Louth Motors: Stylish, winning compact SUV

It is remarkable how normal electric cars have become these days. I can recall, from what seems way back now, driving the Mitsubishi i-MIEV when it was launched and felt that it was an attempt to provide an electric alternative to fossil fueled cars.

The driving experience felt completely different and you seemed to be being offered a different way of transportation as the cars looked different, handled differently and of course were powered differently.

Roll on to today and electric cars are now simply cars like every other car in terms of looks and specifications - it’s just that they use electricity and not petrol and diesel.

They are practically indistinguishable from the competitors and have been normalised. You can choose an electric car that suits your needs just as you’d choose a petrol over a diesel and vice versa.

The fiat 600e confirms this as it is a car that can be chosen to be powered by electric or, a hybrid drivetrain with the additional cost to go electric being €4k extra. Otherwise they are essentially the same.

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The Italians have the name for style and boy do they trade on it. The Fiat 600e takes styling cues still from the Fiat 500 which remains very stylish to this day despite being launched back in 2007.

The compact SUV 600e looks like the 500X which was an enlarged version of the 500 but it is slightly shorter and taller.
Fiat must have reasoned that they have a good look already as they haven't messed with the design too much.

It is curvy, has muscular looks and the trademark design where the front lights appear split by the bonnet still impresses. The mechanicals that underpin the 600e are also used in the Jeep Avenger and the Peugeot e-2008, all part of the Stellantis group.

The Avenger is slightly smaller and a recent European car of the Year winner with the e-2008 slightly larger.

The interiors of the Avenger and 600e have some things in common with the e-2008 considerably different. The e-2008 comes across as daringly different with the Avenger and 600e being more familiar and more classically laid out.

Above: Interior of the Fiat 600e

The functions and controls are a lot more intuitive as well. I could not find the setting to set the max, charge limit % and am increasingly frustrated across all ev car companies that the charging settings are not common. It may be settable via the app but I didn't download it for the short time I had with the car.

Fiat have kept things simple and only offer one 54kWh battery and one 115kW electric motor driving the front wheels.

The range claimed is 403 kms with another figure of 600 kms in all urban driving. I would, and wouldn't, like to test that 600 km claim in a controlled test. There was a time when a small car powered by petrol only had that range and we never remarked on it cementing just how far electric cars have come.

Where city and urban driving is what you do most, an eclectic car will fit seamlessly into your life and if you have off-street parking that enables you to fit a home charger then driving using electricity really is a joy and economic which a lot of people are forgetting.

If you need to charge away from home you can get from 20% charge to 80% charge in 27 minutes using a 100kW DC charger - coffee and bun time and, regardless of the detractors, more and more chargers are being installed all the time.Not enough I agree but they are catching up.

At €32,995 the Fiat 600e Red trim model undercuts its siblings in terms of price and well done Fiat. The only other top of the range model, Dolce Vita, adds €5k to the price but most drivers would be happy with the Red trim. Fiat offers 7 colours and that's exactly what they are - colours. Not your endless variations of grey and silver here with the Blue Sky and Orange Sun are the picks. Thanks Fiat for offering colourful flair, keep doing it.

The 600e driving experience is one of simplicity and lightness. In an urban setting this is the perfect setup. It's easy to drive and manoeuvre. The immediate love I felt for the feel from the steering wheel would be enough to tempt me alone. I found the noise levels low in both city and motorway driving.

Stability is excellent and the road manners won't cause any concern in corners. Front passenger space is excellent and normal but there was considerable discussion between my front and rear passengers on front seat position when they were both adults with the front seat occupant being asked to be moved a bit more forward than they would have preferred.

But the headroom creates quite an airy ambiance and despite the seat position battle, feels very spacious. Those seats deserve special mention for being very comfortable with arty designs built in. Boot space is a very usable 360 litres with very easy access.

The 600e is the perfect choice for an urban / city dwelling family looking for a seamless electric driving experience.
The range is perfect for everyday use and the pricing is keen. It’s also a demonstration of Fiat being great at what they do, offering stylish, family motoring at affordable pricing and we should see more and more of them on our roads.

Irish motoring journalists also endorsed this by awarding it the 2025 Irish Compact SUV Car of the Year award, one of the most coveted.