• Summary
• What's Good
• What's Bad
• On the Road
• In The Cabin
• Prices and Specs
• Owners' Reviews

Latest Update 13-5-2012: One report of broken cables in wiring loom between body of car and hartchback.

Introduction (from original FIAT 500 Road Test):

This is a bit different from a normal road test. For a start, it's a very important car: ‘European Car of the Year' 2008. And, after testing it, I seriously started thinking of buying one.

The sense of this won't be missed by other people with small limited companies. Because, until 31st March, 100% of the cost of a car emitting less than 121g/km CO2 can be offset against corporation tax.

And, as long as I pay for my own petrol, I'll be taxed on a BIK of 13% of whatever the car costs. £7,900 (for the 1.2 Pop petrol) and I'll be paying 40% of £1,027, which is £410.8 a year. £9,300 (for Pop diesel) and I'll be paying 40% of £1,209, which is £483.60 a year. Even if I went mad and plumped for the Lounge spec diesel at £10,700, my tax liability would still only be £556.40. And I'll be driving around in this year's most chic new car that could end up worth close to what I paid for it by March 2009.

As you can see from the photos, the new 500 is far more faithful to the look of the original Dante Giacosa 500 than the BMW MINI is to the Alec Issigonis Mini. The 1950s 500 was the car that liberated Italy. It literally put the country on wheels, and remains much loved and still surprisingly prevalent in Italian villages. Also, much loved in, and an astonishing number of Italians owe their lives to FIAT 500s, or rather to what mama and papa got up to inside one with newspapers plastered over the windows."

In fact, I did buy one, in April 2008: a 1.2 Lounge in Bossa Nova White with Tricolor side stripes and side bump strips. And by September 2010, apart from a bolt dropping off a plane and damaging the glass roof, nothing whatsoever had gone wrong. The computer says 54.8mpg. My own sums give a total average over 9,000 miles of 49mpg. It's surprisingly comfortable on the motorway. It helps keep my 'paper counterpart' clean. It's been an excellent buy and I'm very fond of it.

By May 2012 I felt no different. Still 100% reliable, even the Bluetooth hands-free. Still giving 49mpg. Still remarkably comfortable on a 300 mile run. And the lowest depreciation I've ever seen over 4 years - actually less than £500 a year.

For first Long-Term Report see FIAT 500 Long-Term

For later Long-Term Test Reports see 'Our Cars'