Fiat 500e Giorgio Armani Collector’s Edition review

Driving position 

Good news for existing Fiat 500 fans, because the electric 500e and the Armani edition are exactly the same to get comfortable in. 

That means the seats and controls are all the same (yes, the gear selector is still a row of buttons), so you’ll have no issues getting set up. 

There’s good visibility all-round, and the seats themselves (a dashing dark green with eco leather in this version) are comfortable and feel very premium. 

You also get strong adjustability in the steering wheel, positioning it how you like while still being able to view the seven-inch driver’s display. 

This is great for most people, and most buyers of this little Fiat. But if you’re taller than average, you may struggle to get comfortable. 

For starters, the headroom is eaten up by the lovely but inconvenient sunroof (standard on Armani cars). This isn’t helped by the fact the seat doesn’t go low enough – at least not for our liking. 

And one more gripe, which would affect any driver, is the lack of a left footrest. Not many shoes would fit to the left of the brake pedal, and therefore you need to sit in a sort of staggered position where your left leg is at a right angle to the floor. It’s very odd, but not so much an issue on short city drives. 

Tech and features 

Inside, the Fiat 500e Armani Edition is pretty much the same as any other 500, except for a few key differences. 

The first is a laser-etched design spanning the dashboard that is meant to mimic real wood. There’s also a Giorgio Armani signature above the glovebox, Armani logos on the headrests and another signature on the door sills.  

It’s not too subtle that you don’t think you’ve got your money’s worth, but it’s also not overdone either. 

In terms of tech, it’s a similar affair to all other Fiat 500s. In the centre of the dashboard is a 10.25-inch screen, which does the job but isn’t mind-blowing.  

You’re probably going to be using wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto most of the time anyway, but note the apps appear really small because of the slim landscape screen, so larger fingers may end up hitting the wrong thing. 

Through this, you’ll make use of the car’s six-speaker JBL sound system, developed in collaboration with opera-singing man himself, Andrea Bocelli.  

Not only are these speakers very impressive, but Andrea introduced ‘Virtual Venues’ as part of the package, meaning it can sound like you’re listening to your music in the Giuseppe Verde Opera House in Pisa or perhaps an open-air theatre. It’s a bit gimmicky, but fun nonetheless. 

While you’re jamming out to your favourite tunes, you can charge your phone on the skyline of Turin graphic on top of the wireless charger or use a USB-A or USB-C port instead. 

Electric motors and power 

The standard Fiat 500e is available with two different power outputs – 95 or 118hp, but this top-spec model only comes in the latter. 

It’s a single-motor setup, and it sits on the front axle, making it front-wheel drive.  

With 220Nm of torque and a 0-62mph time of nine seconds, it’s not exactly a Ferrari, but it’s certainly brisk enough for town and city driving. 

Even when you get up to motorway speeds, it can sit at 70mph quite happily, though there can be quite a bit of noise in the cabin because it’s only a small car with not much in the way of noise dampening. 

This is especially noticeable when it’s raining, and you can hear the water splashing up and around the rear wheel arches like you’re in an old city car from the early 2000s – in a charming way. 

Handling and ride comfort 

For its size, the 500e handles bumps in the road relatively well, though it doesn’t like larger ones, such as potholes and small bumps in the road can unsettle it. This isn’t uncommon for this class of car. 

This version of the car, with its Armani logo 17-inch wheels, has quite a lot of tyre sidewall, so it feels quite spongy and soft in most driving scenarios. 

When you’re driving around, it doesn’t feel all that well-planted and can come off quite top-heavy like a Volkswagen up! – good for a bubble-like city car but not so much fun on country roads. Perfect for this type of car, then. 

Boot space 

Forget what you thought we were going to say about the Fiat 500’s boot space, because we’re not.  

We were pleasantly surprised to find 185 litres when we opened the boot for the first time. Considering how small the car is from the outside, we were honestly expecting less. 

We were able to do an admittedly small IKEA shop and a weekly food shop with no issues at all. The boot itself is much deeper than you think, so you can get a fair amount of stuff inside. 

How does it compare to its rivals? Well, the BYD Dolphin SURF gets 308 litres, and the MINI Cooper Electric gets 210 litres.  

So, it falls slightly short of its competitors, but we still think it’s worth seeing in person to gauge the space for yourself. 

Rear seats 

While boot space is decent, rear-seat space isn’t the best – but we knew this would probably be the case. 

With the driver’s seat set to a 6’3” person’s preference, there is virtually no leg space at all. In this instance, a child seat would be the only option. 

For shorter people, you’d be able to fit four in for shorter drives, but a long motorway stint – no matter your height – may be an uncomfortable, tight squeeze. 

In our experience, you’re much better off treating this as a two-seater hatchback and using the rear seats as an extension of the boot, but if you need to carry passengers, it can be doable.  

Storage solutions 

We were impressed by the deep central storage unit under the armrest, which was big enough for a big one-litre water bottle and miscellaneous bits and bobs like keys, phones and wallets. 

However, we noticed a distinct lack of usable cupholders. One of them is hidden deep down inside that large storage area, so we found ourselves needing to balance our hot drink on the floor. We only did this when the car was stationary and charging, so if you’re on the move, you’re best off having a proper water bottle. 

Safety 

In its most recent Euro NCAP crash test in 2021, the Fiat 500e scored a respectable four out of five stars.  

It may not have received full marks, but when considering its size, it’s an impressive effort, with adult occupant and child occupant safety rated at 76% and 80% respectively.  

Safety kit onboard includes front airbags and belt pretensioners, lane-keep assist technology, cruise control and keyless operation. 

Range and charging times 

Most buyers of small electric city cars will rarely need to go the distance, but it’s nice to know you can if needed. 

From its 42kWh battery, the Fiat 500e gets 193 miles of range, which is oddly 7 miles less than a non-Armani edition car, despite having the same battery and power output. We suspect this is due to the different wheels and perhaps more weight from the added features. 

During our time with the car, we noticed it has excellent regenerative braking, which genuinely puts extra miles back into the battery. This is partly because it’s a small battery pack to begin with, but it makes you feel the benefit much more. 

It can rapid charge up to 85kW, giving you 0-80% battery in 35 minutes. If you use a 7kW home charger, you can expect a charge time of around six hours. 

Reliability 

Being an electric car, the Fiat 500e is likely going to be more dependable than its petrol sibling simply because the electric motor has fewer moving parts than an internal combustion engine. 

Every new Fiat 500 comes with a very standard three-year warranty, and if you’re buying a used one, you can always add extra plans, such as cinchCover to your purchase for added peace of mind.