Fiat 500e Cabrio

The Fiat 500e Cabrio is one of the only open-top electric city cars in series production. It pairs a 42 kWh battery with an 85 kW DC fast charger and a WLTP range of 190 km — all in a convertible body that starts at around €37,900 in Europe. Whether that combination is worth it depends entirely on what you’re expecting from a car this size.

What Is the Fiat 500e Cabrio?

Full name: Fiat New 500e Cabriolet. Built by Stellantis under the Fiat brand. Entry-level positioning in the European EV market.

It is a front-wheel-drive electric supermini on a dedicated EV platform — not a converted petrol car. The Cabrio variant uses the same architecture as the standard 500e hatchback but adds a soft-top roof. That distinction matters because a lot of convertible EVs are either heavily modified ICE platforms or outright concepts. The 500e Cabrio is neither. It is a real production car, built from the start around its electric drivetrain.

Segment: electric supermini. Body type: two-door cabriolet. Drivetrain: FWD, single front-mounted motor.

Battery, Range, and Charging — The Real Numbers

This is where buyers tend to have questions, so here is a clean breakdown of the 42 kWh variant (the spec most buyers will actually encounter):

Battery: 42 kWh gross, 37.3 kWh usable Range: 190 km WLTP combined. Real-world mixed driving typically lands between 140 and 160 km. Motor output: 87 kW (118 hp) AC charging: 11 kW, three-phase onboard charger DC fast charging: 85 kW peak 10–80% charge time (DC): approximately 35 minutes under ideal conditions

A few things worth flagging. First, 190 km WLTP is the combined-cycle figure — highway use will push that lower. Second, Fiat also sells a 24 kWh version with 185 km WLTP range and a 3 kW AC-only charger. That variant exists primarily as a pricing anchor; it is not competitive for regular use and is not the spec being compared here. Third, the 500e Cabrio is not officially sold in North America, so EPA figures do not apply.

The 85 kW DC ceiling is reasonable for a city car. You won’t be waiting an hour at a fast charger. But if your routes regularly exceed 120 km, the range math gets tight.

How Does It Compare to the MINI Cooper SE and Renault Zoe?

The two closest external rivals are the MINI Cooper SE Convertible and the Renault Zoe.

The MINI Cooper SE Convertible is the most direct comparison — similar open-top positioning, similar price band, similar urban focus. The MINI has a smaller 28.9 kWh battery and shorter WLTP range (around 160 km), but its chassis feel and brand cachet appeal to a slightly different buyer. The 500e Cabrio wins on range and charging speed. The MINI wins if badge matters more than spec.

Note: the MINI Convertible was discontinued for the new generation. Used examples still circulate, and they remain the main open-top EV competition the 500e Cabrio faces in the secondhand market.

The Renault Zoe, in its higher R135 trim with 52 kWh battery, offers more usable range (395 km WLTP) and a similar price ceiling — but it is a hatchback, not a convertible. If open-top is the requirement, the Zoe is not actually a substitute.

Within the Fiat electric lineup, the 500e Cabrio sits above the entry-level 500e hatchback and represents the premium tier of what Fiat currently offers in the small EV space.

Price, Availability, and Who It’s Actually For

European launch price: from approximately €37,900 (Action trim) to around €42,000 (Icon, fully equipped)

Grey-market import estimate for Nigeria: ₦25 million–₦35 million landed in Lagos or Abuja, depending on model year, trim, and clearing costs. This is an estimate based on typical Stellantis grey-market import patterns — not an official figure.

Kenya and South Africa: no formal distributor network as of this writing. Grey-market availability exists but is sparse.

That price, in any market, places this car firmly outside mass-market territory. It is not a commuter tool for cost-conscious buyers. The realistic buyer is someone in a major city — Lagos, Nairobi, London, Milan — making a style-led decision. Short daily distance, access to home or workplace charging, and a preference for open-air driving over outright practicality.

It does not suit: rural roads, long-distance routes, buyers without a reliable charging point, or anyone prioritising cargo space. The boot is small even by supermini standards, and the soft-top takes a chunk of that.

Fiat 500e Cabrio Images

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Full Electric Vehicle Specifications