Fiat 500 Cabrio long-term test: report 3

Is an electric convertible a viable proposition or too much of a compromise? We're finding out by living with the Fiat 500 Cabrio...

Fiat 500 long termer

The car Fiat 500 Cabrio Icon Run by Claire Evans, consumer editor

Why it’s here The Fiat 500 is our 2021 Convertible Car of the Year, and we’ve got six months to find out how it stacks up as a real-world runabout

Needs to Be comfortable, efficient and fun to punt around local rural roads, and have enough range for occasional longer journeys 


Mileage 2365 List price £31,145 Target price £31,145 Price as tested £34,010 Test range 162 miles Official range 188 miles 


30 October 2021 – Fast but not furious  

I’ve been enjoying zipping around in my Fiat 500 Cabrio, making the most of the immediate burst of speed you get when you press the accelerator. To be fair, I’m not really tearing around the countryside, because the 500 takes 9.0sec to go from zero to 62mph. But with no lag in the power delivery it feels substantially faster than the 500 Hybrid, which takes up to  12.9sec to complete the same sprint. 

Fiat 500 long termer

However, not all of the Fiat’s systems are as responsive. The infotainment touchscreen is decidedly laggy and takes too long to respond when it’s prodded. And the other niggle that’s surfaced is the poor response of the car’s gear selector buttons.

If you rush it and press Drive too soon after turning the car on, it simply refuses to acknowledge that you’ve done anything and won’t let you drive away until you’ve pressed the start button and Drive again.  

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