Fiat Grande Panda Electric review

From £18,9959

Supermini-sized ‘utility’ EV offers retro cheeriness at a very low price

The Panda is back from the brink of extinction. Well, sort of. Fiat’s sensible city car le the UK market in 2024 but now it has now returned – only it’s bigger than before, with its sights set on the slightly better-paying supermini class.

We came away from the international launch of the Grande Panda so impressed that we handed it the Best Small Car gong at the 2025 Autocar Awards, and now we’ve had the chance to test its mettle in right-hand-drive form.

Every time you look around the car, you seem to notice another detail. Real care has been put into the design of the Grande Panda.
Mark Tisshaw
Editor

The test car in quesiton is electric, but there's also a petrol-engined hybrid version of the Grande Panda, which we've reviewed separately here.

Fiat chose to launch a ’utility vehicle’ (think a Dacia Sandero Stepway to a standard Dacia Sandero) rather than a supermini in the space once filled by the Punto because it offers more global appeal. Perhaps surprisingly, the Italian brand is Stellantis’s biggest globally, and the Grande Panda will appeal to and can be built in the markets in which it has a large presence (Brazil, Turkey and Algeria, for example) and with different powertrains.

But this isn't one of those 'global cars' that's built to appeal to everyone but ends up appealing to nobody, with all the joy sucked out of it. Instead, the Grande Panda has a habit of making you smile outside and in.

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DESIGN & STYLING

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You can go hunting for hidden details in the Grande Panda before you even get to turn the key to drive it – and it really is a key, Fiat favouring an old-fashioned ignition barrel.

On the outside, the silhouette is the first nod to the original Panda. The Fiat badge is stamped into the bodywork on the rear hatch, while the Panda name adorns the side in another nod to the 1980 model. 

The Grande Panda is 3999mm long, 1763mm wide and 1570mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2540mm.
Mark Tisshaw
Editor

The Panda badge's 3D treatment at the rear is far from conventional, too. Then there are the pixel LED headlights and 3D tail-lights that look they're housed in a Perspex display case.

The entry-level Pop EV we're testing here also gets funky white 16in steel wheels, while another neat detail is the holographic badge in the C-pillar (viewed from one angle it says 'FIAT', while looked at the other way reveals the firm's old four-bar logo). 

It looks fantastic – and there are clever touches beyond pure styling ones. A first appears on this car: a retractable charging cable in the front grille. Why has no car maker thought of this before? Great idea. It charges at rates of up to 7kW and there's good reach from a 4.5m-long cable. A more conventional charging port features at the rear, which can take up to 100kW.

While the original Panda kept construction costs to a minimum with simple panel pressing and flat glass, the Grande Panda's keeps pricing down by using Stellantis's new Smart Car platform, which can house both ICE and EV drivetrains and is also used by the Citroën C3 and Vauxhall Frontera.

INTERIOR

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Happily, the effort from Fiat's designers didn't end with the exterior. You'll find the Panda name is embossed into the seats, while the brand's logo is stamped into the door cards. The translucent oval dashboard is inspired by the famous rooftop test track from the company's old Lingotto facility in Turin, complete with an original Panda taking one of the banked corners.

Opt for La Prima spec and you get a trim for the dashboard that's in part made of bamboo fibres. Very panda-friendly.
Mark Tisshaw
Editor

The more you look, the more you find. For instance, the deep dashboard trinket trays are inspired by the original car's full-width storage shelf, while printed into the tailgate's interior trim is the word 'Ciao'. 

It's not overbearing or over-equipped with technology either, this base-level Pop EV getting everything you could reasonably need. 

Perhaps the heated seats, rear-view camera and leather steering wheel of the La Prima model might be welcome, but they're not enough of a draw to necessarily justify the £3000 uplift in price.

The 10.25in touchscreen infotainment system is kept simple, with crisp graphics and not exactly a major amount of functions that you need to work out in the first place.

On the Pop there's no in-built sat-nav, but Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard – and, frankly, what more do you need?

Just as importantly, it’s a doddle to use, with plenty of physical buttons and rotary knobs for all those functions you use frequently, such as the heating and ventilation.

It has a bright and airy feel too, which is backed up by genuine space. Like the best small Italian runarounds, this could double as your only family car.

And while some of the plastics feel a little cheap (many are formed from recycled materials), the choice of colours and attractive mouldings means this never detracts from an otherwise solidly constructed cabin.

One downside inside is the seat comfort. It’s quite a hard seat and you can fidget around a bit trying to get comfortable. I didn’t have the longest uninterrupted stint behind the wheel, so this is one to watch on longer journeys.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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The Grande Panda Electric uses a front-mounted electric motor with 111bhp and 90lb ft of torque, which is good for a 0-62mph time of 11sec and an 82mph top speed.

It suffers from a slightly flat step-off, but once rolling it will whizz briskly up to the national speed limit. It’s not fast by any stretch, but it’s as fast as you will ever need, and it feels perfectly at home at motorway speeds.

The speed limit warning system is the most irritating thing for how often it's activated falsely. The warning sound is then like a monitor sound for a resting heartrate that's slightly unhealthy.
Mark Tisshaw
Editor

There aren't any meaningful drive modes in the car to cycle through (a comfort mode dulls the throttle response slightly and its best tried once and then left alone), in keeping with its simplicity.

The one-size-fits-all regeneration setting is good, offering nicely calibrated retardation that means you don’t miss the inability to adjust its strength.

RIDE & HANDLING

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The way the Grande Panda drives is probably the least notable aspect of it, but it doesn't detract from its appeal. It's capable enough for the job it needs to do, feeling rugged and robust, and is simple and intuitive to drive for the most part.

Pitch it into a corner and you will discover that it maybe lacks a little Latin dynamic flair, but it’s nimble and trustworthy, clinging on hard with minimal roll and benefitting from well-weighted and naturally paced steering.

The need to stiffen the suspension to cope with the EV's increased mass means it doesn't ride quite as well as the hybrid.
Mark Tisshaw
Editor

Like the greatest Italian (and French) small and modestly powered cars, you quickly find that the Grande Panda is adept at maintaining momentum, leading to surprisingly rapid point-to-point times. 

Overall, it rides the bumps well too, its longer-travel suspension soaking away longer-wave undulations. However, there is some brittleness over broken surfaces (the lighter and presumably more softly suspended hybrid feels more compliant), plus the suspension can transmit a fair bit of road noise.

In other respects, the Grande Panda offers just about as much refinement and comfort as you could wish for, while the firm and high-set sets provide decent long-haul support.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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The Grande Panda range keeps things simple. Within the two different powertrain options, there are three trim levels.

The entry-level Pop gets 16in steel wheels, air conditioning, that retractable charging cable, the 10.25in touchscreen, cruise control and rear parking sensors.

Unlike with the Citroën ë-C3, there are currently no plans for a shorter-range version that would bring the price down even more.
Mark Tisshaw
Editor

The Icon adds alloy wheels, privacy glass and a split-folding rear bench. La Prima then brings 17in rims, automatic air-con, bamboo trim for the dashboard, front parking sensors, heated seats and a rear-view camera.

Pricing is very competitive in the class. Apart from the much cheaper and less sophisticated Dacia Spring, this is the cheapest electric car out there – cheaper even than the Citroën ë-C3 that had only recently taken that crown.

As for range, the official claimed figure for the Grande Panda Electric is 199 miles. We were seeing around 185 miles on a mild April day in the Midlands, with the kind of mixed-speed roads you would expect to give a good indication. That’s also in line with the ë-C3. 

VERDICT

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The Grande Panda is a triumph for Fiat. It's a very wholesome and feelgood car for the most part. It's not just another platform twin, another small EV or another run-of-the-mill supermini that you would soon forget.

There are some really creative design touches in the car that make it a joy to be in. Considering it's not actually the most fun car to drive, it's still a remarkably fun car.

The Grande Panda is actually more in the style and spirit of the original 1980 Panda than the most recent Panda that still uses that as a name, and it doesn’t hold back on the references.
Mark Tisshaw
Editor

If we were being picky, we would like some more involving driving dynamics. Even so, this is one of the cars that make you smile regardless, its distinctive styling and utilitarian charm shining through on every journey.

Fiat Grande Panda Electric news

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Crucially, it's a small car in the very best Italian tradition, one that you could just about using as you're only mode of family transport. It's interior is roomy enough and it's packed with all the kit (safety and otherwise) that you could justifiably need.

Throw in the excellent value of the EV and Fiat has created a car with real substance to match its smart design. It deserves to do well and shows that Fiat can do something other than making the 500.

Will it go down as a design classic like the original Giugiaro-designed Panda? Maybe not, but it is one of the most thougtfully engineered, charmingly styled and characterful small cars currently on sale.

James Disdale

James Disdale
Title: Special correspondent

James is a special correspondent for Autocar, which means he turns his hand to pretty much anything, including delivering first drive verdicts, gathering together group tests, formulating features and keeping Autocar.co.uk topped-up with the latest news and reviews. He also co-hosts the odd podcast and occasional video with Autocar’s esteemed Editor-at-large, Matt Prior.

For more than a decade and a half James has been writing about cars, in which time he has driven pretty much everything from humble hatchbacks to the highest of high performance machines. Having started his automotive career on, ahem, another weekly automotive magazine, he rose through the ranks and spent many years running that title’s road test desk. This was followed by a stint doing the same job for monthly title, evo, before starting a freelance career in 2019. The less said about his wilderness, post-university years selling mobile phones and insurance, the better.

Mark Tisshaw

mark-tisshaw-autocar
Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?, Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.