Fiat 500

The 500 is a cheeky charmer: Fiat has a sure-fire hit.

Driving
Fiat's reborn 500 is a great city car. The turning circle is tight, steering can be lightened via the City button, all-round visibility is good and dimensions are compact. But it isn’t so eager at higher speeds. The motorway ride isn't perfect, and can be patchy on urban roads too. As a result, the 500 can be tiring to drive over long distances. If you are after the perfect hot hatch handling you will be disappointed, too. It's a decent drive, but the Fiat falls behind its MINI rival on twisty roads. The 1.2-litre petrol engine is sweeter than the 1.4-litre, but not nearly as smooth, refined or flexible as a MINI’s 1.4-litre. The 1.3-litre diesel is torquey, if clattery. All this, however, fails to detract from the feelgood factor of being behind the wheel of such a cute city slicker.

Marketplace
What’s not to love with the 500? It’s so cute, it makes a MINI look bulky. The design is a triumph, with chrome detailing striking the perfect balance between retro charm and modern chic. Based on the Panda, safety is the key and the 500 is unique in this class in having seven airbags as standard. This helps it to achieve a five-star Euro NCAP crash test score. There are three base engines – 1.2, 1.4 and 1.3 diesel – and three trims, labelled Pop, Lounge and Sport. But the array of options is huge, including 12 paint colours, seven alloy wheels designs, two wheel trims, eight sticker kits, 10 different badges… Fiat counts nearly 550,000 combinations in all! The Fiat’s most obvious rival is the MINI, but the Toyota Aygo, Peugeot 107, Citroen C1 and Ford Ka are also competitors.

Owning
While the Panda is far more spacious, the 500 is still practical. The 185-litre boot is fairly practical and there’s lots of floor space, while the rear seat is fair, too. Up front, good seats are welcome, albeit set a little high, but it’s the dash that grabs your attention – the 500 has retro design features throughout. There’s a lustrous finish to the body-coloured fascia, which gives a solid, classy appearance. It all has real charm and character, so we’re prepared to forgive a few weaknesses – such as the steering wheel’s lack of reach adjustment, and a lack of material quality that dents the 500’s well-engineered feel. But it’s Fiat's dealer network that is one of the 500's biggest challenges. Our maintenance checks proved the situation is currently confused, with huge disparities in quotes for routine maintenance jobs. At least fuel economy, on paper, looks strong. Retained values aren’t bad either – if not as quite as good as a MINI. Source

• On the road price: £7,900 - £10,700
• For : Well equipped, surprisingly roomy, cheap to run, highly desirable
• Against : Flawed driving experience, lacks the MINI’s depth of quality