Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid

1.2 Hybrid 48V 110 Pop 5dr eDCT-6 [2026]

There were gasps amongst motoring writers when Fiat announced it was retiring the Panda.

But then, we were suddenly promised a new one.

After some confusion about this apparent contradiction, the answer suddenly became clear when the Grande Panda was born.

Is it a Panda? Or is it even more? Well, it depends how you look at it.

It is indeed an entirely clean–sheet design. This car has been built from the ground up to be an electric vehicle, albeit the version we're testing today has a combustion engine underneath the bonnet.

The model is also bigger than the old Panda, and its cladding suggests it's trying to be an SUV.

But, as we’ll cover shortly, this new vehicle bears more than a striking resemblance to the original Panda of 45 years ago, thanks to its shape.

It’s built on the ‘smart car’ platform derived from parent company Stellantis’ CMP architecture – the same platform used on the Citroen C3 and e-C3, as well as some newer Vauxhalls.

Despite the more rugged off-road appearance, we doubt the Grande Panda will be much good at treading the murky depths of a swamp. Land Rover can sleep easy, then.

But in an era when everyone is abandoning traditional hatchbacks and saloons for larger, more practical vehicles, it makes sense for Fiat to jump on the bandwagon - even if, by SUV standards, the Grande Panda is still on the small side.

Is it any good, though? First impressions indicate so – it certainly puts a smile on your face, as you’ll see.