2013 Fiat 500 Research & Reviews

Overview & Reviews

Average Score

4.11/5 Average
34 Total Reviews
This Year's Model Updates:

Coming off of last year's introduction, the 2013 Fiat 500 gains a new Turbo model, an Abarth convertible and a few new audio options.

Pros:
  • Excellent fuel economy with manual transmission
  • Surprisingly spacious for two people.
  • Adorable styling
Cons:

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 34.00
  • Clutch Recall - 2013 Fiat 500
    By -

    I purchased my fiat in 2013 and it had no problems for a while. At 50,000 miles everything changed. My clutch was faulty and despite the recall, fiat found loopholes in the warranty and I was out $1,500. Now every 50,000 miles my clutch breaks and I owe about $1,600 just to fix the clutch. Do NOT buy this car. Do NOT trust fiat. Please take it from me when I honestly write how terrible my experience has been. Be warned.

  • dont do it! - 2013 Fiat 500
    By -

    2013 pop.struts @ 6000,tires replaced @ 6000at my cost (firestone bulges),struts @ 13000,headlights @ 17000,now @ 18000 alt bad,it gos to dealer every other week,got 0% @60 months,its only worth 5000 less than i owe after 2 years,other things have gone wrong,i just didnt list.by far the worst car i have ever owned,the only car ive had that you can feel falling apart .im a old guy,i bought my first new car in 1978.its either the dealer service dept thats bad or bad engineering from the start,no problem with engine or trans,everything else falls apart,dealer thinks im pickey,i bought a fusion shortly after the fiat due to accident with other car,its never been back for factory f ups and now has 35000 mi,i may pay 5000 to get rid of it,dont buy a black pop it may have been my wifes car

  • Never again - 2013 Fiat 500
    By -

    Everything is falling apart from the inside out. I have already needed a new clutch, fuel pump, and steering column. Worst car ever. Loved it in the begining....... great on gas and fun to drive. BUT NEVER would i recomend this to ANYONE. Oh yeah i have under 30,000 miles on this. Im going to feel terible even selling this to someone.

  • I love my fiat - 2013 Fiat 500
    By -

    I bought my Fiat in January of 2014 and have put just over 22,000 miles on it. I love the drop top which I can drop going up to 50 mph and my gas mileage is at 40.2-I drive 30% city and 70% road. I live in the upper Great Lakes and this little bulldog is surprisingly good in snow, plus witth heated seats I can drop my top and watch the snow fall inside my cabin!

  • Piece of crap car! - 2013 Fiat 500
    By -

    Horrible car!! DO NOT BUY!! i have 22K miles on it and my turbo stopped working, in addition both my windows motors broke. Worst car ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Terrific Car - 2013 Fiat 500
    By -

    I have held off on writing my review for a couple of years (so my car is actually a 13) in order to see how it fared over time. I dont think they have made many changes since them to the Abarth. I did not give it a poor rating on things like ride quality and storage simply because the car is great for what it is. The ride quality is very stiff due to the sport suspension, as is the steering. Its what I wanted and what I expected, so it has not disappointed me in these regards. It is also noisy due to the awesome exhaust (which one dealer told me is made by Ferrari). My only "poor" rating is on the visibility. Even looking out the front you have to be vigilant. There just isnt a lot of clarity no matter how you slice it. Two other things I do not like: no Bluetooth connect from phone to audio (unless calling someone) so if you want to listen to Pandora, you have to have cords. This is probably not the case if you get the navigation package. The other thing I do not like: terrible turning radius! Crazy. Feels like driving a boat when trying for a tight turn. These things being said, I thought that when I bought this car I would get tired of it after two months. Its loud, fun, stiff, small, fast, manual. I got it on lease for three years, so it was a gamble. Well, I have not tired of it at all. It has been great. You will get close to 40 mpg on the highway, and I average about 30 in mixed city driving. Also, I fit a Laz-y-Boy in the back! (Only because you can separate the seat from the back with a Laz-y-Boy.) This is not a super fast car, but it FEELS super fast and it is a blast to rocket around. I will say that the turbo lag is a bit much. I hear that it is not so obvious in the automatic transmission. Also, Fiat often offers some great deals. I got this as a lease so had to pay the list price. The same car was on sale for about $4,000 less when purchasing. So leasing may not be the most economical choice. I have noticed that a lot of American reviewers are pretty hard on Fiat. I dont know why. Consumer Reports rates them with awful reliability yet I have not had a single issue. I test drove the VW GTI, and that is a great car, but a whole different animal. The GTI is faster, way more refined in terms of ride quality, but the Abarth feels like it is made for rallycross and wants to chew something up. It is just bursting to go when you put it in sport mode. You can only get a sense of the Abarth by driving it and really pushing the pedal. Again, Im not sure why it doesnt get amazing reviews, but I am not a car expert. One person described the driving experience as "driving an angry hornet." That is right on. On the highway, it holds very firm. I have driven it fair distances and been very comfortable, but again, it is quite loud. I would seriously consider getting another Abarth when my lease is up in 2016, but the girlfriend is not in favor. She says it makes her dizzy and it is too loud for us to talk on a road trip. Also, the racing seats are not conducive to her reclining to take a snooze while I drive. So....a word to the wise. In a nutshell, if you test drive this car and finish by getting out and telling yourself you feel like you just got out of a cocktail shaker, this may not be the car for you. If, on the other hand, you get out and you find yourself eager for more, then you know you have found your next car. It will not disappoint.

  • I love my FIat! - 2013 Fiat 500
    By -

    I have had my little yellow Fiat since October 2013 and have 37,000 miles on her, having driven across country twice. Everyone is amazed at the amount of stuff the little car can carry! The only problem I have had, head lights sprung a leak and CDs get stuck in the player. I have wanted one since seeing one in Italy 15 years ago. When my Toyota 4 Runner with 200,000 miles decided to die, I bought my Fiat. A very happy Fiat owner.

  • DO NOT BUY THIS CAR - 2013 Fiat 500
    By -

    By FAR the worst car I have ever owned. From the day I drove it off the lot it had nothing but problems. Steering column replaced twice because of thump when i turned the car, struts and strut mounts replaced, starter replaced 3 times, both regulators broke on power windows, same headlight burned out at LEAST a dozen times, wheel bearings replaced twice, jounce bumpers replaced twice and never resolved the issue,broken shock, exhaust kept loosening up,never resolved. The final straw was after only having 11k miles on it the tires needed replacing because of all of the issues ruined them and Fiat did nothing to remedy. Traded the car after 20 months w/11k miles and only got $7500. DO NOT BUY

  • Love my 2013 Fiat - 2013 Fiat 500
    By -

    When i purchased my Fiat new in 2013 i did not know much about this car but saw it online went to get it...i have the guacamole green and i am so happy with its performance. I have had a Honda, Toyota, Chevy, Mitsubishi, and Saturn...but this is the BEST car i have ever purchased. The turbo button for highway driving is awesome. My Fiat is so quick, i always have cars or trucks! Race me...i win at take off! I only have 14k on my car and i have gone to Vegas and Sedona twice...great on gas!

  • 2013 Abarth manual - highest fun/$ - 2013 Fiat 500
    By -

    You have to try it.. you may love or hate it - but it really is a fun car for enthusiast drivers. Great value, provided you dont pay the MSRP (I got mine (with 3 year tire insurance - which I already used once for a repair) for 19K US$ + tax with end of year discounts of 6K.) Was considering other small/light fun cars such as the Mini/Mazda Mx5/BRZ-FRS, but for similar performance/features it would be 10K more, anyway, I just kind of fell in love with it after a test drive. With the 17-inch wheels and P-zero tires this light weight car feels fast and nimble, not always stable on the edge. Provided you keep it in the mid-rev range the torque is strong and turbo lag is not an issue.

Fiat 500 Reviews By Year:
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