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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  Clutch Recall - 2013 Fiat 500
  By Ben Steinman - October 16 - 9:59 pm

  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.

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  Fiat usa is not customer friendly! - 2015 Fiat 500
  By Gabriel Castillo - January 19 - 10:11 am

  I bought my 2015 fiat 500 pop five months ago, thats when my troubles started... at the first rain I found out that my car has a leak, car did not have even 500 miles when I took it to get serviced, in staid of giving me a new car they repaired it, I thought I was buying a new car, in staid I have a new repaired car, and this is only the beginning.... stereo problem, done the software update no changes, had the engine check light that went on, the heater takes 20 MIN to defog at full power, driver seat latch sticks and now another leak. They are great little cars and fun to drive when they work. Till this moment Fiat USA and the dealership is still giving me the turn around.

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  Great car with a lot of small issues - 2012 Fiat 500
  By Joshua McDonald - December 17 - 9:53 pm

  Would be a great car if the interior quality was a little better, if you get the convertible then be aware that the light color headliner suffers from discoloration in the rear and that Fiat and the dealers will not correct the issue, instead blaming it on dust that gets on the interior. You will be going to the shop for small things and they will add up over time.

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  dont do it! - 2013 Fiat 500
  By Tim Humphries - November 25 - 10:19 pm

  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

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  Totally Disappointed! Hell on Wheels - 2012 Fiat 500
  By Disappointed Consumer - November 24 - 2:50 pm

  This is the worse car Ive ever had. Since day 1, the dashboard isnt happy unless there is an indicator light on! Its always something wrong with the car, things that should hardly ever go wrong. The headlamps are always needing repair. Its a three year old car and already Ive had the engine worked on 3 times, all lights replaced, a new airconditioner put in, the starter went out and that was over $500.00 in repairs, and most recently the gear switch cord broke...another $500.00 repair. Im afraid to drive it and unfortunately I still have 2-3 years of payments to make on this car. Im so very sad I trusted the good reviews and the commercials saying how great the car is. As far as fuel consumption..I pay just as much as if I had a larger car. I bought the car to help save money, help support dealers in in America and to have an economical car while Im going through a low paying job transition and it has made me late with all my bills because of always needing repairs. I need a miracle to get me out of this car. so disappointed. Im in tears writing this review. Dont buy one and dont listen to all the great ratings...because after your warrentee runs out, its Hell on wheels.

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  Trading in - 2012 Fiat 500
  By winthrop53@gmail.com - August 24 - 11:36 am

  I got a letter for a blow out sale so I drove my Fiat to the dealership and I was fortunately able to get a new loan for a 500L. I got a great deal on the new car but the trade in on my 2012 Fiat Pop was really low due to issues pertaining to the clutch and the engine noise. After reading some other reviews I am apparently not the only one with these issues. Someone else had to get a new clutch under 40,000 and mine has only 34,000. Also another review complained about changing spark plugs and their costs at an early mileage. I just had to replace mine. The engine noise just got so loud in the last few months - out of nowhere. Service kept telling me it is a Fiat.? Again in another review the engine noise gave them a headache. Then there is the electrical. Tire monitor light went on after 15,000, some sort of electrical problem. I had the same problem mentioned in a review. I was constantly checking my air pressure. Service couldnt help. They just would check the air pressure and say it is fine. I had to replace both headlights at 34,000, also mentioned in another review and of course replacing the hub caps two or three times a year at $55.00 a piece. Hope I have better luck with the 500L. Risky getting another Fiat but financially I was stuck due to low trade in value.

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  Cant Wait To Get Rid Of It! - 2012 Fiat 500
  By CG13 - August 4 - 4:08 pm

  Ive had this car for three years and have put 20,000 miles on it. Bought it because it was adorable, inexpensive, and great for my city-street/low-speed commute (which is now a freeway commute). Here is my take on the car: The GOOD: Cute as heck. Verde Chiaro color still turns heads. Good little car for putting around town (grocery-getter) on city streets. Brakes are responsive. Storage space in the car is about what you expect - not a lot of room but with a little bit of tetris skills you can fit a lot. Decent gas mileage (I expected better for a car so small). The BAD: I fear for my life on the freeway - no joke - and I am a very good driver who has never had an accident. Blind spots galore! Acceleration is extremely unreliable - sometimes you give it gas and it reluctantly goes slowly, other times the engine revs but it sits there... So if you need to make an evasive maneuver that requires accelerating, hit the gas and hope for the best. Engine noise gives me a headache. Interior shows scratches easily. My tire pressure monitor sensor stopped working at 15k (I havent the time during the week to have it taken care of since the dealer wont do anything other than oil changes on Saturdays). My boyfriend said its like a beer can on wheels and worries about my safety every day. Must use 91 octane or better gas for best performance. Doesnt always start on the first turn (Fiat said this is normal for this engine - ???). I foolishly accepted a lease term longer than I wanted and am almost done but am seriously considering eating the penalties for turning it in early. Especially since it looks like it is prone to having more mechanical issues that I would be responsible for.

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  snow flake sensor / air conditoner... - 2014 Fiat 500L
  By Enelida Cortez - July 12 - 2:33 pm

  ... not working properly. my brand new 500L fiat , has been in the repair shop ( call studio by fiat customer service ) , it has been the same problem several times. when driving appears the snow flake ( sensor) indicating that ICE ON THE ROAD and then shut down the air conditioning , the system starting blowing hot air. it is impossible to drive a car on hot temperatures like in South florida , (temperatures almost 100 Degrees ). FIAT is very disapoint .

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  Why me!!! - 2012 Fiat 500
  By nalder620 - April 14 - 9:31 pm

  700 characters...not enough. Since day one, this car has been the most unreliable piece of poop I have ever owned. Fiat Canada has washed their hands of me, but i have decided to make all know, DO NOT BUY A FIAT!!! New transmission, new suspension, new clutch bearings, new PCM computer, rattling all over, paint peeling, lights burning out all over the place, 35 trips to the dealer and problems that they can not even fix after 8 tries!!! My car sounds like it want to start, but does not catch, have to do everything from the beginning and will start on the second shot! Thank goodness I bought a 5 year bumper to bumper warranty!!! I feel bad for those that only had a 3 year warranty :(.

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  Worst mistake of my life - 2014 Fiat 500L
  By darthmoll21 - January 12 - 9:52 pm

  I traded in a reliable Rav4 for this piece of crap. For the first few months, the car worked well, aside from a few recall issues. After Id had it for 6 months, the problems really started to surface. The check engine light kept coming on and I was taking the car to the shop nearly every other week. The transmission completely locked up at one point and I had to turn the car on and off several times before it unlocked. The transmission also began to jerk much more (yes its quirky but this is NOT a feature) while accelerating and decelerating, making stop and go traffic particularly dangerous. Im currently pursuing lemon law on this car so I can get rid of it!