Fiat 600 long-term test: report 5
Fiat hasn't traditionally focused on building SUVs, but the 600 is its latest small SUV offering. We're living with one to find out how it stacks up with everyday life...
The car Fiat 600 1.2 Hybrid 48V La Prima Run by George Hill, Used Car Writer
Why we’re running it To find out whether this small SUV can be a successful urban commuter car
Needs to Be easy to drive, comfortable and cheap to run, but also practical on trips out of town
Mileage 3063 List price £27,350 Target Price £24,742 Price as tested £28,000 Official economy 57.6mpg Test economy 48.6mpg
25 April 2025 – Fuel sipper
On the hybrid Scoville scale, the engine in my Fiat 600 is only a mild hybrid (MHEV) as opposed to a full-on regular hybrid (like a Toyota Yaris Cross). In short, it’s a Jalapeno, not a Carolina Reaper pepper.
Despite this, I think my car should be placed higher up the Scoville scale, because it can run on electric power alone for very short distances. Most MHEVs can’t do this.
This change of tune seems to be increasingly commonplace in the Stellantis stable (the parent company of Fiat). The new Jeep Avenger and Peugeot 3008 MHEVs have similar systems to my 600 and they can run on electric power alone too.
The idea behind this upgraded system is to boost fuel economy. But does it? Well, on a 12-mile commute through central London last week, my car averaged 53.2mpg. That’s pretty impressive and it’s not far off its official combined figure of 57.6mpg.
I suspect this was helped by the electric motor covering 65% of the journey, with the engine mostly kicking in above 30mph (and to top-up the battery at low speeds). The regenerative braking system I mentioned in my previous report helped charge the battery too.
On longer journeys, I can happily say my car is equally good on fuel. Over the bank holiday weekend, I made a 55-mile trip from London to West Sussex and the car recorded 54.2mpg on a mix of town, motorway and B-road driving. That’s better than a Ford Puma MHEV, which managed 48.2mpg on our mixed real-world driving route.
It’s safe to say I’m very pleased with my car’s efficiency so far (as is my wallet), but I don’t think the hybrid system is perfect. My main gripe is with refinement, because the engine doesn’t chime in very smoothly; it’s quite theatrical and noisy when it wakes up, especially when the engine is cold. You also get a lot of vibrations when the engine is idling, but once you’re up to speed it does smooth out. It even sounds quite good as the revs build.
So, you win some, you lose some. But while my car is only a Jalapeno on the Scoville scale, it’s still delivering a level of spice I’m happy with.
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