Fiat 500e: boot space, seating & practicality

If you’re after a car like the Fiat 500e, practicality is unlikely to be much of a sticking point. That said, the Honda e or Ora Funky Cat’s rear doors will be of great benefit to anyone with small children, or for those regularly carrying people in the back.

Interior storage in the Fiat is nothing to write home about, and its boot is tiny, too. Thankfully, there is some underfloor storage, which allows you to keep the car’s charging cables out of sight, but you’ll likely find the weekly shop regularly spills onto the rear seats. Go for the convertible version and you'll be forced to post your belongings through a space that sometimes feels no bigger than the door of a toaster oven.

Fiat 500e interior space, storage & comfort

We’ve few complaints about the cabin of this latest Fiat 500e – from the driver’s seat, it feels spacious and well equipped. However, attempting to take a seat in the back is another matter entirely. Even getting there is a challenge; the wide doors are difficult to open in tight spaces, while clambering past the front seats is a task reserved for only the most skilled of contortionists – or kids. The space once you’re there is cramped, too.

Fiat has introduced a 3+1 version of the 500e in Europe, with a small rear-hinged back door on one side that gives easier access to the rear seats. Fiat was looking into its UK-market viability, but hasn't brought it over here yet and has admitted that even if it did, the third door would have to stay on the 'wrong' side of the car.

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Boot space

Boot space in the Fiat 500e is pretty poor. The hatchback version boasts a tiny 185-litre load area – smaller even than what a MINI Electric can manage. While the 500Ce’s boot is no smaller in terms of actual volume, its letterbox-style opening compromises access considerably. Furthermore, if you try to open it with the roof lowered, you'll need to wait for the canvas top to fold part of the way back before being allowed access.

However, like the MINI, you’ll find the 500e’s rear seats split down the middle, making it easier to carry bulky items. With these folded down, you’ll have 550 litres of room to play with.