Fiat Grande Panda (2025 - )

The Fiat Panda holds a special place in motoring history, not least because it's an icon of the 1980s. For many, including myself, the original was more than a form of transport; it was a gateway to freedom and adventure. I remember how a Fiat Panda opened up my world as a young driver. It was my first car, and living on the remote Norfolk coast meant it was the lifeline for my social life.

This is why the Fiat Panda remains, then and even now, a car that I'll always look upon with great affection. I can forgive its rustiness at only five years old, the thin front seats, and that strange, uncomfortable hammock-like rear seat. The Panda - and indeed, Fiat itself - have become seared into my memory, and I always get a warm and fuzzy feeling when attending any Fiat media event.

Enter the Fiat Grande Panda Electric, which marks Fiat's return to the mainstream arena around the globe. The Grande Panda is inspired by that wonderful original Panda from the decade of Duran Duran, Wham!, big hair - and no social media.

Designed in Italy at the Fiat Centro Stile in Turin, the Grande Panda uses a simple idea: a platform that's installable anywhere in the world. Indeed, it'll be the first Panda to belong to the B-segment - the second smallest European category for passenger cars. It will also be a global first for the market to offer a vehicle with an integrated charging cable that can operate at an alternating current of up to 7kW. To save space in the boot, the spiral cable has a special housing under the bonnet, paving the way for practical everyday use.

At a mere 3.99 meters long, the Panda underscores that "Grande" is not a synonym for large. At 1.57 meters high and 1.76 meters wide, it's compact yet big enough to haul around a family - but more on space and practicality later. Much of the appeal comes in its boxiness and the styling of its wheel arches, which exude confidence and a sense of safety. Meanwhile, skid plates at both the front and rear add a touch of class with their sleek, silvery finish.

But the best bit is that this new Grande Panda retains the look of the original 1980s legend with details like the 3D-branded "PANDA" lettering on the doors and "FIAT" at the rear. The lenticular print on the C-pillar adds a touch of originality: from the modern FIAT logo, it changes to the four historic FIAT stripes, assuring an intriguing visual surprise. At the rear, branding is taken care of by the glossy black bezel with its three-dimensional letters "Panda," while the striking FIAT logo dominates the front.

The Grande Panda has PXL LED lamps, which take inspiration from popular culture of the 1980s and are reminiscent of iconic video games. The distinguishing X design creates a perfect relation between functionality and style. Meanwhile, a fashionable black pillar finish, strikingly smart diamond-cut alloy wheels, and the unmistakable FIAT logo hubcaps add further to that.

Adding to its appeal, the Grande Panda is available in seven bold colours: Limone yellow, Luna Bronze, Acqua azure, Lago blue, Passione red, Cinema black, and Gelato white. Each shade is bright and vivid, just like the lifestyle that Italian culture depicts, making the car more than a mode of transportation but a means of expressing your identity.

Furthermore, a 10-inch instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch digital radio include a Lingotto track-shaped structure that contains a miniature Grande Panda by the touchscreen. If you don’t know, the Lingotto building in Turin was once a car factory built by Fiat. The test track is on the rooftop of the former plant - and once starred in the film The Italian Job, where Michael Caine and his chums raced Mini Coopers. Finally, the headlamps and rear lamps are made up of opal cubes that replicate the windows on the façades of the Lingotto factory.
 

The Grande Panda debuts its electric version in two trims - the top-of-the-range La Prima - and the Red, which, with prices starting from £20,975 on the road, is positioned as the most affordable B-segment Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) in the market. 
 

We drove the flagship La Prima £23 975 model - which will do 0-62mph in 11.5 seconds. You can shave half a second off that for the more basic trim level. Both grades achieve a top speed of 82 mph. That might keep you from getting a speeding ticket on UK motorways - just, but honestly, the Panda doesn't feel as slow as these figures suggest. Indeed, we had a blast zipping around the highways and byways at its launch in Turin. 

The car is big enough to cruise on a lively motorway - as we found out by accidently going off-piste via a toll road (a tad embarrassing as we searched for a means of payment!). The Grande Panda is small enough, though, to also thread its way through the insanity of busy urban streets (especially in Turin!) - with only the brakes letting it down a tad. The brake pedal needs some stomping on when you get a bit carried away by the zippiness of the Fiat. Oh, and there is a lot of roll in the bends - especially when four-up. Yes, two-up was bad enough - but when we had to take a couple of stranded motoring journalists as back seat passengers (their car had developed a fault) - the vehicle listed left - and reeled right. Wow - it was like being at sea. Yet, the Panda is talented at soaking up potholes - many of which blight the roads of Turin. Perfect testing ground for back home in the UK, then!

The seats are a tad too hard - and you could see the indentations of my fingernails in the cheap plastic of the dash from clinging on (there are no grab handles). But you know what? The Panda is so lovable you can forgive its faults - just like you can overlook the dodginess of a lovable rogue.
 

Here is where the Panda shines. There is real room in the front – so much so that you won’t be knocking elbows with your passenger. The seats, like the rather large steering wheel, are basic but easy to adjust to give a good, elevated driving position. You occasionally feel like you're in a compact SUV rather than a hatchback. And you are - because officially, the Grande Panda is a competitor in the compact SUV market, constructed on the same platform as the Citroen C3 Aircross and the Vauxhall Frontera. That said, it still feels more hatchback-like. Oh well, let’s not get into pigeon-holing too much. 

As for the rear, our passengers (as mentioned above) reported having enough knee room, including one who was the same height as myself and my colleague - just under six feet tall. Again, the lack of grab handles anywhere in the Panda and the wallowing in the bends made us all fall left and right without much control. But the flip side to that was all the cheeriness in the car. Yes, the Grande Panda is entertaining - warts and all. 

Due to its spacious design and clever space usage, the Grande Panda comfortably seats four adult passengers, then. If you added a kid to the mix - or maybe three tots on booster seats in the back - you could extend that to five occupants.
Furthermore, the Fiat boasts several storage areas onboard; take the 13-litre dashboard, wherein three litres are available under a single stowage compartment. Besides that, the Grande Panda offers ample boot capacity, up to 361 litres – therefore, it’s practical for family outings and daily shopping.
 

The Grande Panda Electric has a 44kWh battery fitted and an 83kW e-motor developing 113hp (111bhp). Officially, this can deliver up to 199 miles of range at the WLTP combined cycle, making it the perfect solution for urban daily usage and weekend excursions. The Fiat has an integrated AC retractable cable at the front that can charge up to 7kW, charging the battery from 20% to 80% in four hours and 20 minutes. As an alternative to the retractable cable, a rear-only 11kW charging port recharges the Fiat's battery from 20% to 80% in two hours and 50 minutes. A standard DC fast charging port at the rear is included, too, offering 100kW charging power and completing a charge in just 27 minutes.

At this point, it’s worth noting that from April 2025, the Grande Panda BEV - as with all-electric vehicles in the UK - will no longer be immune from road tax. Instead, a £10 fee will apply for the first year and £195 a year after that. However, electric cars are still very affordable as company cars due to the very low Benefit in Kind tax rating for zero-emission vehicles.

It is still too soon to say how the Grande Panda will fare in terms of reliability. However, Fiat has a good recent record in this regard, and since the Panda is reasonably straightforward in design, it probably won’t be a bad car to maintain and live with. Fiat offers a standard three-year, 60,000-mile warranty for the Grande Panda. 

The electric motor's battery is covered for eight years, though.
 

The Grande Panda Electric is a car with a lot to offer. While it might not seem fast on paper - especially compared with other electric vehicles - it manages to feel fun and unique, avoiding the extremes of being either wholly wild or dull like some electric cars can be. There are high expectations for this Fiat in Italy and good reasons to believe it will succeed. 

The new all-electric Panda is affordable and certainly eye-catching, especially if you opt for the Limone yellow colour, as we did. It enjoys a decent range, making it suitable for trips beyond the local supermarket or school runs. Furthermore, it's spacious and practical enough for a small family to use as their main vehicle comfortably. However, we suspect many will choose the Grande Panda as their second car. 

Regardless of its use, this Fiat is sure to bring a smile to your face (just don't try to look in a sunvisor mirror to see your grin - there aren't any). What’s more, it looks set to earn a special place in your heart, just as my original Panda did with me all those years ago.