Compare the2026 Kia Niro EVVS 2025 Fiat 500e

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Kia Niro EV have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Fiat 500e doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Niro EV are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Fiat 500e doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Niro EV are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The 500e doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Niro EV Wave has standard Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The 500e doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Niro EV has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the 500e’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Niro EV has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Fiat charges extra for Rear Cross Path Detection on the 500e and the 500e’s Rear Cross Path Detection does not include automatic braking.

Both the Niro EV and the 500e have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available front parking sensors.

The Kia Niro EV weighs 769 to 851 pounds more than the Fiat 500e. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

The Niro EV comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The 500e’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Niro EV 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Fiat covers the 500e. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the 500e ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 2 times as many Kia dealers as there are Fiat dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Niro EV’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Niro EV’s reliability 24 points higher than the 500e.

The Niro EV’s electric motor produces 84 more horsepower (201 vs. 117) and 26 lbs.-ft. more torque (188 vs. 162) than the 500e’s electric motor.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Niro EV is faster than the Fiat 500e:

	Niro EV	500e
Zero to 60 MPH	6.5 sec	7.9 sec
Quarter Mile	15 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	95.5 MPH	85.2 MPH

On the EPA test cycle the Niro EV gets better mileage than the 500e All Season Tires (126 city/101 hwy vs. 121 city/100 hwy MPGe).

The Niro EV can travel longer on a full charge than the 500e on a full charge:

			Miles
Niro EV
		Electric Motor	253 miles
500e
		Electric Motor	149 miles
		All Season Tires Electric Motor	141 miles

For better stopping power the Niro EV’s brake rotors are larger than those on the 500e:

	Niro EV	500e
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.1 inches
Rear Rotors	11.2 inches	8” drums

The Kia Niro EV has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the 500e. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The Niro EV stops shorter than the 500e:

	Niro EV	500e
70 to 0 MPH	175 feet	184 feet	Car and Driver

For better traction, the Niro EV has larger tires than the 500e (215/55R17 vs. 205/45R17).

For superior ride and handling, the Kia Niro EV has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Fiat 500e has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Niro EV’s wheelbase is 15.6 inches longer than on the 500e (107 inches vs. 91.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Niro EV is 4 inches wider in the front and 4.5 inches wider in the rear than on the 500e.

The Niro EV Wave handles at .87 G’s, while the 500e pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The front grille of the Niro EV uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The 500e doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Niro EV has standard seating for 5 passengers; the 500e can only carry 4.

The Niro EV has 22.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the 500e (99.7 vs. 77).

The Niro EV has 1.2 inches more front headroom, 3.5 inches more front hip room, 5.2 inches more front shoulder room, 2.7 inches more rear headroom, 7.4 inches more rear legroom, 7.5 inches more rear hip room and 7.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the 500e.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Niro EV’s power liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Niro EV’s power liftgate can also be opened or closed by pressing a button. The 500e doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening liftgate.

When two different drivers share the Niro EV Wave, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The 500e doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Niro EV Wave’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The 500e doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Niro EV offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The 500e doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Niro EV’s standard power windows have a locking feature to keep children in the rear seat from operating them, but the driver can still raise and lower all of them with the lock engaged. Fiat does not offer a locking feature on the 500e’s standard power windows.

The Niro EV’s standard driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The 500e’s power windows’ switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully. The Niro EV Wave’s front power windows both open or close with one touch of the switches.

On a hot day the Niro EV’s driver can lower the front windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the 500e can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Niro EV has standard extendable sun visors. The 500e doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Niro EV’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Fiat charges extra for heated mirrors on the 500e.

When the Niro EV Wave is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The 500e’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Kia Niro EV and Fiat 500e offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Niro EV offers available power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the 500e’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

The Niro EV has standard heated front and optional heated rear seats extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated seats aren’t available in the 500e.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Niro EV Wave keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The 500e doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Niro EV’s optional heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The 500e doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Niro EV has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The 500e doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Niro EV’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The 500e doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Niro EV has standard rear a/c vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The 500e doesn’t offer rear vents.

Compared to the Fiat 500e, the Kia Niro EV eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

The Niro EV Wave has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The 500e doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Niro EV Wave’s Smart Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Park Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The 500e doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Niro EV, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Kia Niro outsold the Fiat 500e by over 27 to one during 2025.