on the entry-level Red equipment grade tested here – an ivory finish is applied with the range-topping La Prima version we previously drove on the international launch.

Opting for Red spec brings a £4,000 saving on P11D, in exchange for some inevitable compromises on standard equipment (though steel wheels in particular feel out of place on an EV in 2024). Synthetic leather steering wheel aside, hard plastics generally proliferate in the cabin – in particular we would like a softer material on the window sill, where an elbow is likely to rest when driving. In addition, while a sort of foldable rubber cover for the centre console storage area works well enough, it does add to an overall impression of ‘cheap and cheerful’.

Red spec does still come with a driver display and infotainment touchscreen, and these work well, though we’d like the latter to be angled more towards the driver. No complaints however about physical climate controls being provided, aiding usability.

As for cabin space, rear-seat legroom would be tight for adults behind a tall driver, although headroom is good. A 360-litre boot is an okay size, though comes with a fairly high lip.  

As we noted earlier, the 600e’s powertrain is very familiar from other Stellantis models. But this is no bad thing on the road, as it’s normally very capable, and this proves the case again here, offering fairly brisk acceleration especially from town to A-road speeds. 

Instead of a traditional gear lever, the 600e features push-button controls to switch between drive, reverse, and neutral – perhaps understandable with a single-speed EV, but still something we found less intuitive when manoeuvring. The brake pedal is also a bit tricky to modulate.

In corners, the 600e grips quite tenaciously, and body roll is minimised, but the steering is totally uncommunicative, though its lightness helps with the sort of urban manoeuvring you’d imagine Fiat’s engineers have prioritised. 

The level of ride comfort is pretty good – the Red grade’s aforementioned steel wheels, at 16in small by modern standards, an advantage here. We also appreciated the squidgy, comfy headrests.  

In a cost comparison with its Stellantis cousins, the 600e Red is nearly £2,000 cheaper than the entry-level version of its closest relation, the Jeep Avenger, on P11D, but the Jeep is expected to be cheaper on a cost per mile basis thanks to stronger residual values. However, the Fiat does work out cheaper on both counts than the Peugeot E-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka (not counting the new Mokka Griffin that was announced as Business Car went to press). How popular the Fiat ends up being out of these options we suspect will come down in no small part to how drivers feel about that distinctive yet potentially divisive styling.

Something else to note – having initially announced the model would be available as EV-only for the UK, Fiat has now said that a mild hybrid version of the 600 will also be joining the range here. This is a decision it attributes to being a ‘brand for everyone’ – and also to slowing EV adoption in our market. It will be interesting to see if other manufacturers follow this line.

Fiat 600e Red 115kW 54kWh

P11D: £32,940

Residual value: 37.9% 

Depreciation: £19,964

Fuel: £3,489

Service, maintenance and repair: £1,727

Cost per mile: 41.96p

Range: 254 miles

CO2 (BIK %): 0g/km (2%) 

BIK 20/40% a month: £11/£22

Luggage capacity: 360 litres

Battery size/power: 54kWh/156hp