A GRANDER PANDA (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_fiatgrandepanda_2026

By Jonathan Crouch

Fiat reimagines what a small five-door city car should be with this Grande Panda. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 35

With this Grande Panda, Fiat re-invents its iconic Panda city car for a new era. There's something old and plenty new here. Plus something borrowed (the Stellantis Smart Car platform) and plenty that's ecologically blue.

Backgroundword count: 250

Almost every car you can think of can be pigeonholed into a specific market segment. And even if it can't be, it's likely to appeal to a very specific group of customers. In many ways, the Fiat Panda has always been different. And it still is in this modern-era Grande Panda guise. The Panda has been with us since 1980, an original model which lasted over two decades until it was finally replaced 2003. A third generation model arrived back in 2011, stayed on sale until 2024 - and was still being sold in some markets after this newer model's introduction, hence this latest car's differentiating 'Grande Panda' model name. In many ways, the launch of this Grande model here in early 2026 was the biggest evolution in Panda history - and not just because it was the first car in this model line to be available with a full-EV drivetrain, or a Hybrid engine. Just as significantly, this is the biggest Panda yet. And it's far more of a global model, rather than just a peculiar Italian confection slightly limited on appeal in other markets. Just as the smaller 500 model has become effectively a Fiat sub-brand, with different model variants, so the Grande Panda will be too, with all kinds of variations planned for it over the coming years. All though, aim to replicate the versatile, class-less attributes which have always set Pandas apart. Let's take a closer look at the Grande Pande interpretation of this strong-selling formula.

Driving Experienceword count: 292

Like many small Stellantis Group models, the Grande Panda was originally envisaged as an EV-only product, then hurriedly reconfigured in later development so as also to be able to include a combustion hybrid offering too. The EV version we tried is the one Fiat most wants to sell you, with a battery smaller than the one in the only slightly larger 600e model because the Grande Panda sits on different architecture. The Smart Car Stellantis platform (shared with the Citroen C3) is designed in EV form for use with a 44kWh battery, which in this case offers a range of 199 miles and is paired with a 113hp motor. It's a simplistic driving experience - no drive modes or brake regen settings. Expect 62mph in around 11s en route to 98mph. We mentioned the alternative availability of a combustion hybrid variant; let's tell you about that. The Grande Panda Hybrid comes with a unit we've covered in multiple Stellantis group models; a three cylinder turbocharged 1,199cc petrol powerplant that drives through a six-speed dual clutch auto gearbox. Fiat calls it the 'T-Gen3' but it's the same powertrain you'll find with other badging in the Hybrid versions of the two other Stellantis models that share this Grande Panda's 'Smart Car' electrified platform - Citroen's C3 and Vauxhall's Frontera. It combines a 48V lithium battery and a 21kW electric motor, complete with an inverter and a control unit. There's no plug-in capability. Power is 110hp, 0-62mph takes 10s and it's all over at 99mph. There isn't of course the same seamless urgency of acceleration as you'd get in the Grande Panda EV, but the sensation isn't too far off that and does a decent job of disguising this Fiat's surprisingly prodigious 1,380kg kerb weight.

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