Written by CJ Hubbard Published: 7 October 2024

Overview

The Fiat 600 Hybrid is yet another example of a family car masquerading as a small SUV. Mechanically, it’s not only related to the Fiat 600 electric car, but also a wide selection of other models from the Stellantis family of companies – including not only similarly proportioned machines such as the Jeep Avenger, Alfa Romeo Junior and Peugeot 2008, but also more conventional hatchbacks including the Vauxhall Corsa and Peugeot 208.

In terms of basic competence, this is no bad thing. All of these vehicles are fine, if not overly exciting to drive – the exception to that rule being the Alfa Junior, so head straight there if fun is a major part of your car buying criteria. The Fiat 600 aims to stand out with its ‘bigger Fiat 500’ design vibes, smooth hybrid engines, and an impressive amount of standard equipment.

Other rivals to consider include the ultra-pragmatic Skoda Kamiq (though this lacks a hybrid engine option of any kind) and the popular Ford Puma (though a recent update to this has curiously reduced its appeal by making it nastier inside and less fun to drive). There is also a selection of vehicles from Japanese and South Korean brands that deserve your attention, including the Toyota Yaris Cross with Toyota’s time-proven hybrid technology.

We’ve a full Fiat 600 electric review on a separate page, so this one concentrates on the Hybrid model, which still has a petrol engine. There are two versions of this; we’ve been driving the 100hp variant, which went on sale first, but a more powerful 136hp model is now in UK showrooms, too. You can find out more about how we test, should you be interested.

What’s it like inside?

We’ve been driving the more expensive of the two available trim levels. Called the Fiat 600 La Prima, the most striking thing about the interior of our test car was the seats. Finished in a light coloured ‘eco-leather’ they have FIAT repeated across them in a contrasting motif – very snazzy.

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Other… unusual touches include the folding flappy cover over the centre console, which hides an unexpectedly deep storage area. This cover adds to the clean minimalism of the overall design, which we suspect buyers will either love or hate. Certainly the narrow, letterbox-like central infotainment screen seems like a bit of an afterthought.

More disappointingly, quality isn’t as high as an initial glance might suggest. The plastics largely feel rather cheap, and not much love seems to have been lavished on the design of the digital instrument cluster. We also experienced too many creaks and rattles, with the 600 decidedly giving off the vibe of having been built to a price.

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And although the front seats are roomy enough, the rear is tight – while we were still able to get two large child seats installed without too much difficulty, legroom for adults is in short supply. The boot is a tiny 385 litres (the rear seats can be folded to create 1,256 litres of space); Fiat has fitted an electric-closing tailgate on La Prima models, but that hardly makes up having to think carefully about how you’ll fit in a pushchair.

Comfort

We completed a few journeys of over 150 miles in the 600 Hybrid and escaped the experience without any sign of undue aches and pains from the front seats and the reasonably adjustable driving position.

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It’s also a very quiet car on the move, which isn’t always the case with small SUVs of this type – it’s not even especially loud when accelerating hard. However, we did experience a few curious background ‘clunks’ presumably related to the hybrid system, and some vibration through the pedals.

Safety

Euro NCAP is yet to crash test any version of the Fiat 600, so safety levels are a little hard to comment on at this stage. The car does have a fair amount of active safety equipment, including a combination of adaptive cruise control and lane centring that generally takes the stress out of lolloping through average speed camera zones.

There are six airbags, two Isofix mounting points on the rear bench seat, a driver attention monitor and autonomous emergency braking. Like all new cars, it also features a warning that bongs at you when you exceed the speed limit, but this isn’t too intrusive in the 600.

What’s it like to drive

The Fiat 600 Hybrid is technically a mild hybrid rather than a full self-charging hybrid, but it’s also an unusual mild hybrid because it can actually drive on electric power alone for short periods at low speeds. Almost every other mild hybrid on sale is really little more than an advanced stop-start system that can provide a little extra boost for the engine when accelerating.

It doesn’t count as a proper self-charging hybrid because the battery (which is under the passenger seat) and the electric motor (which is built into the gearbox) are so small. True self-charging hybrid models are able to travel faster and further on electric power – the 600 Hybrid is limited to 0.6 of a mile and 18mph at the very most.

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However, the belt-driven starter-generator that controls the stop-start system is very effective, switching off the engine when coasting to save fuel. And for a 100hp vehicle with an official 0-62mph time of 10.9 seconds, it’s unexpectedly capable at motorway speeds, with a real surge of performance that belies the benchmark time.

Weighing a fairly scant 1,275kg helps, as does the reasonably chunky 205Nm of torque (pulling power), the 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine using a variable geometry turbocharger and getting muscular assistance from the gearbox motor and the starter-generator.

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That the gearbox is a near-seamless six-speed dual-clutch automatic – similar to a Volkswagen DSG auto – also makes life on the move exceptionally hassle-free. As well as functioning effectively on its own, even when you take manual control via the paddles on the back of the steering wheel the changes between gears are almost imperceptible. Actually quite a remarkable feat.

The driving experience isn’t exactly thrilling in other respects, mind. The 600 Hybrid does turn in to corners almost surprisingly sharply, and it stays impressively flat when cornering quickly, but there’s not much joy to be had. The steering feel is numb and you don’t get a sense of involvement from the car.

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The controlled body movements in the bends being down to relatively firm suspension means it’s not the most relaxing car to drive, either. Not uncomfortable as such, more that the ride is slightly fussy and never really settles, becoming annoying over time.

Ownership costs and maintenance

Fiat reckons the 100hp La Prima variant we’ve been driving will do 57.6 miles-per-gallon (mpg) according to the WLTP combined figures, while emitting just 109g/km CO2. That’s pretty good going for even a small petrol-powered SUV.

We, however, managed to achieve only mid-30s mpg during our not so sympathetic testing; more than this should certainly be possible if driven for efficiency, but unless you do most of your journeys around town – where the mild-hybrid system is most effective – we wouldn’t bank on getting much more than 40mpg here.

What models and trims are available?

The two power outputs are both based on the same combination of 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine and 48v mild hybrid system, so simply choose your price and your performance needs there. As stated earlier, we were surprised at how nippy the 100hp model felt – so although 136hp version will do 0-62mph in 8.5 seconds, for many the slower car may be enough in the real world. The difference in cost can go towards fuel.

Unusually, one of the differences between the two trim levels is the no-cost paint, which is red for the standard version and orange for the upgrade to La Prima.

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Many of the other differences are style-related, too, although La Prima gets automatic rather than manual climate control, greater adjustability in the front seats, extra safety kit, electric-folding and heated door mirrors, keyless entry, keyless go, and adjustable height boot floor.

La Prima buyers also get built-in satellite navigation – all models have wireless Apple CarPlay but only wired Android Auto – more speakers for the hi-fi, a reversing camera, and all-round parking sensors instead of just at the rear.

Click through to our verdict page to find out how we rate the Fiat 600 Hybrid overall and whether we think yous hould