Fiat Grande Panda Electric review

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

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Given the Fiat Panda was taken off sale in the UK last year, you would be forgiven for thinking the Fiat Grande Panda Electric is its replacement.

But no, it’s an all-new model, filling the space in the Fiat range for a 4m-long (so supermini-sized) car that has existed since the Fiat Punto's departure in 2018. The car known just as Fiat Panda lives on elsewhere, just not in the UK.

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

As the Punto disappeared without anyone really noticing, the fact that no replacement was forthcoming slipped under the radar, too. The Grande Panda is packed full of clever touches and original thinking that suggests Fiat has used the time wisely to create something far more interesting than a standard replacement might have been.

Fiat has chosen to launch a ’utility vehicle’ (think slightly raised hatchback; a Dacia Sandero Stepway to a standard Dacia Sandero) rather than a supermini in the space vacated by the Punto because it offers more global appeal.

Perhaps surprisingly, Fiat is Stellantis’s biggest brand 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 the Grande Panda isn't one of those 'global cars' that's built to appeal to everyone but ends up appearing to nobody, with all the joy sucked out of it. Instead, it has a habit of making you smile outside and in.

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DESIGN & STYLING

Fiat Grande Panda review 2025 002 rear tracking

You can go Easter-egg-hunting for hidden details in the Grande Panda before you even get to turn the key to drive it – something that feels a novelty itself in an electric car. 

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 Panda badge's 3D treatment at the rear is far from conventional, too. 

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

The entry-level model we're testing with the electric drivetrain is in Red trim, named as part of a charity partnership. Other colours are on offer (but not grey, after Fiat pledged not to do dull any more), but when you look at the contrast between our test car's white 16in steel wheels and red body, why would you go against anything else? 

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.

Underneath, the starting point for the Grande Panda is Stellantis's new Smart Car platform, which can house internal combustion engine and electric drivetrains and is also used on the Citroën C3 and Vauxhall Frontera.

This architecture mimics Dacia in being built to a cost, and the price at which Fiat can offer the Grande Panda is headline-grabbing, particularly in EV form.

It differs mechanically from the C3 in not going all in on comfort with the hydraulic bump stops for the suspension in lieu of a more conventional set-up.

INTERIOR

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Inside, there's more cheeriness. The Panda name is embossed into the seats. The Fiat logo is stamped into the door cards, which are in part made from recycled cartons. The oval dashboard is inspired by the test track on the roof of Fiat's famous old Lingotto facility in Turin, and there's an image of a little original Panda tucked in there too.

All these touches lift something that could otherwise be so plain and conventional. To do without them could have made the car yet cheaper still, so credit to Fiat for striking such a good balance. 

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

It's not overbearing or over-equipped with technology. I didn't go looking for anything that I felt should have been there in the base Red trim. Perhaps the heated seats and rear-view camera of the La Prima model might be welcome, but a £3000 uplift feels a bit steep.

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.

The heating controls are left to knobs on the centre console (remember them?) in the base trim, a turn of one knob to the left making the cabin cooler and to the right warmer. It will never catch on.

There's plenty of storage inside. There's a deep tray built into the dashboard that's particularly useful and yet more storage can be found in the dash itself – three litres of space on top of the passenger's side. 

It's a spacious car, too. It doesn't feel necessarily airy, but you don't want for space in the front or rear. I'm average height and had a good amount of knee room behind my driving position and my head didn't touch the ceiling. Impressive boot space, too, at 361 litres.

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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Two versions of the Grande Panda are available from launch: a mild-hybrid model and an EV. We've only driven the latter so far.

The EV 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.

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

The hybrid has a 99bhp 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine mated to a 48V battery and a dual-clutch automatic gearbox that houses a small electric motor.

This system can allow for limited electric-only running while also boosting performance and efficiency. A 118g/km CO2 emissions figure is targeted.

Performance is more than adequate in the EV at step-off and the Grande Panda then doesn't feel dwarfed by the traffic at motorway speeds, which isn't always a given among its small EV peers. 

There aren't any meaningful drive modes in the car to cycle through, in keeping with its simplicity. The regenerative braking provides a good level of assistance, although you need to use the brake pedal more than in other EVs.

RIDE & HANDLING

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The way the car drives is probably the least notable part of the Grande Panda, 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.

The handling is predictable rather than involving. Likewise the steering. They're fine. It does ride really rather well with the chunky sidewalls wrapping our steelies.

If you don't have the steel wheels, you get 17in alloys. It will be interesting to see what they do to the ride.
Mark Tisshaw
Editor

The Grande Panda can really tear it over Turin streets that have seen some action, none of which has come from the council since the day the asphalt was laid.

Compared with the C3, the dynamic character of the pair still diverges more than you would think, for the Citroën is pound-for-pound a more involving car to drive and the Fiat more like you would expect it to be. 

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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

On the electric side, you can get Red or La Prima trim. Red isn’t only offered in red… although it is the standard colour. Standard kit here includes 16in steel wheels, air conditioning, that retractable charging cable, the 10.25in touchscreen, cruise control and rear parking sensors.

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

La Prima is a £3000 uplift over the £20,975 Red and gets 17in alloys, 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, it's the cheapest electric car out there – cheaper even than the ë-C3 that had only recently taken that crown.

While the C3 looks and feels a bit plain veering towards austere in places, the only plain the Grande Panda feels is good value. 

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

There's an entry-level version of the hybrid available in Europe, the Pop, but this won't be offered in the UK. The starting point in the UK will be Icon trim, priced from £18,975, which closely mirrors the EV’s Red trim for spec.

La Prima is the range-topping trim on the hybrid, too, and is only a £2000 uplift with this drivetrain. The spec is also similar to the EV.

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 identikit 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.

Fiat Grande Panda Electric news

Fiat plots 4x4 version of new Grande Panda
Fiat plots 4x4 version of new Grande Panda

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. But for its target audience, the car performs as well as it needs to. It’s spacious, too, and is given just the right amount of equipment.

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 Fiat 500. 

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.