Compare the2024 Fiat 500eVS 2024 Nissan Leaf

Both the 500e and the Leaf have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, front parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The 500e comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes free 24-hour roadside assistance. The Leaf’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

On the EPA test cycle the 500e gets better mileage than the Leaf:

The 500e stops shorter than the Leaf:

The 500e’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Leaf S’ standard 55 series tires. The 500e’s tires are lower profile than the Leaf SV PLUS’ 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the 500e has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Leaf S.

The 500e has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Leaf’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The 500e handles at .83 G’s, while the Leaf pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the 500e’s turning circle is 3.3 feet tighter than the Leaf S’ (31.5 feet vs. 34.8 feet). The 500e’s turning circle is 4.6 feet tighter than the Leaf SV PLUS’ (31.5 feet vs. 36.1 feet).

The Fiat 500e may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 550 to 950 pounds less than the Nissan Leaf.

The 500e is 2 feet, 9.4 inches shorter than the Leaf, making the 500e easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the 500e easier. The 500e’s trunk lift-over height is 27.4 inches, while the Leaf’s liftover is 28.6 inches.

The 500e uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Leaf uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The 500e’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Leaf’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The 500e’s front power windows lower with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Leaf’s passenger windows don’t open automatically.

The 500e’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Leaf’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

The 500e’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Leaf S’ standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Fiat 500e has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the front center console. The Leaf doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.