No screen as standard!
The current Fiat 500 beautifully illustrates how unpredictable the automotive world can be. After all, this model was supposed to be exclusively an EV, but it is now available as a manual Hybrid. It turns out to be significantly cheaper than the EV and also features a unique dashboard in its basic form.
Fiat 500 Hybrid Pop – €24,999
With the Fiat 500 Hybrid, Fiat returns to the basic recipe it launched in 2007 with the retro-500. This cute little car might just achieve the success it perhaps deserves. The 500e, launched in 2020, is visual in every respect a successful successor to the 500 from 2007, but as a pure EV, it simply appeals to too limited a target group. Moreover, the electric 500e costs at least €29,010, while you can get a Hybrid for as little as €24,999. Yes: even in the Netherlands, ravaged by BPM (private vehicle and motorcycle tax), the version with CO2 emissions is much cheaper than the EV. For that money, you get a three-door hatchback in Pop trim. A convertible with a roll-back roof is also an option, but then it immediately becomes a more luxurious Icon, and we’re talking about at least 30 thousand euros. You can recognize the Icon by its 15-inch steel wheels with hubcaps, the absence of the chrome strip around the side windows, and the almost old-fashioned-looking halogen headlights, still with reflectors instead of projector lenses. That clashes somewhat with the otherwise modern body of this retro-500, which, by the way, does have LED taillights and LED daytime running lights. The standard paint is cheerful bright red and surprisingly suits the simple styling of the Pop, although more expensive and chicer metallic shades are optionally available.
Moving inside. Good news: unlike last week’s Dacia Spring, this Fiat does have air conditioning. However, it does share something with the Dacia, and that is the fact that a touchscreen is missing. This is unique to the 500 Hybrid for now, and thus new for this model. Instead of the screen, you get a connectivity option and a holder for your phone, but that looks a bit meager.
What does the cheapest Fiat 500 Hybrid offer? Quite a bit, actually. The car has cruise control, keyless start, and what Fiat charmingly calls ‘electric windows all around’, although in the case of this three-door model, this naturally only concerns the two front side windows. If we take a look at the options list, it’s noticeable that Fiat has kept it compact. There’s a ‘Tech Pack’ which includes automatic air conditioning and a touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but otherwise, you can only choose a color. Those who want luxuries like LED headlights, extra chrome, alloy wheels, and heated seats will have to opt for more expensive versions and quickly pay thousands of euros more.
The author’s choice
Of course, I too am drawn to the charms of a 500 in ‘Ocean Green’, with extra chrome and alloy wheels, and especially the LED headlights that, in my eyes, make it much more attractive. However, I also ‘get’ the charm of this basic 500, which with its manual gearbox and halogen headlights has something endearing about it and essentially provides everything a person needs. I would embrace that basic look as much as possible and simply keep my 500 Pop red. I will make one concession, however, because that ‘Tech Pack’ is very tempting for €1,250. If I then look up a suitable center armrest somewhere online, I’ll have a pretty cool 500, and all for €26,249. Excluding armrest, then.
Is the Fiat 500 still too expensive for you in this form? Then a used Fiat 500 might be for you. The offer is truly gigantic, and prices start at just a few thousand euros.