New Fiat 500 Hybrid and Panda Hybrid UK prices announced

The Fiat 500 Hybrid and Panda Hybrid – Fiat’s very modest electrification of their city cars – cost from £12,655 and £13,855 respectively in the UK.

The impending death of the affordable City Car seems a likely scenario as the cost of electrifying them is just too much to make them profitable, but despite that Fiat is having a bash at adding a bit of electrification to the Panda and 500 to cut emissions.

The Fiat 500 Hybrid and Panda Hybrid were revealed earlier this month, and now Fiat has revealed that the Panda Hybrid will cost from £12,655 and the Panda Hybrid from £13,855, with the former going on sale in the UK next month and the latter in March.

The electrification of the 500 and Panda is modest and comprises a 12-volt belt-driven electric motor with a small lithium-ion battery on Fiat’s 1.0 litre three-pot petrol, delivering just a single horse extra to the equation but losing 7lb/ft of twisty stuff. So you’re not likely to notice much difference.

The hybrid gubbins aids stop-start functions and can add up to 5bhp to help acceleration, but the headline act – and the whole point – is a reduction in emissions of 30 per cent (at least in official tests), with the 500 getting 53.3mpg and 88g/km and the Panda 49.6mpg and 89g/km.

Although headline prices for the 500 Hybrid and Panda Hybrid start at £12,655 and £13,855 respectively, initially it’ll be titivated Launch Edition models with seats made from recycled material, exclusive paint jobs, Hybrid badges and an ‘H’ logo on offer at £16,795 for the 500 Hybrid Launch Edition and £14,385 for the Panda Hybrid Launch Edition.