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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  Keeping it much longer - 2014 Fiat 500L
  By karaleigh - June 26 - 5:23 am

  This car is very comfortable and especially good for taller people with all the capability for changing seats, steering wheel. I love, love the small turning radius. I can u-turn in the smallest of spaces and get in and out of tight parking areas. I also love, love what I call my deer lights which are the side driving lights. I drive on many streets with no street lights and this comes in very handy to illuminate the sides of the road making night driving a whole lot easier. Also great for watching for animals at night. I thought I was only going to keep this car for 3 years but I am now on year 4 and will likely keep it another 2 to 3 years. It has been very reliable. I also drive the manual shift - not automatic. The shifter has a real sporty feel. The interior is very comfortable and I love the material used on the seats. Rugged for someone with 4 dogs, doesnt make your clothes stick to it, non-sweaty, easy to clean, and looks great. Placement for water bottles and cups is terrific too. I think they thought of everything.

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  Great-ish car. - 2016 Fiat 500e
  By Jon Sweitzernoffenhold - March 25 - 1:18 am

  I like the way the car drives, but dislike a lot of the interior features. First off, the performance is great and Ive never had such a fun car to drive. The acceleration sets you back in your seat and is instantaneous. I dont mind the range as we kept our gas cars and 95% of our driving is local. The charging has been fine with the standard 110 outlet and I dont see a need for the fast charger. My 7 year old daughter fits in the rear seat without a problem, but Im happy the lease will be up in a few years as well run out of room as she grows. As for the bad....Headroom is awful. Im 63" and basically have to put my head into the sunroof area to drive. Backing out of a driveway is difficult as the rear visibility is very poor. Im happy for the sensors. Storage inside the car is also horrible. The glove box interior is flat so all your stuff comes out when you open the door. The cupholders are too close together for even 2 medium drinks. Theres nowhere to put a cell phone. I hate the radio. Theres a navigation warning that comes on for a while that prevents you from changing the channel...unless you take your eyes off the road and hit the "accept" button twice. I dont need navigation as my cell phone does it better. The Satellite Radio sounds compressed and worse than a cassette tape. Theres no CD player. I love audio and honestly cant speak to the quality of the speakers since broadcast radio is the best quality thing Ive listened to. I hate that every statistic is listed in MPGe, but we fill the car in kilowatts. I find MPGe to be a worthless number. One cool feature about the car is the smartphone app that allows me to turn on the climate control before I get to the car. Its just tough that it only turns on the last setting you had. If I drove with the air off and the windows down, I have to remember to turn it back to automatic 68 degrees when I park if I want to use the app. I also love/hate the Apps function to show where the car is because it allows the person with whom you share the car with to spy on you. I have nothing to hide, but it gets weird when the other person knows where you went out for lunch. The regenerative braking is cool, but it doesnt seem to activate fully until the car is less than 90% charged. i.e. It will regenerate up to -10kw, but after 89% battery remaining it will go up to -40kw regeneration. It almost pays not to fully charge the car if you dont need the range. Theres also a weird spot between 5mph and 0 where the brakes engage differently and grip strongly into a forceful stop. Overall I like the car as a car, but dont like the comfort features. Ill miss it when the lease is up because it is such a unique experience.

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  Dont waste your time or money - 2016 Fiat 500x
  By Josh McNabb - December 19 - 4:07 pm

  We were excited to be the first 500X owners in our town. We showed this car off to all our friends and family. A month after purchase, the car started shifting very firm and overheated. After going to the dealer, I was told that there was water in the oil ( telling me that a head was cracked or a seal was bad) we got the car back the next day and was told everything was fine. No notes on the paperwork about water being in the oil. Assuming everything was fine, we took the car back. A week later the car would stall during hard braking or hard acceleration. Today while picking my daughter up from a friends house, the car stalled and would not start for over 2 hours. No help from dealership on this matter as of yet. It could be our car, but after reading other reviews I dont think were alone in this matter.

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  The more-than-adequate compact crossover from Fiat - 2016 Fiat 500x
  By D. Winkler - September 22 - 3:51 am

  This is a compact version of your average American crossover, with enough horsepower, traction and capability to do almost everything you need it to do, and not a bit extra. It wont tow your heavy equipment or move much of your furniture, but in Pop form, with the turbocharged multi-air four and six speed manual, it will get down the road nicely. Put some good snow tires on its steel wheels and you will get where you are going through considerable snowfall. The seats are comfortable, but rear seat passengers will be crowded. Handling is really quite good, though my Fiat 500 Pop would run circles around it, and the 500X could easily be called "quick," but not fast. Note that the six speed manual makes all the difference in this model Fiat, though the option sacrifices you will have to make to row your own gears are substantial. It seems that Fiat jumped on the manual-because-we-must bandwagon and the 1.4L 6MT is basic in most areas. They saved the really good stuff for the Easy and Trekking versions. No matter, the Pop 1.4L 6MT is a hoot to drive, has good road manners, decent acceleration with the turbocharger and a healthy lack of infotainment bells and whistles. I do wish accessories were more reasonably priced and the 1.4L multi-air engine didnt eat premium gas, but there is much to like and no complaints so far. The Pop manual edition wont be easy to find, since it seems each studio has only one, but Fiat is offering some attracting incentives this fall (Oct 15).

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  My first Fiat Here in the States - 2014 Fiat 500L
  By Chuck - September 13 - 12:13 pm

  I (we) love this car. it is fun to drive. rides smooth. Front seats are a little small if your a larger person. Going to take it on our first road trip tomorrow.

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  A Great Car, ignore the ratings and reviews !!!! - 2016 Fiat 500L
  By Richard - July 25 - 1:38 pm

  This car has true Italian Styling. It is very comfortable with plenty of room. Although a little sluggish with the automatic, you have the option of changing gears yourself that gives your 500L a lot of kick. Handling should get great ratings from anyone. I have had mine for over a year and trouble-free. I also love the room in the back. If you are looking for a great car that is roomy, versatile and looks great....the 500L is it.

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  DONT Buy ONE, Mayor REGRET! - 2014 Fiat 500L
  By Frank - July 18 - 2:05 pm

  use it was cute, looked fun. I regret the day I did that, Ive never had a vehicle with so much issues. lights go off frequently. Breaks inconsistent, lastly panel board goes crazy, with engine light, and others go off I call the dealership to take it in, I setup an appointment to have it diagnosed, they keep it for a week to advise me that the transmission is gone at 70,000 miles. I challenged that since I drove it there. I had researched recalls on this model, and was told that all the recalls where completed, I asked where and when and was told that the place it was originally done is no longer in business, sketchy with Fiat INC. they avoided me with follow up which made it even more frustrating. I highly recommend YOU to stay away from looking at this disaster of a car, the so called Corporate side of them is in complete denial, Im now stuck with a car, that I serviced & maintained when due, to have this extra expense of a new trans that they priced at $5,400 to repair, is disheartening!!!

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  WAY more expensive than you can even imagine!! - 2016 Fiat 500e
  By Holly Johnson - October 25 - 11:01 am

  DO NOT BUY THE FIAT 500e!! There is a major design flaw that will cost you $2000 at least once, and likely $2000 / year. This is NOT covered by the warranty. Before buying one, take a look at the plug (where the gas cap would normally be). It is very fragile plastic. Now think that for 8 hours or more a day, this will be plugged into a charger with a handle slightly smaller than a gas pump handle. Now think that if a small child bumps that even once, the plastic connector will snap. That simple looking connector costs almost $2000 to replace. It is part of a cable bundle that runs to the front of the car. It takes 7 hours to replace (at least thats what they bill). This will break!! Beware before buying this car!! Warranty will not cover it because they say it is the childs fault for bumping into it, not a car problem.

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  Coming up on 4 yrs of ownership - 2012 Fiat 500
  By KenN - June 18 - 7:07 pm

  Love the car, but hate the quality - and depreciation. Purchased new for HS graduate in May 2012. Rear bumper reflector just dropped off randomly - covered under warranty. Shift knob top broke off - covered under warranty. Steering clunk - tightened but not replaced with correct new intermediate shaft under warranty - clunk is back, but now 2 thousand miles out of warranty. Arm rest broke - cushion fell off - fixed my self with gorilla glue. Sun roof does not work - and pealed paint on strip in front of sun roof ( for over 20 months ) - but out of warranty - as I had no access to car since daughter had it at college. I am deathly afraid the clutch will die per other reviews - we have 54000 miles on the car. I do my own oil and filter changes as dealership service shop is only open during week and my daughter only comes home on weekends. Having said all that - the car is fun to drive with great brakes and decent enough acceleration for a guy who grew up in a time when zero to 60 in 10 seconds was considered fast. I asked dealership to make me an offer for trade in to purchase a used car off the lot ( Korean or Japanese ) - and even they dont want the car. NO offer. Paid 21K for it and now worth less than 7 K I expect for trade in. The Bose stereo is awesome. Gas mileage driving highway is above 38 mpg at 75 mph, so decent - but bigger cars get that now days. Would I buy again - no - way - ... will I keep it - probably will take it over and keep as 3rd car. Im 6 foot 2 and just barely stay under the (broken) sunroof - so I can live with it - driving position is strange, but I am used to it. I like the car - I hate the quality and/or lack of responsibility by Fiat / Chrysler for standing behind the product for the following issues - Steering rack clunk / Paint peeling / arm rest - cant comment on the Sun Roof other than I read it was glued in from the interior and there is no way Im paying for that repair.

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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.