Fiat 500 review

The Fiat 500’s retro theme continues inside, with a main instrument pod ahead of the driver and a colour-coded dashboard with lots of round buttons and Bakelite-style plastics.

Driving position

A couple of adults can be comfy in the little Fiat's front seats - although the steering wheel only adjusts for height and the driver’s seat may feel unnaturally high for some.

There’s a lot less leg and headroom in the rear pair of seats - the bambinos will be okay there.

The view out of the hatchback is good, and parking sensors are optional. You won’t really need them unless you’re a bad parker.

It’s a different story with the cabriolet – if you fold the roof back as far as it’ll go, it concertinas and blocks the rearview.

Tech and features

A smallish touchscreen and a gear lever that sits next to the steering wheel dominate the rest of the dash.

As standard, most cars get a touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, Bluetooth, a DAB radio, a USB port and a multi-function steering wheel.

The touchscreen’s angle can be difficult to see in bright light. Its rounded edges nicely integrate with the dash.

Handling and ride comfort

The Fiat 500 is pretty good in town (its natural habitat), thanks to nimble handling.

The steering doesn’t really offer anything in the way of feedback, and the body leans more in bends than the Mini, while the suspension isn’t great at dealing with poor road surfaces – a VW Up Is better in this regard.

Engines and power

There’s a two-cylinder petrol unit dubbed the TwinAir, which you need to work hard if you want to get a move on – but you’re probably happy cruising at low speeds so everyone can check out the looks.

The 1.2 petrol is better if you head out of town from time to time. The same applies to the 1.3 diesel, which does a decent job on the motorway.

The 500’s sporty versions, the Abarth 595 and 695, use a 1.4 petrol, while a mild-hybrid model was introduced in 2020.

Newer cars use a 1.0-litre mild hybrid petrol, which strikes the best balance between all of the older options. It's also generally more efficient in real-world scenarios.

Storage solutions

You can’t expect a city car to have oodles of storage space - and the Fiat 500’s glovebox hasn’t got space for much more than, er, a pair of Italian leather gloves.

There’s also very little room in the front door bins. At least there are a couple of cup holders between the front seats for a macchiato or two.

Boot space

Likewise, the boot is a small 185 litres (compared with 211 litres for the three-door Mini Hatch and 252 litres for the VW Up).

On most models, the Fiat’s rear seatbacks split and fold to extend the boot to more than 500 litres. You’ll probably do that only very occasionally – this is a city car, after all.

The cabriolet’s boot is the same size as the hatchback, although you have a much smaller boot opening.

Fuel economy

The popular 1.2 petrol engine gets 60.1mpg officially. In real-world motoring, this is likely to be in the 40s, especially in town, where stop-start traffic doesn’t help economy.

The TwinAir engine returns better figures. You do need to work this engine hard if you head out of town, so bear that in mind.

Newer cars with the 1.0-litre mild hybrid tend to be pretty economical around town, which is where most drivers will spend their time.

Naturally, the 1.4 in the Abarth versions is the thirstiest of the lot. The diesel can achieve economy into the 60s.