Fiat Grande Panda Named ‘Best Small Car’
Fiat Grande Panda named ‘Best Small Car’ at The New Car World Championships 25/26
- Fiat Grande Panda has received a major industry accolade ahead of its UK launch with the award of ‘Best Small Car’ at The New Car World Championships.
- Best Cars of the Year (bestcarsoftheyear.com) is an unaffiliated, not-for-profit organisation that created and runs the New Car World Championships. Its international judging panel includes industry-leading car designers, engineers, racing drivers and executives together with automotive media professionals, based mainly in Europe, Asia and the Americas.
- The latest recognition for Grande Panda adds to a growing list of awards, including being named ‘Supermini of the Year’ by Auto Express and ‘Best Small Car’ by Autocar.
- Judges highlighted the car’s fresh design, practicality, powertrain choice, affordability and flexibility.
- Available with both fully electric and hybrid powertrains, Fiat Grande Panda will arrive in the UK in early 2026 after making its UK auto exhibition debut on the Best Cars of the Year stand at The British Motor Show in August.
Fiat Grande Panda has been named ‘Best Small Car’ at The New Car World Championships 2025/26’, by an unaffiliated, not for profit organisation, Best Cars of the Year. The award was determined by a panel of industry leading designers, engineers, executives, and automotive media professionals, assisted by members of the public who had a small say in the overall vote. This latest accolade adds to the growing recognition for FIAT’s newest model, which has also been awarded ‘Supermini of the Year’ by Auto Express and ‘Best Small Car’ by Autocar in their respective 2025 awards.
Designed to embody the pioneering and highly practical spirit of the 1980s original and beloved Fiat Panda, Grande Panda features compact dimensions and an infectious personality. It is built on the Stellantis Smart-Car Platform, a highly adaptable architecture that supports both hybrid and electric powertrains, and offers a compelling combination of eye-catching Italian design, forward-thinking engineering and sustainable mobility.
Mike Rutherford, founder of Best Cars of the Year / The New Car World Championships and chair of the global judging panel, said: “Modern Fiats don’t get any better than this. The Grande Panda – whether powered by a petrol-electric hybrid engine or the slightly more expensive but still affordable pure-electric version – has ‘new car bargain’ written all over it. It’s only 4m long, but its clever, chunky design and powerful on-road presence combine to give it a big-car feel. Despite its small footprint, it’s more of a spacious, flexible SUV than a tiny, cramped supermini.
“And it’s a vehicle that mightily impressed many official Best Cars of the Year judges plus the countless members of the public who queued to see it and learn more about it when it starred at The British Motor Show last Summer.
“Fiat’s Grande Panda is a modest, fun but highly credible real-world car, for real-world drivers with real-world budgets. It’s a convincing and deserving category winner at The New Car World Championship 25/26. Highly recommended.”
Giuseppe Cava, FIAT UK’s managing director, commented: “We are delighted that Grande Panda has been recognised as ‘Best Small Car’ at The New Car World Championships 2025/26’ and are grateful to the global judging panel and wider public for their votes.
“Grande Panda is the latest icon to join the FIAT family and is compact, affordable and fun to drive. Most importantly, the arrival of Grande Panda into the UK market will make electrification available to a much wider audience and this is perfectly consistent with our commitment to delivering innovative and sustainable mobility solutions that exceed consumer expectations."
Grande Panda is available with a fully electric powertrain that combines a 44kWh battery and an 83kW e-motor (113 HP), to deliver a WLTP range of 199 miles. Alternatively, the hybrid version features a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder turbocharged engine delivering 110 HP, coupled with a 48V Li-ion battery and a sophisticated eDCT 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Staying true to the practicality and functionality of the original Fiat Panda, the Grande Panda is packed with ingenious ideas, including a patented integrated spiral charging cable, exclusive to the electric model. In addition to supporting AC charging up to 7 kW, it is stored under the bonnet, freeing up boot space and making it easier to handle and keep clean in daily use.
Grande Panda offers customers an eco-friendly and ethical mobility solution thanks to the use of sustainable materials in its production. In fact, each Grande Panda contains the recycled materials from 140 beverage cartons, which are used in the vehicle’s interior, and the Grande Panda La Prima version includes “BAMBOX Bamboo Fiber Tex®” in its dashboard wrapping, a dedicated textile containing real bamboo fibres.
Fiat Grande Panda will arrive in the UK in early 2026, with on-the-road prices starting at £18,995.
29th October 2025
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