• Cabin looks a lot like the Avenger’s
• Quality is reasonable, but not excellent
• Electric model is quiet on the road

How is the quality and layout?

It’s a lot like the Jeep Avenger. The 600e’s centre console, infotainment system and digital gauge cluster are all identical to the Jeep’s. Fiat has tried to distance its car from its closest sibling by fitting it with a daintier dashboard panel and a curvier instrument binnacle, both of which it says are nods to the original Fiat 500.

Quality is reasonable overall, although you can see where Fiat has cut some corners. The dashboard and central storage tray lid feel high quality, but the plastic used on the centre console and door cards feels like it was pulled from a 1980s econobox. But the 600e is a reasonably affordable car, so this is to be expected.

What’s less acceptable is how obviously Fiat has raided the Peugeot/Citroen parts bin for switchgear – and how poorly it’s integrated them into the 600e’s cabin. The drive mode toggle and electronic parking brake switch on the centre console, for example, look like complete afterthoughts.

137

However, we must praise Fiat for retaining some physical switchgear. There’s a row of button under the infotainment system to adjust the climate controls and stereo – and they’re far safer to use on the move compared to the touchscreen-led setup favoured by the Smart #1 and Volvo EX30.

You can also make the 600e look a lot better by splashing out on Fiat’s flagship La Prima specification. It trims the seats in cream leather upholstery, and you get loads more equipment, such as massaging seats and a wireless smartphone charging pad.

Infotainment and tech

The Fiat 600e is fitted with a 10.25-inch infotainment system – and it’s far from the best in its class. Its simple monochrome graphics already look dated and isn’t the most responsive system to use. If you want a car with more impressive interior technology, you’d be better served by the Smart #1 or the EX30.

137

You do at least get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, although you don’t get a wireless smartphone charger until the range-topping La Prima model. That means you need to plug you phone into the car to keep using the technology, which rather defeats the point of having wireless phone mirroring.

Comfort

• Reasonably comfortable seats
• Not enough steering wheel adjustment
• Refinement is good for the electric model

The 600e’s front seats are good. They’ve got enough adjustment for folk of all shapes and sizes to get comfortable – although you’ll need to be careful not to crush anyone sitting behind you when setting your seating position if you’re tall.

Our tallest testers found there wasn’t enough steering wheel adjustment, though. It doesn’t telescope out of the dashboard far enough so, if you’re particularly lanky, you need to choose between over-reaching for the wheel (and sitting a comfortable distance away from the firewall for your legs) or setting your arms at the correct distance from the wheel and enduring reduced circulation from your waist down.

137

Refinement is at least good for the electric model. We thought the 600e was remarkably quiet at speed, thanks in no small part to its forgiving suspension setup. Plus, because it has the same aerodynamic properties as a giant lozenge, wind noise is equally well dampened.