Fiat Barchetta (95-05) - Review

Review by Parkers on
The Barchetta should be a runaway Fiat success story in the UK. It's undeniably beautiful, has Italian brio in its drive and is available new for under £12,000. But there's one big reason why buyers haven't abandoned the MX-5 and MGTF in droves - it's only available in left-hand-drive. And that's its only major problem; reliability issues seem to be sorted and it's quite well equipped, but most buyers won't even try the Barchetta because the steering wheel is on the wrong side. They should. It's rather good.
3.5 out of 5

Other Fiat reviews

2 out of 5

Running costs

Some replacement parts can be expensive (especially crash replacement parts like body panels). It's insurance group 19 - the same as the more powerful BMW Z4 and Subaru Impreza - which is off-putting for a 1.8 with 130 bhp. You'll get around 37 mpg in everyday driving, and the fuel tank holds a respectable 50 litres. Depreciation is average but Barchetta's quite cheap to start off with.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

12,000 miles/12 months

Warranty

Mechanical 1 year; bodywork 8 years

Road tax (12 months)

£215.00 - £220.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

2.5 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
    181
  • J
    198
  • K
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

Barchetta is not particularly environmentally friendly. With an average of 181 g/km CO2 across the line-up, its emissions are quite low for a sports convertible. It's worth noting that the line-up does not feature any diesel models, which typically produce less carbon dioxide than petrol engines with similar power outputs. The range is not particularly economical, averaging 37 mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2