[scrambler]

Hi,
We own a Volt 2017 as our Only car today. We are starting to need a second car, so I am looking into a used Spark EV or Fiat 500e, which are around 9k (or below) for 2015 and fairly low mileage.

I have the following questions for the owners of the spark out there.

1- Did you consider the Fiat 500e when you got your Spark, and if so what made you choose the Spark over the Fiat
2- Have you seen any battery issues / degradation after the first 2 -3 years or more.
3- What is your average Mileage on a full charge under reasonable driving conditions
4- Any other maintenance issue coming up after 3 years?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

 

[saintyohann]

I turned in my 3-year leased Spark EV in September.

1) I considered the 500e, but wanted four doors and at the time the 500s were so scarce you couldn't test drive one and they were more $ to lease.
2) I didn't notice any loss of range from the battery (my miles per KWh dropped because of driving style, which lowered the range, but the battery was good when I turned it in).
3) The best I ever got was driving from San Diego to Disneyland (100 miles exactly). I got there with 40-miles left on the Guessometer and 7.something miles per KWh. Drove back at night and had 20 miles left when arriving home. I usually got 90-110 miles per charge in the summer and 80-90 in the winter.
4) Tires, you can't rotate the tires front to back, so expect to replace front tires more often.

 

[Craigm]

I'm leasing a 2015 Fiat 500e. At the time (March 2015), we had been looking at used Volts, but went for the 500e because there was a $98/mo lease that was too good to pass up. We didn't really look at the Spark EV because the wife thought the 500e was "too cute".

No problems with the Fiat, just two routine software updates. Hard to tell about the battery during the winter, but if I'm not using the heater I still see 4.5 miles per kWH.

Potential problem with the 500e is the smart phone app. Fiat says the app will be discontinued after three years. The GPS unit is a Tom-Tom (2015 cars) that is a dash top unit that sort of blocks my vision, and the Tom-Tom service is too expensive for me to keep active.

 

[jbakerjonathan]

You might want to read up on Fiat 500e user groups to see what is being said by owners. A google search turned up a few. Here is the first: http://www.myfiat500e.com/forum/

My friend has a 2015 Fiat 500 convertible that I find really cute. She loves it. It has the pale pea green color with a light tan top, a perfect color combination IMO. The only trouble she had with it in the over 13k miles she has driven it was a heat shield that vibrated at a certain engine speed which was easily corrected by the dealer.

 

[llninja]

I didn't test drive a fiat or a spark EV (GM didn't share the volt with the rest of the 47 states), but did test drive the ICE Spark. I was amazed for such a tiny car how when you got inside, it somehow grew like Harry Potter's tent. Though, I just didn't feel comfortable putting my college aged daughter into SUV bait, so we ended up with something bigger, a Subaru Crosstrek.

As for the Fiat, I was very perplexed by their tag line on their website "Ugliness is the worst form of pollution." To my eyes, the Fiat is god awful ugly, only to be usurped by the BMW i3. So the marketing message in my head reinforces that I shouldn't get this car, since ugly cars polluting the streets is something we should not encourage. Why didn't they go with "Pollution is the worst form of ugly?" That would have made more sense to me.

 

[SoCalSam]

Spark EV Answers

I have two Spark EV's and love them. Great urban car and very quick and maneuverable. For a small car it feels remarkably roomy inside.
1) The leases on the Spark EV's were simply to good to pass up - nothing down and $149/month for 36 months but with the California rebate it drops down to about $70/month if you amortize the rebate out over the term. I do like the looks of the Fiat 500e but at the time they could not compete with the Spark EV lease.
2) Consistently get the advertised 82 miles per charge after 2 years for both. No degradation but I live in Los Angeles with the mild climate year round.
3) Same answer as 2).
4) Zero maintenance issues except for 3 recalls.
I highly recommend the Spark EV.

 

[Raymondjram]

Motor Trend did an article comparing the top five small electric vehicles some time ago. The top car was the Chevy Spark EV, next the Ford Focus Electric (only by a few points). The Nissal Leaf was third, and the Fiat 500e was fourth. The Mitsubishi iMiev was the last and worse. Check the MT webpages for that comparion, and also check Consumer Reports (if you trust them) for their reviews.

One good point about a BEV, even a used one, is the minimum maintenence they need. You will be changing tires and wiper blades before they need any fluid replacements (coolant and transmission fluids)!

 

[scrambler]

Thank you all so far.

I understand the Spark only charges at 3.3kw unless you have the fast DC charging option, is that true for all model year?
Also is the EVSE that comes with the car a level 1 (110v) or a level 2 (240v)?
Also what are the bumper to bumper warranty and battery warranty on the spark ?
Thanks again

 

[Norton]

Thank you all so far.

I understand the Spark only charges at 3.3kw unless you have the fast DC charging option, is that true for all model year?
Also is the EVSE that comes with the car a level 1 (110v) or a level 2 (240v)?
Also what are the bumper to bumper warranty and battery warranty on the spark ?
Thanks again

Just found this.
3.3kW all years. Same part as the G1 volt.
Comes with L1. Some owners can live with that.
3yr/36k mile bumper to bumper, same as all GM's, no?

Mine is in the final days of that coverage and I will not have a single item that needed warranty repairs.
I had it in for some SW recalls and that is all.

I see in another thread you got one with 57k miles. Don U worry bout a ting. Flog it !! Front tires and cheap, so it's cheap, fast fun !!