► Fiat reveals Grande Panda pricing
► Hybrid under £19k, EV under £21k
► Funky styling, new budget platform
We have now finally driven the Fiat Grande Panda, a new compact hatchback with visual aspirations on being a pretend SUV and the forerunner to what’s set to be a whole future family of new Fiat Panda models. Ahead of that, however, Fiat announced the pricing. And pleasingly, given the Panda’s car-of-the-people heritage, this pricing is rather keen.
The new Grande Panda will come with a full electric drivetrain or as hybrid. The hybrid – which is the clever (ish) MHEV jobbie that incorporates an electric motor into a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, giving it some modest electric-only drive capability – starts at £18,975 for the Icon variant. Not bad. But even more intriguingly, the Granda Panda Electric is priced from just £20,975.
This, says Fiat, makes it the cheapest proper B-segment battery electric vehicle you can buy right now. We say, it’s also one of the most adorable. Just look at that boxy, pixel-tastic design.
What the flip is a Grande Panda?
No longer a tiny city car with limited appeal outside of Italy but also not as big as that Grande prefix might suggest. The new Panda is described as a ‘global’ model (it will be sold in more than 60 countries) and uses the same cost-optimised platform as the new Citroen C3 in an effort to bring affordable electric motoring to more people and compete with the challenge from low-cost Chinese EVs.
Revealed in July 2024 to coincide with Fiat’s 125th anniversary, the Grande Panda is also the first in a new line-up of ‘Panda’ models as Fiat aims to create a new sub-brand, similar to the approach it’s previously taken with the extended Fiat 500 family.
Funky design
The production-spec Fiat Grande Panda uses many design cues first previewed by concepts at the 2024 Geneva motor show, with an appealing boxy and chunky look.
The proportions clearly link it to the new Citroen C3, with which it shares the low-cost Stellantis ‘Smart Car platform’. The Fiat’s chunky wheelarches and pixelated headlights give it a little more snap. Roof rails add to its rugged look, while a new black panel at the front incorporates the new Fiat logo.
Spacious footprint for a small car
Like the Citroen e-C3, Fiat has aimed to create the most space from a fairly small footprint. At just shy of four metres long, it’s 20cm longer than the outgoing Panda city car, but no bigger than plenty of superminis.
Fiat says there is over 14 litres of storage in the dashboard alone, including a similar ‘pocket’ shelf to the original Panda. The cabin is said to be able to ‘comfortably transport five people’ while the electric version’s 361-litre boot is also noticeably bigger than that of a C3; the hybrid model has 412 litres of load space.
Integrated charging cable
Sick of that charging cable sliding about, clogging up the boot? The Grande Panda is the first electric car to incorporate a tethered cable, a curly connection that stashes away in the front.
Sadly, this is only useful for connecting to 7kW charging units, such as your basic home Wallbox. A separate rapid charging port for DC connections is standard at the rear – though this is limited to 100kW, so not exactly scorching fast – and you can add an 11kW AC connection back there if you need it.
Hybrid and EV power
The Grande Panda will be available as both a hybrid and as an electric version. There’s is no mention yet of the cheaper petrol engine available on the Citroen C3.
The electric model uses a 111bhp motor paired to a 44kWh battery, with Fiat promising a 199-mile WLTP range. The hybrid model features the 1.2-litre mild-hybrid system familiar from other recent Stellantis products, including the Fiat 600. Here it produces 99bhp, with an electric motor integrated into the six-speed automatic transmission.