Fiat 500 cars for sale

Frequently asked questions about the Fiat 500

• What is the Fiat 500?
• Modern cars retro-styled to replicate older models usually sell well initially, but interest soon wanes – not so for the reborn Fiat 500 city car, which itself has been a mainstay of the Italian brand’s range for over a decade. And, for 2021, it's been reborn again in an all-new (but similar looking) electric-only range.
  
  In essence, the 500’s a compact city car, competing against other micro machines such as the SEAT Mii, Skoda Citigo and Volkswagen Up, but its classical looks also mean that many buyers compare it against the much larger and more expensive MINI Hatch.
  
  Perhaps less well known is that the 500 was the basis of the second-generation Ford Ka. Not only was the Blue Oval-badged car based on the same underpinnings as the Fiat, sharing its engines and transmissions, it was also built alongside it in the same Polish factory.

• Which versions of the Fiat 500 are available?
• Styled to mimic the 1957 'Nuova' 500, the three-door Hatchback arrived in the UK in 2008 as an urban-centric city car with just about enough room for four adults and not much luggage. Within a year the range was cleverly expanded to a pair of models with the introduction of the Fiat 500C – a two-door soft-top that uses the bodywork of the hatchback to keep prices modest.
  
  There’s been a wide range of engines powering different 500s over the past decade, including 1.2- and 1.4-litre petrols, as well as a 1.3-litre diesel, but the most well-known is the TwinAir. This is a turbocharged, two-cylinder 0.8-litre petrol that loves to be revved hard – conspiring to sound like a bucketful of angry wasps when you press the throttle. At the start of 2020 the engine range was pared-back to just the 1.2-litre plus a new 1.0-litre mild hybrid.
  
  Slightly confusingly, Fiat has already revealed and opened order books for a larger, all-new 500 range of hatchbacks and convertibles, which will arrive towards the end of 2020 and will be sold alongside the current range, for a while, at least. Most significantly, these are electric-only and carry a much higher price tag, starting at just under £27,000 for the launch versions.

• What is the Fiat 500 Abarth?
• Let’s clear this one up immediately: there wasn’t a car sold as the Fiat 500 Abarth in the same sense as there had previously been models such as the older Fiat Seicento Abarth. Instead, Fiat’s parent company reintroduced Abarth as a brand in its own right, which in turn allowed more money to be charged for the quicker 500s.
  
  First to arrive in 2009 was the Abarth 500, a range that remained on sale until 2015. Somewhat complicating matters – there's a theme here... – a decision was made to resurrect older model names meaning the pumped-up Abarth 695 (from 2010) and Abarth 595 (from 2012) also look like Fiat 500 derivatives, aside from their more purposeful bodywork.
  
  All 595s and 695s feature turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol engines with power ranging from 140-190hp. If you’re looking for something particularly extreme, but 500-shaped, then hunt-down a stripped-out 695 Biposto – the name means ‘two-seater’, signaling that there’s a bracing bar where the rear bench would normally be found.

• Is the Fiat 500 good to drive?
• Like the majority of small cars, the 500 is easy to manoeuvre around town and can be a giggle to drive along a winding B-road, but it’s not especially satisfying – the Volkswagen Up or one of its siblings is far more nimble and enjoyable.
  
  However, the 500 is a characterful thing and there’s a sense of occasion given the interesting dashboard design. What spoils it is an odd driving position, which makes you feel as though you’re sat high up and stretching to reach the steering wheel.

• Should I buy a Fiat 500?
• They're on the expensive side for what they are, but Fiat dealers offer attractive finance packages, at least on the petrol models - it's too soon to know about the electric ones, but don't expect immediate discounts.
  
  Easy to live with, cheap to run and easy to re-sell when the time comes, it's easy to understand the 500's broad appeal.