Fiat’s pint-sized Panda is reinvented for the electric age, albeit as a compact crossover

The Fiat Grande Panda arrives in showrooms in early 2025 aiming to not only rebalance the Italian brand’s current over-reliance on its 500 model but also herald a new family of functional-but-fun vehicles.

The slow drip-drip of information started back in early 2024 with computer-generated images of a potential five-strong range – including a city car, camper, fastback, pick-up and SUV – but now journalists have been invited to go for a spin in the first model to make production, the supermini-sized Grande Panda.

The good news is that first impressions, up close, are positive. Even on a rainy rooftop in its design birthplace of Turin, the Grande Panda cuts a dash in a variety of exterior colours. And not just in launch “Limone Yellow”, which shows off its chunky and solid proportions effectively, while contrasting nicely with the darker areas around the upright front and rear pixel lights, wheel arch cladding and central window pillars.

In markets now awash with (mainly Chinese) new brand EV entrants, Fiat has decided to lean heavily into its brand’s 125 years of automotive know-how as well as the still-strong recognition of the 45-year-old Panda model name. The marque and model are namechecked all over the car, inside and out, but in graphically slick and historically brand-appropriate ways, most notably in the large all-caps ‘PANDA’ word mark stamped into the lower body sides.

The Grande Panda is so-called, because at 3.99 metres long, it’s much bigger than Giugiaro’s 3380mm 1980 original – from which it takes considerable design inspiration – and also because the existing smaller Panda which will remain in production in some markets.

Jumping inside, cabin space upfront feels decent and the dashboard view original. The interior aesthetic is softer-shaped than the exterior and dominated by a long lozenge-shape dashboard, which Fiat’s PR machine is keen to stress is inspired by the brand’s famous early 20th century Lingotto factory rooftop test track.

Either way, a 10in digital driver display and 10.25in centre screen fit nicely within that loop to keep things firmly early 21st century, while a passenger-side, top-opening box clad in bamboo yarn and bright yellow accents on rectangular air vents, combine to create natural and smart visual appeal.

All the seats are comfortable and smartly square-padded, while space in the rear is pretty good – even for tall people – and there’s decent storage space as well: Fiat claims a 361-litre boot below the rear hatch of the EV version, while the hybrid edition has even more (412 litres).

Then there’s the EV’s world-first connected charging cable. Coiled behind a flap integrated into the front pixel mask of the car, it springs into action to plug into a charging point but crucially stays attached to the car at the other end. This avoids the user potentially getting dirty through manhandling a loose cable from the boot or indeed having to wrestle the cable back into sometimes not quite big enough storage areas under boot or ‘frunk’ floors.

To drive, the 113hp EV version is smooth and perky enough for its intended largely urban domain and corners pretty well considering its high-ish stance. The ride is decent, steering not too light and the view out clear – bar a wide C-pillar rearward – but we’d be happy to live with that small downside in order to keep the pleasingly chunky exterior shape.

In terms of range, Fiat claims 199 miles for its launch-spec 44kWh battery, which isn’t huge, but bigger (and smaller) battery options should follow to provide greater choice. Talking of which, Fiat, along with many other carmakers, currently realises not every customer is ready (or able) to go full-electric so a 100hp hybrid version will also be available.

With the Panda family set to expand by one model a year for the next three – “a bigger sister” is due next in 2026 – with related style and function promised, Fiat might soon have a range worthy of the name.

Fiat Grande Panda, from £18,975 (hybrid), £20,975 (EV), Fiat.co.uk