Fiat 500e priced at $32,500, leases start at $199/month

Something interesting happened on the way to make the 2014 Fiat 500e a real car. As the idea for the car was bandied about in public for many years, Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne complained bitterly, saying the only reason the car was coming to market was because mean ol' California was forcing Fiat to do so. This was after he said that Fiat would lose $10,000 on each one they sell. That's all pretty boilerplate stuff. What's interesting is that Fiat has gone ahead and priced the Fiat 500e so competitively that you'd think they wanted to sell a million of these things. Or lease a million, at least.

The Fiat 500e has a bargain lease price of $199/month for 36 months with $999 down.

That's the message we take away from the surprisingly affordable lease price of $199 a month for 36 months with $999 down. Those are the same numbers as if you went in to lease a gas-powered 500 Pop. If you want to buy the little electric vehicle outright, it'll cost you $32,500, but that's before a potential $7,500 federal tax credit and – since the car will only be sold in California, at least for the first year – the state will kick in another $2,500. Fiat is also promising company rebates that could drop the price down to $20,500, which puts the 500e well into the range of most of the people we know of in the EV buyer demographic.

The 500e is officially rated at 122 MPGe in the city, with highway efficiency at 108 MPGe, for a combined 116 MPGe. The official range number is an impressive 87 miles, and from what we've seen, that might be a low estimate. Throw in up to 12 days of free rental cars through Enterprise and something called the Fiat 500e Pass program and you've got a non-Tesla EV that allows drivers a long-distance solution when needed. The electric Cinquecento goes on sale in California this summer. Want one? Have your say in Comments.

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