Want to buy a used electric car that’s perfect for running around locally in, but still capable of the odd long journey? We’re running a Fiat 500e through the Spoticar used car scheme on a long-term test to see whether going used electric is as painless as we hope it is, and whether it can convert a petrol-loving driver into a plug-in enthusiast.
The question
Can Sue Long buy a used electric car to replace a petrol car without anxieties, stress or difficulties?
Update one: Buying an approved used Fiat
Given the huge popularity of manufacturer-backed secondhand cars, we’ve added a genuine used car to our long-term test fleet. Given that so many of our readers worry about the cost of buying a used electric car, it seemed the perfect opportunity to grab a battery-powered car – and an award-winning one at that. So, we plumped for an entry-level Fiat 500e – at one year old, it comes in at 66% of the new list price (in cash terms).
Running a Fiat 500e over an extended period is something we’ve wanted to do for a while. Launched back in 2020, going on sale in the UK the following year, the Parkers team quickly fell in love with the car’s charms, ultimately going on to vote it the best small electric car for 2022 and 2023.
At the time, we concluded, ‘As a small, urban run-around, the Fiat 500 Electric nails the brief in today’s world – combining style, the latest tech and a nippy driving experience without having to use a drop of petrol.’ But running one long-term has evaded us until now, giving us the opportunity to run an approved used example.
Given that Fiat falls under parent company Stellantis’s Spoticar approved used scheme, it made sense to try out this programme, which has been borne out of Vauxhall’s now-defunct, but-still-excellent Network Q set-up. It’s a sustainable model of approved used cars that covers vehicles up to 10 years old – proof that Fiat is confident enough to support its model range long after the new car warranty has run out.
The Spoticar programme
Spoticar cherrypicks used cars for an extensive quality check and ideal presentation, the intent being to provide a car that is as appealing as a brand new example. They can come directly from the dealer network in the form of trade-ins, or are vehicles at the end of their lease deals. Eiter way, they need to be in good condition to be eligible to be sold via this platform.
Coverage of the inspection varies according to the car, with more than 100 points checked on all models. Software versions and operation of entertainment features are included, as well as the more obvious checks of bodywork, running gear and interior.
Worn parts are replaced, so suspension bushes and exhaust rubbers will perform as well as a new car, and tactile surfaces are also inspected and renewed where necessary. Kerbed wheels are apparently the most common issue, but if damage to the alloys is found, the issue will be rectified at Spoticar’s impressive cantral preparation centre long before it makes it out to a dealer’s forecourt.
Our car: The Fiat 500 Electric 118HP
Arriving at the showroom, it there were plenty of 500e models to choose from, but our model had already been moved to the customer handover area to the side of the main dealership. It seemed reasonable that a secondhand vehicle would be retrieved from the workshop, keys passed over and on your way, but in this respect you’re instead treated to a full new car-style handover.
Once the paperwork is completed, I’m lead over to my ‘new’ car, where it has been cleaned, polished and sparkles like a showroom model. This handover is important, as used car buyers are just as committed and valuable as new.
A thorough introduction to the driving, safety and entertainment systems gets the Fiat 500e set up exactly as the buyer prefers with the promise that if I find anything I’m not sure about, I can return to the dealer and they’ll show me what’s needed. The most important thing is that the buyer knows where all controls are – although, to be fair, once my phone is plumbed in, the Fiat is super-simple to use.
Finished in Celestial Blue, the 500e looks subtle and smart, and comes with a decent amount of power, and the relatively large (for a city car) battery pack with 42kWh capacity. That gives us a theoretical range of 203 miles, and we’ll soon be reporting how that translates into real world driving. It packs 118hp which gives it a 0-62mph time of 9.0 seconds and a maximum speed of 93mph. Will that be enough to keep us satisfied?
Cash price to buy new at the time of writing was £31,995, but Fiat’s decision to offer a £3,000 e-grant certainly helps make it more affordable. Given the downward trend in new EV prices throughout 2024, expect that to drop further. However, as ours is an approved used model with 4,000 miles on the clock the numbers look very different.
Fiat 500e used PCP deal
| Total cost of the car | £19,995.00 |
| Deposit | £1,999.50 |
| Total advance | £17,995.50 |
| Total amount of credit | £4,928.69 |
| Total amount payable | £24,923.69 |
| Monthly payments (x47) | £329.77 |
| Option to buy at the end of the deal | £7,425.00 |
| Interest rate | 9.9% APR |
- 12-month Roadside Assistance, including recovery, at home and onward travel.
- 30-day exchange promise
- Full details of Spoticar’s multi-brand approved-used scheme
Our 500 Electric model includes:
- Alloy wheels, black fabric interior, body-coloured dashboard
- 10.25-inch infotainment screen with sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Cruise control and speed limiter, plus one-pedal EV driving
- Premium-wrapped steering wheel, keyless go, automatic air conditioning
- Traffic sign recognition, Autonomous Emergency Braking
We’ll be taking a longer look at our used Fiat 500e over the coming weeks and months, but in the meantime you can read our full Fiat 500e review here.
Update two: first impressions
A month in, and we’re really enjoying the Fiat 500e, even if we don’t have the ideal homecharging situation.
One month in from collecting the Fiat 500e, and its now ticking along nicely. It’s become part of a two electric car household, running alongside my Skoda Enyaq vRS, with my partner, Sue, racking up the miles commuting and running around locally where she lives. Such is the complexity of our work/life balance, she lives in Cumbria, and I am in Lancashire.
We’re 80 miles apart, so she regularly comes to visit, which is a good test of the battery capacity. Yes, 80 miles doesn’t sound that far, but unlike me, Sue’s place in Cumbria doesn’t have a home wallbox, nor does her village have a public charger. So, she needs to recharge in a neighbouring town, which is in the opposite direction to my place. What this means is Sue needs to plan her trips if she wants to avoid any form of range or charger anxiety.
The point is – even a couple of years ago, this might have been an intolerable situation. But the Fiat’s good (for a city car) real-world range of 160-180 miles means there’s plenty in reserve, while the motorway charging between us is fast, efficient, and not very busy. In conclusion, despite not having her own charger, Sue never has range anxiety – although knowing there’s destination charging at my house certainly helps a lot.
What of the car itself? I absolutely love driving it. When I first tested the 500e back in 2021, I found some elements of its design and make-up, such as the push button transmission and cutsie power-on chime, a little bit much. But now I really don’t mind, and instead am left with a car that steers, stops and drives with enough precision to be fun at times.
In terms of energy consumption and range, on the motorway at 70mph, 140 miles is probably your realistic range, while a rapid charger will have it topped up in less than an hour. It’s not the fastest set-up, but that’s not such a handicap with a 42kWh battery. However, on an unrushed weekend of inter-urban driving and taking some interesting hill roads, I extended that to 180 miles – which is more than enough for a car designed for cities.
Sue’s impressions are much more interesting. Her regular car is an Audi A3, and since the Fiat 500e arrived, she’s barely looked at it. Any unfamiliarity with EV driving – such as one-pedal driving – dissolved within the first few miles, and it all feels completely natural to her. I have to say that backs up my own impressions that Fiat have judged the key driving controls of this car very well indeed. In short, it’s going down well – and with not a single quality or reliability issue to contend with so far.
Update 3: Clocking up the miles
Three months in, and the Fiat 500e is racking up the miles, with little to worry about, aside from making sure we leave enough juice in the battery.
You know a car’s good when your time with it passes unnoticed. That’s happened with the Fiat 500e, which has now been with us three months, and already feels like a much loved member of the family. The primary driver of the car is my partner, Sue, who’s given up her Audi A3 in favour of this, because she wants to go electric, despite the challenges posed by living in West Cumbria (and its paucity of public charging), and not having a charger at home.
Would Sue go back to petrol?
So, as the first 100 days of ownership tick by, it’s time to take stock. Although Sue’s now in a routine that ensures when she’s heading home, she makes sure that there’s at least 20 miles of range left in the car to get her comfortably to the nearest public rapid charger. Why, I hear you ask, does she not have a homecharger? Her home is set quite away from the road and she doesn’t (yet) have a drive. Her garage is also at least 80 metres away from the rear of the house – so at least we can use the three-pin charger there. To have a charger here will need an overhaul of the electrics.
But interestingly, Sue likes the Fiat so much that she’s now talking about putting a driveway in, and then buying a homecharger post for it. Does she find the charging as it is inconvenient? Not a bit of it: Sue’s work is only a couple of miles away, so she walks or uses the bus, leaving car mainly for shopping runs, trips to her mum’s and visiting me.
Charger stops tend to be planned around shopping or mine, and as such the whole experience has become fuss free. When I asked about her Audi A3, she said: ‘I barely use it now – love the electric car. It’s cheap to charge-up and the range is easily long enough to last me the week.’
A circuit of The Lakes
To celebrate, and to stretch its legs, we took the 500e for a trip around the Lakes, starting at Sue’s place. Taking in Keswick, Ullswater and the Central Lakes, this is about a 130-mile trip, which is at the upper range of the 500e’s driving range. It’s an up-hill and down-dale route, made of fast roads, windy switchbacks, often punctuated by ambling tourists.
Leaving Seascale with a full battery pack, we headed towards Keswick. When topped up, the Fiat reports a range of 170 miles, a little shy of the claimed 202 miles. But as the miles click by, what becomes clear that in mixed traffic, running at 50-60mph, the miles click down at a ratio of 1:1. As the scenery gets hillier, that agreeable ratio remains in place – chewing through on the uphills, but gained back on the downhill runs. Nice.
At the Ambleside halfway point hoves into view, we take stock of the range – and there’s about 105 miles left. Not bad considering what we started out with, and so the rest of the trip proves to be equally stressless, and despite some quite steep climbs in the Southern Lakes, we make it back with 40 miles left in the ‘tank’. In the ambling tourist-season traffic, the 500e proves comfortable, and ideally-sized to deal with the narrow lanes.
I quite fancy taking it over Hardknott Pass at some time soon, and see what Sherpa mode is all about. I’ll keep you posted.
Update 4: Practicality
Real life gets in the way sometimes, and the Fiat 500e is needed to help with the wider family. Luckily, it has stepped up to the plate.
Sue’s regular car is an Audi A3, but it’s left pretty much untouched these days. It’s a good size for her, as our kids have long-since grown-up, and more often than not, she drives along or two-up. The Audi’s usefully larger than the Fiat, especially in the boot area, and this has recently needed to be tested.
Her mum’s started to use a mobility scooter to maintain her independence. In the Audi, it slips straight into the boot without lowering the rear seats, and no real thought’s needed to execute this process. However, when we tried the same in the Fiat, its titchy load area didn’t have a chance. Well, until the seats were folded down, where its usefulness comes into play.
One side benefit of taking the Fiat instead of the Audi for these ‘mum runs’ is that the high seating position and wide-opening doors make getting in and out nice and easy for the inform. Okay, so this might not be Fiat’s target audience for the 500e, but it’s good to know.
Again, I ask, why she doesn’t just take the Audi instead. ‘No thanks, I’m happy with the Fiat, thanks,’ said Sue. Fair enough.
Verdict – would we convert from petrol to electric?
Long story short: yes, our petrol-loving driver made the switch to a used electric car without a hitch, and is now in the process of having a charger installed to make life even easier.
After four months behind the wheel, our driver has made the switch from petrol to electric seamlessly. The used car buying experience was made much simpler by going through Spoticar, even though it happened just before Fiat announced a cut in the prices of the 500e, reducing the value of this one.
That aside, as an exercise in going electric, it’s been a success. Sue has been convinced by the experience, and is investing in a homecharger to make the most of her ownership experience. Her slightly compromised situation of having to use a three-pin at home, and rapid charging on the move hasn’t sullied the experience too much, as the car’s 42kWh battery doesn’t take that long to top up.
The driving experience of the Fiat has been top notch, as has the adoption of technology Sue’s Audi A3 doesn’t have has also been straightforward. After four months in the car, she concluded: ‘it’s been a great experience. Switching to electric has been great, and the lower running costs are highly appreciated. The approved used experience was seamless, and it’s good to know it’s fully covered, like a new car.’
Fiat 500e long-term test: scores on the doors
Model tested: 500 Electric 118HP 42kWh
| Current mileage | 6,750 |
| Real-world energy efficiency | 3.9 miles/kWh |
| Official efficiency (WLTP figures) | 4.3-4.8 miles/kWh |
| Parkers ‘MPP’ (Miles Per Pound) calculation | 6.3-7.6 mpp (public charging) |
| Real-world range | 161 miles |
