2022 Fiat 500 Electric Long-Term Review Car News

The easiest thing to do would have been to switch to Sherpa Drive Mode – which dampens acceleration, limits top speed and disables climate controls – and try my luck with a fast charger closer to home. Instead I stopped at a Source London roadside charger for a 30 minute pit stop en route which took £50 off my debit card before a single electron started to circulate and only refunded me (minus what I had used) for about an hour. after moving.

The Charge Online points I recently tried at RHS Wisley were equally frustrating, being activated through a website but refusing to create new user accounts on a Sunday. Non-account holders can specify an exact figure in kWh, but even then it turned off after an hour so I got less than a fifth of the electricity I got had paid.

Public chargers can now be required to let anyone plug in their vehicle, whether they’re a member of the service or not, but not all make it a pleasant process.

I love: Efficiency at low speeds

A 10 mile ride at mostly 30 mph speeds typically consumes around 10-15 miles of charge, even in recent cold weather.

Hate it: turn off the headlights

Only top-of-the-line models come with LED headlights as standard. The halogens in our car aren’t too bright so I think it’s worth the extra £850.

Fiat’s £545 wallbox is a tempting buy – 16th Feb

I plugged the 500 into a household three-prong outlet last week, more out of curiosity than necessity. The cable comes standard and can be handy in a pinch, but how long can you expect to wait? The scoreboard estimated 17 hours to go from 40% to full. Fiat’s 7kW wallbox, currently a £545 option, will do the same in under three hours.

Mileage: 2286

A very “multi-function” steering wheel – February 2

Buttons mounted on the back of the 500’s steering wheel are handy for controlling music playback and volume without being in your line of sight. It’s a shame they can’t perform other functions, though. They would be ideal for quickly adjusting the level of brake regeneration; as it is, you have to reach the center console to change driving modes.