Fiat 500e Battery Replacement
It is essentially impossible to buy a new 24 kWh battery for a Fiat 500e. In some cases, a faulty battery may be replaced under warranty.
Written by Cameron Thiessen
Reviewed by Jessa Claeys
You can buy a new Fiat 500e battery pack from Mopar for about $32,000 or a remanufactured battery for about $5,500, but you’d need to find a mechanic that can do the replacement. Luckily, unless you have one of the oldest models, battery replacement should still be covered under warranty.
Fiat 500e batteries come with an 8-year or 100,000-mile warranty (whichever comes first). The 500e was introduced in 2013. That means the oldest models are reaching their supposed days of reckoning.
You may have several questions, such as: Will my Fiat 500e’s battery suddenly die? Should I start thinking about replacing it? Why is a battery so much more expensive than the actual value of the car?
You’re right to wonder! Luckily,
Jerry
, the vehicle expert and car insurance
comparison tool, has done the research for you. Read on to learn what you need to know about Fiat 500e battery replacement. Don't get ripped off!
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How much does it cost to replace a Fiat 500e battery?
If you search long and hard enough, the rumor mill would have you believe that prices for a Fiat 500e battery replacement range from $10,000 to $35,000. Sure, that includes parts and labor, but most car owners would never consider going through with such an expensive repair.
Here’s the part you’d need to order
if you want a brand-new Fiat 500e battery pack. You can see that it does cost upwards of $30K. However, you can also try your luck with a remanufactured battery like this one
. It’ll run you closer to $6,000.Just remember that ordering the part is not the hardest step in actually replacing a 500e battery. If you’re not a mechanic, you’ll have to find one. And you don’t need just any mechanic—you need someone willing to work on a Fiat 500e.
Upon the 2013 Fiat 500e’s release, then-Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne urged consumers not to buy it, saying that each one sold lost the company $10,000. Two years later, he updated his assessment: “I hope you don't buy it, because every time I sell one, it costs me $14,000.”
By 2017, the number had reached $20,000. And it’s no wonder! The batteries are worth about the same amount of money as the car’s original MSRP!
The good news is if your Fiat 500e is still within warranty, you’ll be able to get a Fiat/Chrysler dealership to fix it.
MORE: Everything you need to know about Fiat electric cars
Can you put a new battery in an old Fiat 500e?
Have you heard the news? The Fiat 500e is coming back for the 2024 model year. The new models are expected to double the range of the first-generation 500e’s.
There has been
talk of upgrading the battery packs
on the original 500e. Theoretically, you could do it yourself. But you probably shouldn’t—unless you have the time, money, and wherewithal to do some serious tinkering. The tinkering in question would involve buying individual, higher-capacity battery cells that fit where the original cells were located and individually swapping all the old cells out for the new ones.
As for whether or not you’ll be able to get a battery built for the new 2024 Fiat 500e and put it in your 2013 model… let’s just say, probably not.
Fiat 500e battery capacity and range
Prior to the recent reboot, the Fiat 500e was only produced for a single generation, from model years 2013 to 2019. All are outfitted with the same, no-nonsense 24-kWh battery pack composed of 97 Samsung SDI cells with 63 Ah capacity. This allows for 87 miles of driving range—slightly more than the second-generation
Nissan Leaf
(which offered an 84-mile range from 2014 to 2017).How long does a Fiat 500e battery last?
Theoretically, a Fiat 500e battery can last a very long time. It was designed to experience little to no cell degradation. So, no—your Fiat 500e battery is probably not going to suddenly die once the warranty is up.
The 2013 Fiat 500e came with an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty, meaning the battery was expected to last at least 100,000 miles. But guess what? There are 500e owners who have driven more than this and report
little to no range reduction
.There is
some documentation
of electronics failing on the Fiat 500e battery packs, prompting the replacement of the entire battery. But it seems that the replacement parts were coming from an aftermarket source.Should I be worried about my Fiat 500e battery dying?
The average 2013 Fiat 500e battery could theoretically last another 100,000 miles or more after its initial warranty has expired. If you do end up in a freak scenario where your Fiat 500e battery needs replacement and it’s no longer covered under warranty, you could just buy a used Fiat 500e rather than worrying about battery replacement. 2013 models are now worth about $8,000 to $9,000 according to Kelley Blue Book.
The price of used vehicles has gone up significantly in the past few years, but the Fiat 500e is still one of the cheapest EVs you can buy. Considering that it doesn’t need gas or oil changes, you can save a ton of money by driving one of these bad boys.
Just how much money? Well,
Forbes contributor Karl Brauer’s math
is nearly six years old now (and anecdotal at best), but the former Kelley Blue Book executive publisher and current iSeeCars.com executive analyst determined that he could drive a then-new 2017 Fiat 500e for just $120/month.We’re willing to bet that Karl is the mysterious “carwhisperer” from
this 2017 Fiat500Owners.com thread
that is listed near the top of the search results when you Google “Fiat 500e battery replacement.” Karl clearly knows where to go when you need answers: Fiat
enthusiast message boards.How to save on Fiat 500e insurance
Karl Brauer said
California car insurance
for a Fiat 500e cost him about $60/month. If he had used the Jerry
app, he probably could have gotten an even better deal! That’s because Jerry’s trusted insurance comparison tool
scans rates from over 55 top insurers in seconds. Here’s how to get started: download the Jerry app, take a minute to plug in your info, and watch as Jerry shows you a shortlist of the most competitive quotes. Once you’ve picked the policy and price you like best, Jerry helps finalize your new plan and cancel your old insurance.
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