Kia Cerato vs Fiat 500

What's the difference?

Kia has value and packaging on its side with the sleek and spunky Cerato GT sedan. There’s no shortage of standard gear, it comes with the latest multimedia and safety gear and the cabin and cargo area are spacious and practical.

The powertrain is a winner too. Which is why it’s such a shame that it’s let down so badly by the ride quality.

If you’re going to be driving on various road surfaces, or regularly driving long distance, check out the far more compliant Hyundai i30 N-Line instead.

But if you’ll only ever drive in urban areas – or enjoy the occasional back-road blast – and you can handle the firm ride, there’s still plenty to like about the Cerato GT.

It feels like the Fiat 500 is coming of age in this new-generation EV form. Electric power perfectly suits this compact hatch’s unique personality. It’s comparatively well priced and the design shouts Italian cool. It’s a niche model, but the 500e’s undoubted charisma could broaden its appeal as electric vehicle adoption begins to pick up pace. 

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

When the fourth-gen Cerato sedan was revealed in US-market Kia Forte guise at the 2018 Detroit motor show, the design was praised for taking inspiration from the sleek Stinger performance sedan.

The facelift has arrived at just the right time to keep the Cerato fresh against the dominant Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and new Volkswagen Golf.

The sharpened front-end styling features an eye-catching daytime running light signature and the headlights now connect with the redesigned, slimline Kia ‘tiger-nose’ grille in gloss black.

It’s a subtle, yet successful design refresh.

Inside, the Cerato is starting to look its age against rivals like the Golf and Mazda3. Those GT themed additions definitely lift the ambience of the cabin, but the dash layout feels a bit generic and the overall interior design is nothing flash. Especially when you consider the interior of some of Kia’s latest models, like the impressive Sportage medium SUV.

In its latest electronic guise, the 500e stays loyal to its 1950s cinque­cento roots, with the addition of contemporary touches like this distinctive split headlight and DRL design, beautiful 17-inch alloys that look like they’ve come out of a jewellery box, and a simple, curved rear end treatment with classic 500-style LED tail-lights. 

There are six colours to choose from, with ‘Ice White’ being the only no-cost option.  Premium shades - ‘Onyx Black’, ‘Ocean Green’, ‘Mineral Grey’ and ‘Rose Gold’ cost $700 extra, while the ‘Tri-coat’ ‘Celestial Blue’ adds $1600 to the price.

The interior also evokes 500s of old with a familiar elongated central panel across the dash, a two-spoke steering wheel and a circular instrument binnacle. 

Woven material across the dash (made from recycled plastic) is a nice touch, and there are fun Easter eggs around the car like Turin’s skyline embossed in the wireless charging pad and an outline of the original 500 in the armrest recesses.

The single trim option is ‘Ice Beige’ synthetic leather on the seats and door panel, with a super-cool ‘FIAT’ monogram pattern, throwing back to the brand’s typography from the 1960s and ‘70s. 

Overall, the cabin design is neat and ultra-clean with a high-quality attention to detail.

As mentioned, the red stitching throughout, chunky steering wheel and sports seats are welcome additions to the GT cabin.

There are soft-touch materials on the top of the dash but hard plastics on the dash fascia. 

There’s no fully digital instrument cluster, but it has a 4.2-inch LCD display in the cluster showing fuel economy and the like. No complaints with the analogue dials and there’s a digital speedo if required.

The update ushered in Kia’s latest multimedia system to the Cerato and it’s a winner thanks to cool graphics, logical menus and its ease of use.

There’s quite a sizable central storage bin and glovebox, while the console houses a key slot, two sizeable cupholders and a second spot for devices adjacent to the charging pad.

The front sports seats look sexy, have excellent side and body bolstering and they’re firm, but comfortable.

A 600mL bottle will just fit into the doors, bit it’s tight.

Sitting behind my six-foot (182cm) frame in the rear, legroom is adequate but toe room is tight. My head was about an inch away from the headliner due to the sloping roofline. The rear seats are also firm.

The Cerato has lower rear air vents, one USB-C port, a map pocket on the passenger side, a central rear armrest with two cupholders, and bottles slot into the doors easier than they do up front.

Kia offers a temporary spare wheel housed under the boot floor. The boot is long, offering an impressive 502 litres (VDA) of cargo space, which is more than other small sedans like the Subaru Impreza (460L VDA) and the Hyundai i30 (474L VDA).

Lower the rear 60/40 seats via the levers in the boot and that space increases further, but they don’t fold completely flat.

It might be 61mm longer than the combustion 500, but at just over 3.6m long, a little under 1.7m wide and a bit more than 1.5m tall, the 500e is still right-sized for the city.

A four-seater, it offers adequate space for the driver and front seat passenger, but with a wheelbase of just over 2.3 metres, something’s got to give, and that turns out to be room in the rear. 

Realistically, it’s a kids-only zone, and even then, those in front will need to give ground to free up some legroom. 

Storage runs to a tray between the front seats complete with roll-top lid, another storage box/armrest above that, a small glove box and bins in the doors with just enough room for a decent-size bottle. 

For connectivity, there are USB-A and USB-C ports for power and media, plus a 12V socket in the centre storage tray and another in the boot. No charging options in the back.

Speaking of the boot, it's only 185 litres (VDA) with four seats up. Enough room for a limited number of (preferably) soft bags, although the rear seat split-folds 50/50 to open up 550L.

Given the front engine, FWD configuration, it’s no surprise there’s no ‘frunk’, the 500e is a no-tow zone, and don’t bother looking for a spare of any description your only option is a repair/inflator kit.

Offered locally in a single ‘La Prima’ coupe spec the 500e is priced at $52,500, before on-road costs. Although it's available in other markets, there’s no cabriolet-style convertible for Australia this time around.

At that price point EV rivals include the entry-level ‘Classic’ version of the Mini Cooper Electric and just-released five-door Cupra Born.

And the standard features list includes a 10.25-inch multimedia display (running the latest ‘UConnect 5’ software with ‘Hey Fiat’ voice recognition), built-in navigation, a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, climate control air, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a panoramic fixed glass sunroof, synthetic leather seat trim, a wireless charging pad, heated front seats and six-speaker audio with digital radio.

There’s also 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, tail-lights and daytime running lights, plus keyless entry and start.

Bear in mind you’ll be adjusting the front seats manually, and the climate control is single zone, the latter not such a big deal in a small car. And the only options relate to the paint, which is detailed in the Design section.

While all other Cerato grades use a 112kW/192Nm 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, the GT benefits from a spicier powertrain.

Under the bonnet is the Hyundai Group 1.6-litre T-GDI four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine delivering 150kW of power at 6000rpm and 265Nm of torque at 1500-4500rpm. This is the same tune as the Hyundai i30 N-Line.

This is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that drives the front wheels. Lower grades use a six-speed torque converter auto. Kia dropped the manual from the S and Sport grades as part of the update.

The GT differs from the rest of the Cerato range as it has multi-link rear suspension, instead of a torsion beam setup. Both the suspension and steering have been tuned for dynamic driving. More on that later.

Power is provided by a traction electric motor sending 87kW/220Nm to the front wheels via a single-speed reduction gear automatic transmission.

It’s fed by a 42kWh lithium-ion battery, the set-up running on a 400-volt electric architecture.

According to Kia, the Cerato GT sedan uses 6.9 litres of fuel per 100km on the combined cycle. The GT hatch uses 0.1L less.

After a week of mixed driving in the Cerato GT, we recorded a combined fuel consumption figure of 9.0L/100km – a fair bit more than Kia’s claim.

The GT emits 157g/km of CO2 (official combined).

That 42kWh battery is connected to an 85kW DC charging system, with Fiat claiming it makes 50km of range available after five minutes, and 80 per cent of range in 35 minutes.

The charging port is a CCS Type 2 combo, and the AC maximum is 11kW, taking four hours for a full charge. An 11kW Mode 3 charging cable is included as standard.

Maximum range is 311km which is pretty handy, with the benefit that the relatively small battery delivers those quick recharge times.

Energy consumption on the WLTP cycle is 14.3kWh/100km, however our relatively brief steer around Turin didn’t allow for a meaningful test figure. That will have to wait for evaluation on local soil. 

The 1.6-litre turbo engine is a ripper and it’s been put to good use in Hyundai’s i30 N-Line and Veloster Turbo.

It’s just as willing and responsive under the bonnet of the Cerato GT, but they each perform quite differently.

Accelerating from a standing start, there’s mild turbo lag in the Cerato, and some torque steer when accelerating hard.

Once up and running it’s quick, and the seven-speed dual clutch snaps through the gears smoothly while still allowing it to rev freely.

It’s the type of powertrain that is utterly unbothered by things like steep ascents. The Cerato GT just keeps pushing on, without losing momentum.

The downside of that is that the engine is super noisy when pushed and the Kia just doesn’t have sufficient noise suppression materials to counter that. Because of this, it lacks the refinement of its i30 N-Line cousin and the Mazda3.

Steering is weighted on the heavier side but it’s direct and the car goes where you point it.

Like many Kia models, the Cerato GT benefits from an Australian-specific steering and suspension tune. Kia doesn’t have a full performance hot hatch to line up with the i30 N, but the engineers seem to have tuned the suspension to be just as capable as the full-fat i30 N.

That certainly aids dynamic driving in the Cerato GT. It hugs corners and grips the road, avoiding any skipping and with only a hint of body roll.

However, we think Kia’s engineers have made the damper settings too firm, because the Cerato GT’s ride is harsh in virtually all driving environments.

A new, freshly laid road surface in an urban area without any speed bumps was the only time the ride was comfortable during our week with the car.

It crashes over potholes and it’s loud and jarring when you unexpectedly encounter a sharp rut. There’s a bit of vibration through the steering wheel too.

This is disappointing, especially when you consider that the i30 N-Line has a much more supple ride and is the sort of warmed-up hatch or sedan you could easily live with day to day.

We briefly drove the i30 N hot hatch just before we got into the Cerato GT and even that has a more tolerable ride quality than the Kia.

Fiat claims the 500e will dash from 0-100km/h is 9.0sec which is pretty handy, and in typical EV fashion it’s cheekily rapid around town.

Given the transmission is a single-ratio auto, the placement of buttons in the centre of the dash to control its operation makes a lot of sense. 

Acceleration is impossibly smooth, whether that’s from rest or in the cut-and-thrust of city traffic. 

There are three available drive modes. As the name implies, ‘Normal’ doesn’t place any performance limitations on the motor, while ‘Range’ shifts to more aggressive single-pedal regenerative braking and even slicker accelerator response.

Then, if you’re low on charge, ‘Sherpa’ limits maximum speed to 80 km/h and softens accelerator response while cutting the climate control and seat heaters to ensure you get to your destination in best Nepalese mountaineering fashion. 

We tried a stint in all three, and Range proved the most effective around town, the regen braking being strong but never abrupt (and able to bring you to a complete stop).  

The disc front/drum rear mechanical brakes are a bit sharp on initial bite but nice and progressive from there. 

A note for left-foot brakers, though. Apply pressure to the accelerator and brake pedals at the same time and the car bogs down in a case of minor paralysis. A quick dab on the brake is required to get things going again.  

Of course, noise levels are low, with the motor just a background hum. But Fiat has installed an unusual (mandatory) ‘Acoustic Vehicle Alert System’ warning for pedestrians at speeds up to 20 km/h.

Rather than the generic space-age tone favoured by many brands, the 500e plays the music of Amarcord by Italian composer Nino Rota. Wow. Turning the car on or off can also be set to produce a guitar sequence inside the cabin.

Suspension is strut front/torsion beam rear and over decidedly ordinary surfaces through inner Turin the 500e was impressively refined, retaining its composure over some nasty ruts and bumps. 

A roughly 300kg battery under the floor makes for a low centre of gravity, and thanks to wide tracks for its size, the 500e feels well planted and stable even in sharp cornering manoeuvres.

Steering feel is good, the 205/40 Continental EcoContact 6 rubber is agreeably quiet and grippy and a 9.7m turning circle makes reverse parking or a 180-degree change of course pretty straight forward. 

In terms of ergonomics, operating the car is stress-free with a sensible mix of on-screen and physical controls, although a minor black mark goes against small opening levers located low down in the door panels. Not exactly easy to get to.    

The Fiat 500e scored four from a maximum five stars when it was assessed by Euro NCAP in 2021, thanks in part to relatively low ratings in the ‘Vulnerable Road User’ and ‘Safety Assist’ categories.

That said, it performed well in adult and child occupant protection, and active crash-avoidance tech includes AEB (with pedestrian and cyclist detection), a reversing camera with 360-degree overhead view, ‘Intelligent Speed Assist’ (with traffic sign recognition), blind spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, ‘Electronic Rollover Mitigation’ (manages the brakes and motor power during “extreme manoeuvres”), attention assist, tyre pressure monitoring and auto high/low beam LED headlights.

If a crash is unavoidable there are six airbags - dual front, front side, and curtains, although the increasingly prevalent front centre bag is missing in action.

There’s a back-to-base emergency call function triggered by airbag deployment, as well as top tethers and ISOFIX anchors in the two rear seat positions.