Overview & Reviews

Fiat is one of the earliest and grandest names in automobiles, dating from the establishment of Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino ("FIAT") in 1899. During the early years, its racing cars were the envy of every nation. Later on, the Fiat Topolino ("Little Mouse") was as famous as the Volkswagen KDF (subsequently known as the "Beetle") in the 1930s and '40s. The 1950s saw Fiat put much of Italy on wheels with the hugely popular 500, sparking the "Italian Miracle," a renaissance of European consumer products.

Sadly, the company's fortunes in the United States were mixed. Here, the Fiat 1500 won over a fair share of enthusiasts in the mid-'60s, and the early-'70s saw the Fiat 850 (Spider and Coupe) become popular among college students. Yet the Pininfarina-designed Fiat 124 sports car did the most to keep the Fiat image alive in America, as cars like the front-wheel-drive 128 and midengine X1/9 ultimately failed. Even Lancia, Fiat's premium brand, withered quickly after an introduction in the mid-'70s. Ultimately, Fiat's poor reputation for quality and its inability to cope with ever more stringent emissions regulations led the Italian company to pull out of the U.S. market altogether in 1984.

In 2000, General Motors acquired a stake in Fiat as part of a joint venture to create a new generation of small, affordable cars for Europe. GM's financial troubles led to the unraveling of this agreement in 2005, but Fiat had invested the GM money wisely in new air emissions technology. When the bankruptcy of Chrysler took place in 2008, Fiat saw an opportunity to return to the U.S. In 2009, Fiat acquired a controlling interest in Chrysler.

The Fiat 500, debuting for 2012, was the first of Fiat's new generation of cars to come stateside. Staying true to its lineage, the new 500 is very small, nimble and stylish. In addition to the 500 coupe, there are also the 500 convertible and hot-rod 500 Abarth to further tempt those looking for a small car with plenty of personality. More recently, Fiat has expanded its lineup with the fully electric 500e and the family-friendly, four-door 500L.

User Reviews:

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  Too many repairs - clutch failure not warrantied - 2012 Fiat 500
  By pandacar - April 8 - 7:54 pm

  I want to love this car, but one of the main reasons I bought it was for its affordability and I havent even had it 2 years and Im already paying 10% of the original cost in repairs! I bought it one year used with 11,000 miles on it. Its now 28,000 at miles and its had problems with everything from cosmetic issues like peeling paint, to an air bag sensor failure, to a very serious no-warning clutch failure (which was not covered under warranty after 15,000 miles). The clutch replacement at a FIAT dealer has taken 10 days so far and is costing a small fortune. Its a fun car but just not holding up! I always drove a Subaru or Toyota before and I think it may be time to go back.

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  Very Unhappy - 2012 Fiat 500
  By veryunhappy52 - April 8 - 12:23 pm

  I was driving at a speed of 55 mph when without any warning my car shut off. Thank God I or someone else was not hurt. My fiat is a 2012 with 53000 miles on it. The only thing Ive had to do is replace both brake lights at the same time and a headlight. When the car died, I could not get my key out of the ignition nor could I get the car out of gear. It had totally locked up. Just called the dealership and the car wont even communicated with the computer to find out whats wrong. Sounds expensive to me.

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  Very Happy! - 2015 Fiat 500L
  By tjmk - March 23 - 12:31 pm

  At first I was skeptical about this car but I am thrilled with it. It is so comfortable and fun to drive Feels very sturdy and reliable. The exterior is a bit quirky but I think that makes it fun...I am sick of buying the same old same old. Very roomy vehicle with lots of bells and whistles.

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  2013 Abarth manual - highest fun/$ - 2013 Fiat 500
  By paul_abarth - March 23 - 11:47 am

  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.

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  2013 Fiat Sport Manual Black on Black w/Leather Seats - 2013 Fiat 500
  By packers14 - March 22 - 7:27 pm

  We purchased this little beauty new on 12/29/13, so we have owned it now for 15 months. The wife is 52" and I am 511". We both fit comfortably whether driving or riding. The wife is the primary driver and loves everything about this car, the look (with the chrome appearance package) the acceleration (with the manual), the ride comfort (with the leather seating), the upright seating position for a great all around view, and the wonderful handling. The Sport model is the Fiat 500 to get. The Sport model offers much better handling than the Pop model, but does not diminish ride comfort, especially when the leather seating upgrade is included. Also, huge difference with "stick" vs "auto".

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  Great fun, jury still out on reliability - 2014 Fiat 500L
  By Seema Sonnad - March 16 - 9:37 am

  Ive had the car for 9.5 months now. I love the style, the roominess, the visibility and how much fun it is to drive. It took a bit to get used to the transmission (manual, a little odd in first gear), but now it is great. It did have a recall to repair a computer issue causing the battery to die when parked in the cold for more than 48 hours with no start, but hopefully that is resolved. Some minor electrical things are a little quirky, but no big deal. I had my VW golf prior to this for 15 years with no major issues (it had early recalls for an oxygen sensor chip so was not perfect), so reliability is my only real concern with the Fiat.

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  Italian Tardis - 2013 Fiat 500
  By Michael Gagliano - March 13 - 9:38 pm

  I bought a used 2013 with 7k miles and an automatic transmission and use it as our "fun" car for my daily work commute. Weve got 4 kids and our other car is a minivan so this Fiat is a much needed injection of small car sprightliness and tossable fun. Great commuter car. I am amazed at how much "bigger on the inside" (for the Dr Who fans) it feels compared to how it looks from outside. Perhaps its the tallness of the cabin but the front 2 seats are plenty big for adults, comfortable and well supported. Plus I just like that its small. Ive owned an SUV and it always felt like I was carrying around a bunch of extra space back there. Not so with this.

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  Great value but some issues - 2012 Fiat 500
  By Kristina Colpitts - March 12 - 9:28 pm

  I love the retro look and feel, the interior is gorgeous but there are a few issues with my 3 yr old 50,000KM 500C. I bought it 3 years old and a few days ago Ive started to hear some creaking noises on the passenger side and back, sounds almost like the plastic on the doors is not put together tightly... I cant figure out what it is exactly but its SUPER annoying.

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  2015 FIAT 500 Pop (1.4 l gas, 5 Speed Manual) - 2015 Fiat 500
  By reviewer83 - March 11 - 12:18 am

  Although the MSRP is $16,000, I paid $13,000 for a brand new 2015 model on Black Friday after a lot of negotiating. While the price is the best feature of this car, putting an affordable nice new car within reach of anyone at any income level, the FIAT just has so many other great qualities on top of that. It gets 40 miles per gallon on the freeway, and I average 34, including city driving, in my typical commute. It easily reaches freeway speeds and feels very safe and comfortable at 75 MPH. It has excellent handling in all circumstances. The interior was actually "designed," not "thrown together." The manual transmission is very fun to drive with, even when its not in sport mode.

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  Best Value in this segment by far - 2014 Fiat 500L
  By sparkin5280 - February 24 - 9:26 pm

  Like someone else said, this is one of the most underrated small cars on the market today. Its well documented that Americans dont like wagons or minivans for that matter. Well apparently neither do most auto journalists because this car is lambasted in every pupublication. Just go drive one for yourself, these are TONS of fun. In Colorado here at this elevation Turbos and their forced induction rule the land. Maybe in Texas at sea level this car seems pokey, but in this thin air this 1.4 direct inject turbo runs hard and is a blast to drive. I upgraded from a Mini Clubman and LOVE the fact I can fit 3 car seats wide. To be fair I have the 6 speed manual so no automatic problems here.