Overview & Reviews

Something of an Italian answer to the VW Beetle, the original Fiat 500 was produced from 1957 through 1975 and featured a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine of just 500cc (a half-liter) in size. Among the 500's (or Cinquecento's) lovable traits were its diminutive yet space-efficient body that made maneuvering in crowded European cities a snap, an available large fold-back canvas sunroof and a small appetite for fuel.

Arriving some  50 years after the introduction of the original, today's Fiat 500 boasts many of the traits that made its forebear so beloved. The contemporary Fiat 500 has cute retro styling along with a surprisingly roomy cabin for its small footprint. Marking Fiat's return to the United States after a 27-year hiatus, the 500 is something of a United Nations approach to car building, as this Italian car is built at a Fiat-owned Chrysler plant located in Mexico. Though that may put long-term reliability into question, what we do know is that this little car's personality fits its cheeky looks.

Current Fiat 500
The Fiat 500 is available in both coupe and convertible body styles. The convertible, though, is actually more like a coupe, with a huge, roll-back cloth sunroof.

The standard 500 comes with a 1.4-liter 101-horsepower four-cylinder matched to either a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic. As the Fiat 500 weighs just 2,350 pounds -- a few hundred less than a base Mini Cooper -- performance is actually fairly peppy.

The Fiat 500 Turbo and GQ Edition gain a turbocharged version of the 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine that generates 135 hp and 150 pound-feet of torque. A five-speed manual is the only transmission available. Those looking for the spiciest meatball should consider the 500 Abarth. With 160 hp and 170 lb-ft of torque, its turbocharged 1.4-liter four sends the Abarth to 60 mph in a quick 7.1 seconds. The five-speed manual is the sole transmission offering here.

The standard Fiat 500 coupe comes in Pop, Sport, Lounge, Turbo and Abarth trim levels, while the convertible comes in the Pop, Lounge and Abarth variants. Standard feature highlights for the base Pop trim include full power accessories, air-conditioning, cruise control, a tilt-only steering wheel, a height-adjustable driver seat and a six-speaker sound system. The luxury-themed Lounge adds 15-inch alloy wheels, exterior chrome accents, foglamps, a fixed glass roof (hatchback only), upgraded cloth upholstery, Bluetooth phone connectivity and an iPod/USB audio interface. The Sport, Turbo and Abarth models upgrade with features that are mainly performance-related. Two special-edition models, the GQ and the 1957, were introduced this year, offering mainly cosmetic flourishes.

In reviews, we've been impressed by the 500's smooth and willing engines and slick-shifting manual transmission. Though the steering feel is somewhat numb, the 500, especially the Sport version, provides agile handling along with a compliant ride quality, besting the Mini Cooper in the latter respect. The Abarth is a different animal entirely -- a 500 with an attitude by way of its spirited acceleration, snorting exhaust and athletic handling. This little dynamo should have strong appeal to enthusiasts, as it provides massive driving entertainment in a tiny package.

Though the 500 is 6 inches shorter in length and 2 inches narrower than its chief rival, the Mini Cooper, the Fiat 500 is substantially taller (by 4 inches). That translates into better outward visibility and respectable leg- and headroom, especially for rear seat passengers. The interior is cheerful-looking, especially when optioned with the two-tone coloring, and the controls are easy to operate. Despite the Fiat 500's small size, seating comfort is surprisingly respectable for drivers of all sizes, though tall folks should avoid the sunroof, as it significantly reduces headroom.

Used Fiat 500 Models
The current-generation Fiat 500 was introduced in 2012. Besides the Turbo and Abarth convertibles being unavailable that first year, changes since then have mostly been limited to shuffling of trim level content. The 1957 and GQ special edition models debuted in 2014.

User Reviews:

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  Fun, Cute but No Power - 2012 Fiat 500
  By edcg - March 3 - 4:45 pm

  Ive been waiting for this car to come to the US ever sense the positive review on TopGear. The US Spec Sport version version looks nice and is comfortable but lacks real oomph from the engine. This car is still on my short list BUT Im going to wait for the Abarth variant.

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  It Popped! - 2012 Fiat 500
  By Gi - January 20 - 9:19 am

  Fun car to own and drive. It a crowd pleaser with loads of people smiling when I drive by. Enjoyed it very much. I almost forgot to put in gas.

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  My angry little car - 2016 Fiat 500
  By Brian Ach - November 20 - 1:30 pm

  Heres the thing--there are a lot of cars with more room, better build quality, more cache, better reliability, and more room. There are cars that have way more updated electronics, navigation, etc. and are more functional in terms of rear seat space, ergonomics and the like. None of them will be more fun than this car. None of them will make you smile, laugh, look forward to driving them, talk to people about them, or write a review. The Abarth (mine is a 2016 automatic in yellow) puts fun first and functionality second, but dont take that to mean its a toy or not a good everyday car. The automatic is a hoot (I own three other stick shift cars including a Porsche 911 in NYC) and blips the throttle with a roarty exhaust backfire when you get on the brakes. It pulls hard in point-and-squirt traffic when in "Sport" mode (the only mode you should be in) and hugs off-ramps like velcro to wool. Its fun. No one looks twice at your Mini Cooper S or your GTI. I catch people looking at this yellow bee all the time. The amazing thing is how good the ride is. Short wheelbase and stiff springs dont add up to comfort, but on the highway and terrible pavement, those dual-mode shocks work their magic and it is amazing. Seriously. Front seat space is good, visibility is great (a by-product of the high seating position) and when you fold the rear seats down (or delete them) its like the worlds smallest SUV. Its as much car as you want, but no more car than you need 94% of the time. Can humans fit in the back? Better than you think...but its tight. Can I park anywhere? Yes. Do what I did--find a used one with less than 5K miles on it, with a full factory warranty, let someone else take the depreciation hit, and drive off into the sunset. Does the exhaust sound better than a Ferrari? Yes. Is it fast? Not really, no. Does it know it? No. Its like the chihuahua who thinks its a Pit Bull, but its tongue-in-cheek. Its fun. Its probably just what you need.

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  Cute little car for pasta lovers - 2012 Fiat 500
  By Ed - July 27 - 10:56 pm

  Fun little car

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  Surprisingly adequate and just a little fun too - 2016 Fiat 500
  By libero1@earthlink.net - August 22 - 9:36 am

  Spouse and I found ourselves in a rush and needing a rental car. The only car immediately available was a Fiat 500 with automatic. We took it. On a 100 mile road trip to the event venue, the car proved to be more than adequate to the task. While acceleration was slow, once at speed the car maintained interstate speeds without trouble. We drove 80 and even 85mph, passing many more powerful cars. If you know how to drive a small engine, this thing will do the job. It was comfortable for two and luggage space was adequate for a long weekend trip.

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  Love it so far! - 2012 Fiat 500
  By Chelsea - May 2 - 11:56 pm

  I fell in love with Fiats after my trip to Italy and have wanted one ever since. After being super unhappy with Honda, I traded in for a Fiat. As a college student who works a lot and commutes, I put a lot of miles on my cars, relatively quickly. Ive had my Fiat for nearly a year and have put on about 10,000 miles on it (now has about 50k miles) and absolutely no problems so far. I dont think its THAT comfortable of a ride, but its not uncomfortable. I feel safe in it. Its very responsive. Stereo sounds good. I was really looking for something cost effective and it fits the bill. It costs $15-20 to fill my gas tank which I love. The only issues I have with it are minor. The bluetooth button is annoying, I dont use it and my hand always seems to hit it while steering. And the blinker is a little wonky. Ill have my blinker going left or right, take my turn, and many times it wont turn off so Ill manually put it in the middle to stop blinking, but instead, the opposite blinker goes off. I dont know if its just my car or a known problem, but its a pretty minor complaint. I just feel like anyone driving behind me probably thinks Im crazy when I have my left blinker on, then right after my right blinker may turn on until I can get it to stop blinking. Otherwise, great little car with a lot more space than it looks like from the outside. I love throwing the backseats down and having tons of room. A lot of people stare at it wherever I am because there arent a whole ton of Fiats around, which is cool. Great commuter car, I truly enjoy it and would recommend it.

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  Fiat sport turbo - 2012 Fiat 500
  By A Ressing - November 24 - 9:00 am

  Only had it a short time but love turbo and handling.

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  Extra warranty takes me to 1M miles! - 2012 Fiat 500
  By Valbowski - August 3 - 10:30 pm

  This car has been driven nearly 7 days a week almost every week, for 5.5 years. Once a year, an oil change is called for, the car will show the warning for that when it is time. We put a little over 8K miles on it per year, and as this writing, we are at 44K. This is a base model, no special wheels, just a basic pop. Aside from once a year oil changes, and scheduled maintenance, the following things have required repair - 1) the wiring harness that connects all things powered to the hatchback had to be replaced. 2) the fan switch for the heating/cooling needed to be replaced 3) and the rear oil seal on the engine began a tiny drip, which was deemed necessary to be replaced. All of this would have fallen outside of the warranty, but I purchased the 1M mile bumper to bumper warranty. Per visit, with the extra warranty, there is a $100 plus tax fee. The above repairs, if I had not had the warranty, would have almost equaled the cost of the warranty!!! So, since we drive the wheels off of cars, we will be in great shape going forward. Really, get an additional warranty with your purchase if it is possible. On another topic, some observations. I am a big guy, I fill up the front seat, but this is not uncomfortable and I have driven it as far as 10 hours in one day with no suffering or ill effects. The handling of the vehicle in snow, ice or rain is phenomenal for a small car. Phenomenal. I use the auto shift and move from one gear to the other myself right at 2400 rpm. This gets you the best gas mileage. Summer, air on, 32+/42+, fall and spring is 33+/45, dead of winter, as in under 15 degrees day after day, 31.6/42. My drive is boring so I keep myself occupied with mpg games and metal music. If you look at the maintenance schedule you will notice that very little needs be done, and the maintenance is very far apart too. Love that. To fill it up is around $20-22+. So low. Forget fuel cells. Forget battery powered vehicles too. Sit down and calculate it all, as I did, and the cost per month is almost the lowest of any car on the market. Change the air filter once a year, don’t bother with high octane fuel, as I tested that and the economy and performance were unchanged, and buy the car. Surprisingly, when the seats are folded forward in the rear, the car can hold a week’s worth of groceries back there! It is really large back there I am serious. However, if you have to people in the backseats, think again! Short trips, sure. But that is it. It looks great, is fun to drive, and has tons of airbags, of course ABS and the electronic wheel control system, so there. Not perfect, certainly not for everyone, but the fuel economy, the safety, stopping power, and the HUGE warranty make this a pick that works for me and my wife.

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  little one - 2012 Fiat 500
  By Richie.C - October 30 - 3:58 pm

  Roomy enough inside for 2 average adults,simple radio with steering wheel controls ,mine has the power sunroof,really nice dont see alot these in brooklyn ny awesome city car,parking is pretty much point and park.Power is not the best ,but runs better on 93 octane in sport mode and helps that its a 5speed manual.If you want a 2 door compact car thats simple and goes a long way on 15 bucks of gas and isnt a mini or smart car,this ones good.