Fiat 500 Review

• Typical used price (UK): £7,500–£13,000 (2020–2024 mild-hybrid cars)
• This car: £10,999 (ML24WNA, HPL Motors Preston)
• Insurance group: 10P
• MPG: 60.1 (official combined)
• CO₂: 106 g/km
• Best for: Style-conscious city drivers; a fashionable, cheap-to-run first or second car

Is It a Good Choice?

If you love the way it looks, the Fiat 500 is a very easy car to fall for. It has been a fashion favourite for years, and its retro styling, compact size and light controls make it a natural in the city. It's the kind of car people buy with their heart, and in this instance there's nothing wrong with that.

This example is the 1.0 mild-hybrid, which is the current petrol engine, and it's nicely specified with 15-inch alloys, a 7-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, cruise control, air conditioning and a lovely full-length fixed glass roof that floods the cabin with light. At £10,999 with under 10,000 miles and one owner, it's a nearly-new example at a useful saving on the new price. For a stylish, easy-to-run city car with genuine personality, it's a lot of appeal for the money.

Pricing & Running Costs

The mild-hybrid engine arrived in 2020 and became the 500's only petrol option, so there's a good supply of used examples from the last few years. Prices depend on age, mileage and trim.

Typical UK Used Price Ranges:

• Early hybrids (2020–2021): roughly £7,500–£10,000
• Later hybrids (2022–2024): roughly £9,000–£13,000
• Nearly-new, low-mileage cars: toward the top of that range
• This car (2024, very low mileage, one owner): £10,999

Running Costs

• Insurance group 10P — low, and a big part of the 500's appeal as a first car
• An official 60.1mpg, with a realistic low-to-mid 50s achievable in everyday driving
• Standard flat annual rate of VED road tax (check the current DVLA figure)
• Servicing is in line with other small cars, and the simple engine helps keep bills down
• Euro 6 means it's exempt from ULEZ and Clean Air Zone charges

Performance & Driving Experience

The 500 is designed for the city, and that's where it shines. The 1.0-litre three-cylinder produces 70bhp, and the light, easy controls and tiny dimensions make it wonderfully simple to thread through traffic and slip into spaces others can't. It's relaxed and unintimidating to drive, which is a big part of why it makes such a popular first car. It's geared for town rather than speed, with 0–62mph taking 13.8 seconds, so it's more about easy-going charm than outright pace, which suits the way most owners use it.

A quick word on the "hybrid" badge: this is a mild-hybrid set-up, where a small electric motor assists the petrol engine and smooths the stop-start to save fuel. It doesn't drive on electric power alone, so it behaves just like a normal, easy-going petrol car. The steering is light and the ride is soft and comfortable around town; it's only on faster, rougher roads that it feels a little bouncy, which is a fair trade for how at home it is in the city.

Key Performance Figures:

• Power: 70 bhp
• Cylinders: 3
• Engine capacity: 999cc (mild hybrid)
• Gearbox: 6-speed manual
• Drive: Front-wheel drive
• 0–62 mph: 13.8 seconds

Interior & Technology

The 500's cabin is full of character. The body-coloured dashboard is a lovely retro touch, and this car adds a 7-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB radio, Bluetooth, cruise control and a leather-look multifunction steering wheel. The star feature is the full-length fixed glass roof, which makes the small cabin feel much airier and brighter.

Some of the plastics feel slightly budget, and being an older design it lacks the big screens and digital dials of newer rivals. But the layout is simple and easy to use, and the overall look and feel is more stylish and cheerful than almost anything else at the price. For a city car, it's a genuinely nice place to sit.

Space & Practicality

The 500 is compact, and it makes the most of its size for those up front, where there's a comfortable, airy driving position helped by that glass roof. It's a four-seater, with the rear seats best suited to children or shorter trips, accessed through the three-door body. The 185-litre boot is modest but perfectly usable for everyday trips like the weekly shop, and the rear seats fold down when you need to carry more. As a stylish car for one or two people, or a couple with the occasional rear passenger, it suits the job nicely.

Dimensions:

• Length: 3,571 mm
• Width: 1,627 mm
• Height: 1,488 mm
• Boot: ~185 litres
• Seats: 4
• Doors: 3

MPG, Emissions & Tax

• Combined MPG: 60.1 (official)
• CO₂: 106 g/km
• Euro status: Euro 6
• Fuel type: Petrol (mild hybrid)
• Engine: 999cc, 3-cylinder
• Gearbox: 6-speed manual

Low running costs are a genuine strength. Euro 6 compliance means it's exempt from London's ULEZ and other Clean Air Zone charges, and real-world economy in the low-to-mid 50s mpg is easily achievable, helped a little by the mild-hybrid system. Road tax is charged at the standard flat annual rate, so check the DVLA's current figure at the time of purchase.

Safety & Reliability

On safety, the 500 comes with a solid core of equipment, including seven airbags, electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes and tyre-pressure monitoring. It was tested by Euro NCAP back in 2017 and awarded three stars; that rating has since expired, so it's best compared with other small cars of a similar age rather than the latest models. Being an older design, it doesn't have some of the newer driver-assistance features such as autonomous emergency braking, so if that technology matters to you it's worth bearing in mind — but for a city car used mainly around town, the essentials are well covered.

NCAP Ratings (Euro NCAP, 2017):

• Overall: 3 Stars (rating now expired)
• Standard safety kit: seven airbags, electronic stability control, ABS, tyre-pressure monitoring
• Note: lacks some newer assists such as autonomous emergency braking; best compared with cars of a similar age

On reliability, the good news is that the 1.0-litre engine is simple and well proven, also being used in the Fiat Panda, so there's little to go wrong mechanically. Fiat's reputation in owner surveys is more mixed, with the usual reports being minor electrical and trim niggles rather than serious faults, so it's worth checking everything works properly on a test drive. Reassuringly, this is a nearly-new, one-owner car with just 9,798 miles and service history, and HPL adds its 128-point check and a warranty, which takes much of the worry out of buying.

Alternatives

• MINI Hatch — the 500's natural style rival, more fun to drive and better built, but pricier.
• Toyota Aygo — less characterful, but cheaper to run and famously reliable.
• Hyundai i10 — roomier, seats five and feels more grown-up.
• Kia Picanto — practical and well-equipped, with a strong warranty on newer cars.
• Volkswagen up! — a classy, well-built city car that's good to drive.
• Vauxhall Corsa — a bigger step up in space if you don't need the 500's tiny footprint.

Verdict

The Fiat 500 has always been about charm, and it delivers that in spades. It's a genuine style icon, cheap to run and a delight around town, and this nearly-new mild-hybrid example packs a lot of appeal into £10,999. It's best thought of as a stylish city car rather than a long-distance cruiser or a family workhorse, but that's exactly what most buyers want it for. If you're after a small car with real personality and low running costs, few will put a smile on your face like the 500 does every time you walk up to it.

Overall Rating: ⭐ 3.8 / 5