Fiat 500 Electric: Upgraded at the end of 2025, next gen not until 2030?

Successor based on STLA Small is said to have been postponed by three years

By: Stefan Leichsenring

Jan 7, 2025 at 4:55am ET

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The Fiat 500 Electric has been on the market since 2020 and still has its fans thanks to its chic retro look, low energy consumption and city-friendly dimensions. However, there are now other attractive models available for the promotional price of €24,990, such as the Grande Panda from the company's own range, which also looks really good.

For €26,490, it offers 95 PS drive power, a range of 190 km and 185-380 litres of boot space. However, the Grande Panda will soon be available for less, and with 113 PS, a range of 320 km and 361-1,361 litres of boot space. Another alternative with more urban dimensions from the same group is the Leapmotor T03 for less than €19,000.

Fiat Grande Panda: The stylish newcomer offers 320 km range and 83 kW drive power for 24,990 euros

Photo by: Fiat

Customers seem to have realised this long ago: After reaching fourth place in German electric car sales in 2023 as a whole, this year is probably only good enough for the top 15. The same picture worldwide: 44,000 units were sold in 2021, in the following years even 66,000 and 65,000 units respectively, but 2024 there will probably be fewer than 20,000 vehicles, as ItalPassion reports. A bitter minus, if the figures are correct. One indication of the difficulties with sales is that production in Turin-Mirafiori has to be interrupted time and again.

Fiat has therefore decided to give the subcompact an update, as Stellantis announced back in April. A revised platform including improved batteries is intended to increase the range and reduce costs. The car is also to receive new motors; it remains to be seen whether these will be the familiar 135 or 156 PS units.

Gallery: Fiat 500 electric convertible (2022) Own pictures

The Fiat 500 Electric is the only Stellantis model based on its own platform, which ItalPassion calls STLA City. Batteries with 21.3 and 37.3 kWh are currently offered, providing a maximum range of 321 kilometres. Motors with 95 and 118 PS are also available. According to the French website, the batteries are supplied by Samsung and the drives by British specialist GKN.

Based on the STLA City, there will soon also be a mild hybrid version with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine, which was previously rejected. The new variant is to be presented in November 2025 and will boost sales figures from 2026, according to the report.

Infographic from 2021 on the market launch of the four STLA platforms

As far as the electric model is concerned, a successor was supposedly planned for 2027, but the launch has now reportedly been postponed to 2030. The basis is to be STLA Small. This will finally place the isolated model on a Group platform that is also used by other models.

STLA Small is set to launch at the end of 2025/beginning of 2026, as former Group CEO Tavares said at the end of November. The platform will then be the fourth and final STLA platform to be launched on the market. It will underpin the new generation of small cars, i.e. the successors to the Opel-Vauxhall Corsa Electric, Peugeot E-208 & Co. as well as small SUVs such as the Opel-Vauxhall Mokka Electric and Jeep Avenger, all of which are currently still based on eCMP. In the future, these models will have batteries between 37 and 82 kWh, with drive systems starting at 95 PS.

The bottom line

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At a base price of around €25,000 for the 190 km version or just under €29,000 for the 321 km version, the Fiat 500 Electric is no longer really competitive. So it's no wonder that sales figures are falling. However, an improved version with new motors and batteries is expected in 2025.

The successor based on the STLA Small, on the other hand, has apparently been postponed until 2030. This means that there are four to five years between the modified and the completely new version. It is quite possible that the model will be crushed between the (ugly but cheap) Leapmotor T03 and the new "Smart Car Platform" cars during this time. But let's wait and see what the upgrades bring, it would be a shame for the model.

Sources: ItalPassion, Stellantis (100-Mio-Investition)