Fiat 600 Hybrid

1.2 Hybrid 48V 5dr eDCT-6 [2024]

The Fiat 600 comes in two distinct flavours.

One is the fully-electric 600e, launched in late 2023 with a range of up to 254 miles.

The other is this, the traditionally-fuelled and more affordable Fiat 600 Hybrid. As the name suggests, it’s a frugal mild-hybrid with modest amounts of power but serious amounts of personality.

And the 600 Hybrid is Fiat’s answer to an age-old conundrum: ‘I like the retro-Italian styling of the much smaller Fiat 500 supermini, but can I really live with the lack of interior space?’

Of course, putting la dolce vita into a mid-size family car is a problem Fiat has attempted to address before, with mixed results.

The 600 Hybrid will eventually replace the outgoing 500X in Fiat’s line-up, which is another vehicle that rides on the coat-tails of the diminutive Fiat 500’s universal charm. For the record, the 500X is ever so slightly longer, wider and taller than the sleeker Fiat 600.

The other issue for Fiat is that the leasing market is chock-a-block with compact SUVs and crossovers, many which also boast hybrid powertrains.

So can the 600's vibrant character shine-through among competitors like the Nissan Juke and Ford Puma? Let’s get behind the wheel and find out.