Fiat Grande Panda review – retro, yet refreshing affordable supermini
“The Fiat Grande Panda is affordable, bursting with character and ticks lots of boxes”
Pros
- Comfortable ride
- Interesting retro-inspired design
- Characterful cabin
Cons
- Underwhelming performance
- Not a great motorway cruiser
- Rear-seat space could be better
Verdict – is the Fiat Grande Panda a good car?
The Fiat Grande Panda is a great return to form for the brand. Not only is it stylish and charming thanks to the retro touches, it’s very affordable and comfortable, too. It’s not perfect – refinement on the motorway could be better and it’s not particularly fun to drive, but weigh up the full package, price and sheer character it exudes and it becomes a car you can buy with your head and your heart.
Fiat Grande Panda models, specs and alternatives
It’s easy to underestimate the importance of the Fiat Panda – it’s an incredibly important car for Italy, with each generation proving to be a popular urban runabout for the masses. This time, the Fiat Grande Panda celebrates that long-standing reputation with a retro boxy look, but it’s now bigger than ever before, catering for the public’s appetite for chunky, higher-riding small SUVs.
It looks like boxy is in, because the Fiat Grande Panda looks as though it was mostly designed with a ruler. The look alludes to the original angular Panda from the 1980s, but this time the Granda Panda is a five-door and features SUV-like black cladding around the wheel arches and a jacked-up ride height like the old Panda 4x4 model.
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The front end of the Granda Panda features a long rectangular grille flanked by the boxy headlights, which get a modern X-shaped light signature. At the rear there’s a similar theme, with tall oblong taillights on either side of the boot, which is imprinted with the ‘Fiat’ typographic logo.
Unlike the original Panda, the new Grande Panda is offered with an electric powertrain as well as a hybrid. It’s another big step for the brand because the EV starts from just over £21,000, making it the most affordable electric car the brand has produced. Go for the hybrid and it’s £2,000 less than that.
The electric Grande Panda gets a 111bhp motor driving the front wheels and paired with a 44kWh battery pack – that’s not going to make for particularly sprightly performance, but that’s never what the Panda was about. Go for the mild-hybrid version with its 1.2-litre engine and you’ll get 99bhp offering a similar degree of performance.
The electric Grande Panda is offered simply in two trims from launch called ‘Red’ and ‘La Prima’, while the mild-hybrid Grande Panda gets a separate lineup comprising Pop, Icon and La Prima models.
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MPG, running costs & CO2 emissions
Not only is the Fiat Grande Panda cheap to buy in the first place, it should also be very affordable to drive around in. It goes without saying that the EV will take the gold star here, but even the mild-hybrid petrol will cost peanuts to run for private buyers. It sits in low tax bands and won’t cost much to insure either. Read more about the Fiat Grande Panda’s MPG, running costs & CO2 emissions…
Engines, drive & performance
It’s certainly no pocket rocket, but the Grande Panda’s electric motor or petrol engine both offer smooth acceleration around town. Its handling is also neat and tidy, without sacrificing ride quality. In fact, the latter is rather impressive, managing to soak up bumps and potholes without too much of a ruckus. Read more about the Fiat Grande Panda’s engines, drive & performance…
Interior & comfort
This could be the Fiat’s star turn, because while it might be a budget model, occupants will never feel short-changed. The amount of style and ingenious features on offer puts many more expensive small SUVs firmly in the shade. It’s a breath of fresh air in class dominated by grey and black plastic. Read more about the Fiat Grande Panda’s interior & comfort…
Boot space, practicality & dimensions
It might be upright and boxy, but the Grande Panda is definitely espresso-sized. Headroom is decent thanks to a tall roof, but the rear seats are still pretty tight for adults, not helped by a fairly high floor. Next to a MINI or Renault 5 it doesn’t look too bad, but the Vauxhall Frontera is more spacious. A 412-litre boot is rather impressive. Read more about the Fiat Grande Panda’s boot space, practicality & dimensions…
Reliability & safety
We’re waiting for the Grande Panda’s Euro NCAP score (and that of its Frontera, C3 and C3 Aircross siblings) with bated breath, to see if it can clinch a reassuring five-star score or not. It’s certainly equipped with all the safety kit you’d expect to see in a small car in 2025. Fiat has had a rather torrid time in our Driver Power survey, with only MG performing worse out of the 32 included brands. Read more about the Fiat Grande Panda’s reliability & safety…
Fiat Grande Panda alternatives
Many affordable EVs have sprung up on the market in quick succession in recent years, many of which are actually based on the same underpinnings as the Grande Panda from sister brands. Many of these also offer mild-hybrid versions for those not ready to make the switch to electric.
Should you buy a Fiat Grande Panda?
There really is so much to like about the Fiat Grande Panda. It may be a budget-friendly car, but Fiat has proven once again that it can inject the charm and fun to help you see past those limitations.
We think people will be won over by the Grande Panda’s clear retro-inspired styling and the design flair of its interior, but those aren’t the sole reasons for buyers to opt for the Grande Panda. It’s very comfortable on the move and will make light work of potholes and road imperfections, and while it may not be the last word in driver involvement, the handling is predictable and precise, so it should prove easy to drive.
Perhaps if you’re looking for car that makes a good motorway cruiser you should look elsewhere, but if you’re going to be using the Grande Panda around town for most of its life, you should definitely consider it.
What is the best Fiat Grande Panda for low running costs?
Because the Fiat Grande Panda Electric only costs £2,000 more than the mild-hybrid model, you should definitely consider buying this model to make the most of low running costs. If you want to buy a Grande Panda as a company car then this version will sit in the lowest BiK (Benefit-in-Kind) tax band, and if you install a home wallbox charger, the cost to keep it charged up will be much less.
How we tested the Fiat Grande Panda
We tested the Fiat Grande Panda Electric on its home turf in Turin, Italy in January 2025.
