Fiat Grande Panda
New from £18,540 / £295 p/m
Is the Fiat Grande Panda Hatchback a good car?
Read our expert review
Words by: Catherine Kent
Additional words by: Dan Trent
"How is an icon born? Fiat thinks it has the answer: take the shape of a well-known classic, enlarge it, modernise it, then add pops of colour. It’s a neat trick which Fiat successfully pulled off with the 500, but this time cutesy curves are out and bold boxy 1980s styling is in. So, there you have it – enter the Grande Panda. We’ve already driven the electric Grande Panda but if full electrification doesn’t fit your driving life just yet this hybrid offers the convenience of fuelling from a regular petrol pump with a battery-powered boost to keep your visits to the forecourt to a minimum. The Grande Panda Hybrid is full of charm, great value and easy to get on with making it stand out against its closely related cousin the Citroen C3 and other competitors like the Suzuki Swift. The hybrid system is also a lot more effective and nicer to drive than those in rivals like the MG3 or Chery Tiggo 4 as well. Read our review of the Grande Panda Electric here"
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Running costs for a Fiat Grande Panda
5/5
The Grande Panda Hybrid comfortably undercuts rival like the MG3 Hybrid+, Suzuki Swift and Citroen C3. Despite the entry-level Pop trim being true to the Panda’s utilitarian roots, it does have all the essentials you really need. However, those looking for more mod-cons will be pleased to know the cost to move up a grade is relatively small. We’d like to spend some quality time with the hybrid to really test its fuel-saving credentials but, from short drives first on the Italian launch and now on home soil, the claims of 50+ mpg look viable, the system even more effective around town where it can spend more time with the petrol engine off. The lack of large battery helps to keep the outright cost down which should help private buyers, yet company car drivers will need to choose the fully electric version to gain any Benefit in Kind advantages.
Reliability of a Fiat Grande Panda
2/5
Fiat hasn’t historically had the best reliability record. The Grande Panda is a new model so we don’t yet know how reliable it will be, but its shared parts from the wider Stellantis group offer some reassurance. While we didn’t suffer any mechanical issues with our hybrid test car the infotainment screen did temporarily go blank during a rather tight manoeuvre, leaving us with no reversing camera. Given we also experienced a faulty shock absorber when we drove the pre-production electric version, we’ve decided on a tentative reliability score for now. However, buyers will be covered by a standard three-year warranty which should give some peace of mind.
Safety for a Fiat Grande Panda
3/5
The Grande Panda comes with six airbags and unusually Fiat has located the passenger one in the roof to make more room for storage in the dashboard. Additionally, you get driver aids such as emergency braking, driver attention monitoring, lane keeping assistance and traffic sign recognition. This is prone to miss-reading the speed limit, so the inclusion of a physical button to mute the warnings is welcome. All cars come with rear parking sensors, cruise control and a speed limiter as standard while La Prima cars gain front parking sensors and a reversing camera. Fiat has pragmatically prioritised the regulated aids against nice to haves to keep the Grande Panda’s purchase price down, so you won’t find useful features such as blind spot monitoring or adaptive cruise control.
How comfortable is the Fiat Grande Panda
4/5
This may be the biggest Fiat to wear a Panda badge, but it’s not a big car by today’s standards. However, it does make good use of the space available. There’s a decent boot which is larger in the hybrid than in the electric version with fractionally more room inside too. Passengers get plenty of space regardless of where they are sitting with ample head- and legroom even in the back. Upfront is also spacious, with decent storage compartments and the bonus of a dashboard cubby. On La Prima models this is partly upholstered with real bamboo fibres adding additional character to the interior. Fun is a theme throughout the car with pops of yellow and a range of different materials, textures, and motifs to make the Grande Panda stand out. Notably the blue plastic used for the door cards is made from plastic and aluminium found in drinks cartons which can’t usually be recycled, and each Grande Panda helps to recycle 140 cartons. While we found the ride quality in the electric Grande Panda could be rather jiggly, the hybrid felt noticeably softer and coped much better with rough surfaces. In fact, it wasn’t far off the Citroen C3’s level of comfort, which is high praise indeed.
Features of the Fiat Grande Panda
4/5
The hybrid Grande Panda has three trim options: Pop, Icon and La Prima. All cars get a 10.25-inch central touchscreen with CarPlay and Android Auto integration, which is a solid start. Not everyone will agree but we’re calling it a shame the base level Pop version doesn’t get the cool retro steel wheels you get on the electric equivalent, Icon adding roof rauls and skid plates for a more rugged, junior SUV look. Meanwhile, range-topping La Prima gains bigger alloys, sat-nav and a handy wireless phone charger on top of the standard four USB-C ports throughout the car. The infotainment doesn’t have a huge range of features, but the layout is much simpler to use than the 600’s. We appreciate the physical heating controls which get upgraded to climate control with heated seats in La Prima models. The Grande Panda brings a slice of Italy to Britain’s streets with its choice of seven paint colours, none of which are grey, and you can add to the robust looks by adding inserts to the Panda lettering imprinted on the doors.
Power for a Fiat Grande Panda
3/5
Fiat talks a lot about the “easy drive philosophy” of the Grande Panda and whether you go for the electric or the hybrid version, it is a breeze to drive as there’s no manual gearbox to worry about. The hybrid combines a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a small battery and electric motor designed to make the car more efficient in stop-start traffic. While this doesn’t provide the electric boost of a full hybrid, it does allow the car can run in electric mode for very short periods on start-up and when manoeuvring at low speeds. There’s also an ‘L-mode’, to increase the engine braking and put some power back into the battery when you come off the throttle but, for all the cleverness, the Fiat’s hybrid system feels more refined and conventional to drive than those in some Chinese-built rivals like the MG3 or Chery Tiggo 4, with less to get your head around. Which we’d consider a good thing, for the fact you just slip it into D and go. Out on the open road the steering is very light, and despite only having 110 horsepower the Grande Panda has enough go to feel confident pulling out into busy traffic. Our test route didn’t allow for us to try the car on a motorway, though, so we’re looking forward to a longer go with it to see how it fairs on a cruise.
Lease deals
These deals are based on terms of 8,000 miles, for a 36 month lease with a 6 months initial payment.
Standard equipment
Expect the following equipment on your Fiat Grande Panda Hatchback. This may vary between trim levels.
Related articles and reviews
Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid (2025 - ) review
Not ready for a fully electric Grande Panda? No problem – the even more affordable hybrid is ready and waiting!
Fiat Grande Panda Electric (2025 - ) review
The Panda has grown up and gone electric, offering great value and more pops of colour than an 80s disco
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