Suzuki Baleno vs Fiat 500E

What's the difference?

The fact of the Suzuki Baleno's existence is one of the more puzzling features on the automotive landscape. It's a car that pits itself against all manner of worthy competition - some of it exceedingly so - in the small hatch segment.

People still buy what the industry calls light cars (in ever-diminishing numbers) so perhaps Suzuki thought offering two would be a good idea, as its Swift occupies the same patch of sales ground in this city-sized segment.

In this part of the market, you've really, really got to want it. You need to be stylish, sophisticated and packed with tons of safety gear if you've any hope of so much as laying a fingernail on the Mazda2. Or, let's face it, be dirt cheap to counter Yaris and (the soon to depart) Accent.

It's all the more puzzling because Suzuki does interesting cars like the Jimny, Swift, Vitara and Ignis. And the oddball S-Cross (RIP).

The Baleno seems far too tame, timid and, well, blergh. But according to VFacts, Suzuki shifts at least a hundred of these per month, sometimes over 200.

You wouldn’t know it to look at it, but this is a brand-new — as in really and truly all-new — Fiat 500.

That has got to be a big deal for fans of Fiat’s pint-sized city car, with a genuinely all-new 500 about rare as spotting Halley’s Comet soaring over Turin. The last time was way back in 2007, by the way, and that car will remain on sale alongside this new one for the foreseeable.

But that’s not the only surprise. This 500 is also entirely electric, properly modern inside, and it has actual technology in its cabin and on its safety list.

Fiat reckons this is a big reset for the 500. And that there will never be another all-new petrol model again.

So, how does this new 500e stack up against the recent flood of small EVs, predominantly from China?

Let’s go find out.