Pros:
Lots of character
Economical & practical.
Good standard equipment in this La Prima model.
Cons:
You pay €595 extra for any colour other than White.
Quite a few cheap hard plastics inside.
Somewhat jerky transition from electric to petrol power at low speeds.
Fiat have been surviving in the Irish market with a very small model line-up, namely the Fiat 600, Fiat 500e and the funky Fiat 500. The 500 has many incarnations from the sporty Abarth, the standard economical petrol and of course an EV. The slightly larger Fiat 500X really just did not appeal as it seemed like a Fiat 500 on steroids yet it lost all the funky appeal of the cute 500. Fiat needed to return to what they do best………making appealing small cars. The new Fiat Grande Panda could be exactly the sort of distinctive, affordable small car the brand needs to attract attention.
Forget all you knew about the small tinny little original Panda, this new Grande Panda is far more substantial. It has grown up but thankfully not too much.
The Grande Panda is available in three trim levels , Pop, Icon and La Prima and is offered as an EV, a 1.2 petrol or a 1.2 petrol mild hybrid. The hybrid version is only available in mid level Icon trim or La Prima as here.
The car I am road testing is the new Grande Panda 1.2 petrol mild hybrid in top of the range La Prima specification.
I certainly found it bursting with character- but is it any good?
So has it got real street cred?
Without question Fiat have got this new Grande Panda bang on in terms of styling. There is a slightly retro look to the car which gives it a wonderfully distinctive appearance in a world of very similar looking cars right now. The Fiat badging stands proud in the front facia while the front light clusters are a clever design of multiple small rectangular LED’s. Along the side of the car the PANDA name is embossed into the door panels and again at the rear there is an interesting light cluster set-up and this time the FIAT name embossed onto the rear boot panel. With silver skid plates front and rear, black roof rails and nicely styled 17 inch alloy wheels the whole look suits the chunky squared-off styling particularly well. In addition there are a choice of six nice bright colours available however surprisingly though all colours except solid White cost €595.00 extra.
The car you see here is finished in Limone Yellow which I must say I think looks fantastic and suits the character of the car.
What is it like inside?
Slip inside the La Prima model of the new Grande Panda and you are treated by a welcoming well designed interior. I particularly like the use of yellow ( to coordinate with the exterior) detailing inside. The surrounds of the air vents, the centre console and the digital display are all finished in yellow. The use of two tone materials on the dash with light blue and white really brighten up the cabin. Other nice characterful touches are the “Bamboo tex” finish to the lid of the upper passenger glovebox and the small model in profile of a Panda behind a transparent screen with a yellow hue. It all combines to create a truly distinctive and indeed very appealing cabin. There is a decent amount of handy storage space with door storage bins both front and rear.
There are as you might expect lots of cheap hard touch plastics but Fiat have disguised them very well by having them in blue. They don’t stand out so much as they do when in black.
The quilted effect on the seating is attractive and I found the driving position to be just about right. Visibility is good all round and there is a reversing camera and park sensors to assist manoeuvring in tight urban spaces. Standard kit on this La Prima version includes, auto air conditioning, wireless phone charging, Apple Car Play and Android Auto, an electrochroamatic rear view mirror, privacy glass and electrically folding door mirrors. That is a pretty good line-up of standard equipment.
I found the cabin to be roomy both front and rear. Indeed it will seat four adults in reasonable comfort with a generous amount of head and legroom even in the rear.
The boot which holds 412 litres. I tested it and found it will take two standard size suitcases and some small soft bags. With split fold rear seats you can easily increase that available space for carrying bigger loads. So given its compact length of 3.999 mm that is impressive. The somewhat boxy shape has real benefits when it comes to interior space.
Performance.
This Fiat derived engine is a new T-Gen3 unit and is shared within the Stellantis group. The 1.2 litre petrol turbo engine is supported by self charging 48 volt mild hybrid technology via a small battery and an electric motor and mated to a 6-speed DCT auto gearbox. Combined power output is 110bhp. It is designed to drive on electric power alone for short periods or while manoeuvring at lower speeds. However I discovered it runs on electric power more often than I expected. This resulted in a real world benefit in terms of fuel economy. It was miserly on fuel burning just 5.3 litres per 100km over my weeks road test. That gives the Grande Panda a range of some 800km between re fuels and of course no plugging in!
Performance is sedate really and overtaking really requires some forward planning. There also can be a slight hesitation when it switches from electric to engine mode and this takes a bit of adjusting to in terms of your driving style. A good example of where you will notice this is when pulling away from a junction or at low speed parking speeds.
What is it like to drive?
Overall its pretty good. It rides our country roads well, and the handling is safe if uninspiring. Start to push it on and you soon find its limits with body roll and tyre squeal.
The steering lacks any feel but most who buy this type of car don’t care and it proves reasonably quiet and refined. Around town its nimble and easy to park ( the reversing camera helps) and on the motorway it hums along all day at the legal limit.
Hugh’s Verdict.
The new Grande Panda hybrid is one of my favourite small cars of 2026! That is quite a compliment as the competition in this segment is tough. The Grande Panda scores highly for being big on character, practicality and economy. It is however not perfect, with some cheaper materials evident thought and motorway refinement is not class leading. Overall though as a package its most definitely a worthy newcomer to the segment and merits serious consideration if your looking for a characterful small car.