Fiat 600 Hybrid arrives and costs £10k LESS than the electric 600e

The Fiat 600 Hybrid is joining the 600 offerings in the UK, undercutting the price of the electric Fiat 600e by up to £10,000.

It’s apparent that private UK car buyers are shying away from EVs – apart from at the top-end and for a second car as a local runaround – with just 18% of new BEV sales heading in to private hands.

That’s a problem for car makers who are being forced in to selling ever greater numbers of EVs to a market that’s just not interested thanks to high prices, real-world range and a glitchy public charging network that’s way too expensive too.

The apathy about EVs now sees Fiat going back on its decision to only sell the new Fiat 600 as an EV, and is launching a Hybrid version too.

Fiat is blaming a lack of government incentives for the poor sales of the 600e, but by launching the 600 as a Hybrid they’ve demonstrated exactly what the issue is for private EV buyers.

When the Fiat 600e went on sale six months ago, the starting price for the entry-level model was £32,995 and for the posh model £36,995, a huge amount for a little family runaround.

Now, with the arrival of the 600 Hybrid, we see just how much buyers are paying over the odds for an EV, with the 600 Hybrid starting at £23,965 and the posh model at £26,695 – up to £10k less than the EV.

Instead of an electric motor and a big bank of batteries, the 600 Hybrid comes with a 1.2-litre three-pot petrol turbo with a 29bhp electric motor and 1kWh battery, promising EV driving in urban queues, 134bhp and at least 50mpg.

So how many private buyers are going to buy the electric 600e now?