Fiat Punto (2010 – 2018) Review

It started off in 2010 as the Fiat Punto Evo before reverting to the simpler Fiat Punto name in 2012, remaining in showrooms until 2018. While it never felt quite on terms with class leaders like the Volkswagen Polo or sweet-handling Ford Fiesta, it gave the likes of the Citroen C3 pause for thought. As a used buy, the Fiat Punto is an affordable option, but there are better choices with more safety equipment available. Read on for our full Fiat Punto review.

Despite the name changes, the Fiat Punto was essentially an ‘evolved’ version of the Fiat Grande Punto that dated back all the way to 2006.

The most obvious upgrades are on the outside, where the Fiat Punto Evo got a front end inspired by the funky Fiat 500.

It certainly gave it a softer appearance compared with the Fiat Grande Punto, although the styling does seem to divide opinion. There were changes inside, too, with a redesigned dash and superior quality.

More updates came in 2012 when the simplified Fiat Punto name was reinstated, although the changes were largely to streamline the trim range to just three choices, making things easier for buyers.

There were also new petrol and diesel engines in 2012, with the arrival of the 85PS 1.3-litre MultiJet turbodiesel and the 0.9-litre TwinAir petrol with the same output.

Refinement was improved, so the Fiat Punto was quieter on the motorway and at slower speeds, as well being easy and enjoyable to drive.

But a big letdown is the overly firm ride, which is especially noticeable on models with larger wheels.

It’s also worth noting that the Fiat Punto scored a woeful zero-star rating when crash tested by Euro NCAP in 2017 – certainly something to consider if you regularly carry family in the car.

Fancy a new Fiat 600? Read our Fiat 600 review here.

The Fiat Punto was available as either a three-door or a five-door, and both offer decent passenger space.

The three-door model looks good – especially the Sporting model – but getting into the back is tricky (as is the case with any three-door car of this size, to be fair).

There’s enough space for four adults, though, and the five-door offers much better access for families.

The hard angles of the Fiat Grande Punto’s interior were replaced with softer curves and higher quality switches, giving it a more inviting feel.

Features such as the piano black stereo surround and deep-set dials add some style and it’s comfortable enough, too, helped by seats that offer decent support.

A combination of plenty of adjustment in the seat, plus reach and height adjustment in the steering column, ensure the driving position is good.

But boot capacity is only average for this type of small car, and the high boot lid makes loading and unloading anything heavy quite a struggle.

The quality and finish in the Fiat Punto are okay, although there are some areas where the plastics don’t feel particularly nice to touch.

Sound-proofing was improved over the Fiat Grande Punto, so the later model is quieter on the move, despite a little wind noise around the front pillars, especially on the three-door versions.

Overall, though, the Fiat Punto feels a step behind most cars in this class of the same age, especially rivals such as the Volkswagen Polo and solidly built Mazda 2.

The Blue&Me system from Fiat was fitted as standard.

Developed with Microsoft, it lets you make and receive calls on the move and can even read out text messages.

It also allows you to listen to MP3 players (remember them?) or music stored on memory sticks via the USB port.

As you might imagine, the package now feels rather dated.

If all you're after is a low-cost small car to cut about in, the Fiat Punto could well be very tempting. You'll find good, clean used examples that are 12-years old with around 60,000 miles on the clock from £2000. Update that to a later example and you'll still only spend £3500 for a seven-year old car in Pop trim with a petrol or diesel engine and 50,000 miles under its wheels.

Fiat claimed the 85PS 1.3-litre Multijet turbodiesel version of the Punto could return a combined economy of up to 80.7mpg. Our Real MPG data suggests that is more likely to be around the 60mpg mark, but still impressive for those concerned with saving money on fuel bills. The petrol engines mostly turn in around 50mpg based on official numbers and 40mpg in reality, while the twin-cylinder 0.9-litre TwinAir was officially rated at 67.3mpg. However, experience tells us this will be more like 45mpg in normal driving.

Road tax won't be too onerous with the Punto as most pay the dreaded annual duty at between zero for the lowest emitting diesel and £180 for the 1.4 MultiAir petrol models. Very late Puntos sold after 1 April 2017 pay road tax at the flat rate of £180 per year regardless of which engine is fitted.

Other running costs for the Punto are not going to upset your finances unduly as insurance sits in groups running from 6 to 21, with only the faster, sportier versions at the top end of that scale. Look for a Punto with smaller petrol or diesel engine in a lower or mid-spec trim and your premium will be matchingly affordable.

Service work on the Punto should be unthreatening as they are simple cars to work on.

In town, the Punto is easy to drive and park in small spaces, helped by good visibility and a near vertical rear end. All versions get a City button on the dash which lightens the steering effort needed at low speeds - ideal for parallel parking. It's also decent fun on more twisting roads with little body roll and plenty of grip in corners.

A considerable let-down, though, is the rather firm ride which struggles on bumpy or potholed roads. This is further highlighted on Sporting models fitted with larger 17-inch alloys. The gear change is also quite spongy and doesn't always have a positive shift, so you can miss a gear.

There's a range of petrol and diesel engines in the Punto line-up, but the entry-level 1.4-litre petrol is perhaps best avoided unless you're just pottering about as it's fairly slow. Instead, we'd go for one of the MultiAir engines. There are two available and they are both 1.4-litre units with either 105PS or 135PS.

The 105PS version is adequate enough for most drivers and never sounds strained, even at higher revs, and performs pretty well when you ask it to accelerate with some feeling. 0-62mph comes up in 10.8 seconds plus it will happily keep with with faster traffic on motorways.

The top model is the 1.4-litre MultiAir Turbo with 135PS - if you ignore the Abarth versions with 177PS. This accelerates from 0-62mph around 2.5 seconds quicker than the 105bhp model and is very sprightly with an almost warm hatch feel from behind the wheel. The front can feel light under hard acceleration as the wheels sometimes struggle for grip, but aside from that, it's great fun and nippy.

There 1.3-litre MultiJet turbodiesel is available in two outputs of 75PS and 95PS. They aren't the quickest or quietest of engines but they deliver decent in-gear punch. However, their main attractions are low emissions and good fuel economy.

If there is one single area that seriously undermines the Fiat Punto as a used car choice, this is it. When Euro NCAP tested the Punto in 2017, it was one of the few cars ever to score a big fat zero rating. The car comes with twin front airbags and ABS anti-lock brakes, but you had to look for the top-spec Lounge to have ESP traction control. All cars have Isofix child seat mounts in the rear bench, plus a driver's knee airbag, but otherwise the Punto misses kit like lane keep assist and automatic emergency braking that newer rivals offer either as standard or were optional.

The Fiat Punto can tow an unbraked trailer with a maximum weight of up to 400kg. Hook it up with a braked trailer and that limit rises to as much as 1000kg depending on the exact model of Punto you choose.

The entry level Pop model of Fiat Punto started out with Spicy Grey interior finish complete with fabric seats that have red stitching on them, height and reach-adjustable steering wheel, height-adjustable driver’s seat, trip computer, remote central locking, electric front windows, driver, passenger and window airbags, radio, CD and MP3 player, rear head restraints and ABS anti-lock braking. There's also manual air conditioning.

The mid-range Easy and GBT trims have black Diamond dash inserts and the seats in charcoal fabric with contrasting details. There's also a leather covered steering wheel and gear lever knob, a rear bench that splits 60/40,  darkened headlights, body-coloured electrically adjustable heated door mirrors, body-coloured door handles and 15-inch Comfortline alloy wheels.

The GBT has 15-inch Sportline alloy wheels, darkened privacy glass, sports suspension and body coloured rear spoiler and side skirts.

The Lounge came with 15-inch Sportline alloy wheels, front fog lights with cornering function, the Skydome electric sun roof, chrome-plated exhaust pipe, sculpted Castiglio fabric seats, automatic dual-zone climate control, front arm rest, ESP, electric rear windows on the five door, ambient lighting inside, and Blue&Me with Bluetooth plus USB and Aux inputs.

The TwinAir had its own trim with door mirrors and pillars in gloss black, and 15-inch alloy wheels in a glossy diamond finish. Darkened burnished headlights and a special TwinAir logo complete its identification.

This was then updated in early 2012 with the entry-level Pop that included remote central locking, electric front windows, driver and passenger airbags, window airbags, radio/CD/MP3 player, electric power steering and height-adjustable driver seat.

Easy adds a leather steering wheel, 15-inch alloy wheels, and air conditioning, while the GBT level additionally gets sport suspension, rear spoiler and side skirts. Lounge gains climate control, front fog lamps, cruise control, ambient interior lighting and electric sunroof.

The Sporting trim arrived in late 2013 with body coloured rear spoiler and side skirts, gloss black painted roof, sports suspension, and gloss black electrically adjustable heated door mirrors. It also had a ‘Tarmac finish’ dashboard, black interior roof lining, sports leather steering wheel, leather gear knob and handbrake lever, specific ‘Sporting’ dark headlamps, front fog lights with cornering function, dark tinted privacy glass, chrome exhaust tailpipe and 16-inch 7- spoke two-tone black Sportline alloy wheels.