Fiat has joined Renault in reintroducing a sub-£30,000 version of the 500e after Electrifying.com campaigned for manufacturers to bring back affordable electric cars. 

The Italian manufacturer had suspended orders of the cheapest version of the 500e, but now the car has reappeared on the price lists, giving buyers the chance to grab the little Fiat for £28,195. 

That buys one of two versions with the smaller 24kWh battery, which gives a range of 118 miles and a motor with 94bhp. 

The standard model is simply called ‘New 500’, while there is also the choice of the [RED] edition. Both are substantially more expensive than the old Active, but also have better equipment levels. 

The larger battery – which also gives a power upgrade to 117bhp - is £3,000 more. 

The 500e’s previous price hikes caught Electrifying.com’s attention previously as the cost of the cheapest version in the range leapt from £19,995 in 2020 to £30,645 at the end of 2022 - an increase of 53%. This was partly due to the loss of the government grant of £2,000, plus inflationary pressures and the deletion of the 24kWh version.

The newly-reinstated 24kWh version has better equipment levels than the old Active model