What's It Like To Live With A (Mostly) Free Fiat 500e For Two Years? These YouTubers Found Out

Tommy and Case from TFL both leased Fiat 500es for essentially nothing. But that doesn't mean the experience has been perfect.

Photo by: TFLEV

By: Mack Hogan

Jul 12, at 8:00am ET

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Everything is better when it's free. From office food to airplane snacks, we'll accept a pretty mediocre experience as long as we're not paying for it. It's no wonder, then, why two hosts of the TFLEV YouTube channel hopped into Fiat 500e lease deals back in 2024.

At the time, Fiat was running aggressive promotions on the 500e nationwide. When stacked with the federal $7,500 EV tax credit and Colorado's $5,000 EV credit, that meant Tommy and Case both paid basically nothing for the cars themselves. Tommy put $1,000 down to cover the taxes and has paid $0 a month since, while Case put a few hundred bucks down for a lease wear-and-tear protection plan and now pays $49 a month. They're not technically free cars, but they're about as close as you can get.

Two years later, they've posted an ownership update video. And while they're certainly getting their money's worth, it's not all smooth sailing.

First, there's the very real practicality issue. With 149 miles of range and only 85 kW fast charging, the 500e certainly isn't a road trip car. They both have other cars to rely on for longer trips, but between the roughly 100-mile cold weather range and the lack of preconditioning, doing anything outside of town in the winter isn't really a job for the Fiat.

Gallery: 2024 Fiat 500e First Drive

They've also experienced a handful of small issues with the cars. Both cars—plus the ones purchased by Tommy's in-laws and one of TFL's support staff—often stop charging after a few minutes when plugged in, and neither works on certain chargers. The app is pretty much useless, Tommy says, and the car inexplicably emails him every time it starts or finishes a charge. Finally, the rear hatch on Tommy's car is slightly misaligned, meaning it sometimes doesn't open properly and often lets in wind and dust.

It's been an imperfect ride. Despite that, though, both hosts seem charmed by the little Fiats. They're plenty practical for around-town runs, and reasonably nice to drive. They're not quite as engaging to drive as earlier 500s, but they're certainly better in that regard than the Nissan Leafs that TFL also leased mostly for free. But the last-gen Leaf was far comfier and more practical, Tommy says.

What do you think?

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In either case, you get what you pay for. Neither the Leaf nor the 500e offers road-trip ready range or cutting-edge tech. Anything that does wouldn't be effectively free to own. But their overall positive experiences with the 500e are a good reminder that even some of the least impressive EVs still make for incredible daily drivers.

Contact the author: Mack.Hogan@insideevs.com