Fiat 500 Reviews

Clutch needed replacement at 67000 miles.

Occasional ECU warning messages needed resetting.

Wheel cylinder replaced after a leak at 52500 miles.

Rear lens cluster needed replacing because of water ingress.

Rear bulbs tend to blow more often than in most cars.

I bought this car to use as my driving school vehicle. This is possibly the toughest role for any small car today. Fiats do not have a great reputation for reliability, but I calculated that the funky styling and great reputation amongst teenagers would win me more business than any unreliability would lose me.

The car is small but well packaged, and drivers of all sizes can get comfortable in it.

The exterior styling is attractive, and far more faithful to the spirit of the original than, say, BMW's bloated take on the Mini. The compact dimensions and small overhangs also mean that the 500 is a very good city car.

The interior is also nicely styled. With the glass roof of the Lounge model, it is an airy and pleasant place to spend time.

The 1.2 engine needs revving hard to deliver any performance, and this affects fuel consumption, which has averaged only 48 MPG in my tenure. Bear in mind that as a 300 miles-per-week driving school car, this is not a bad figure at all.

The car still washes up like brand new inside and out. There are no rattles or squeaks. Very surprising for a Fiat.

The worst part about this car is the ride. It is unsettled and jiggly at low speed, to the extent that it can affect the steering over moderate bumps. It needs far better damping.

To be honest, apart from these points it is hard to fault the 500. I would certainly consider another as a driving school car, and even more as a private car with a much easier life.

The worst quality plastics I have seen in a car, including 1980s Yugos. Door panels scratch after jeans brush them.

Vinyl seats stain with a whitish stain after elbow contact.

The vehicle is filled with squeaks and rattles after less than 8,000 miles -- something I would not expect of a $20,000 "premium small car".

The tires lose air pressure and require constant refills.

The Bose audio system causes buzzes and rattles throughout the car when turned up to a merely adequate volume.

The rear fold-down seats rattle and squeak due to loose attachments to the latch.

The driver's seat has loose portions that "thud" and "clunk" around during acceleration, stops, and sharp turns.

The control buttons for the climate system are beginning to stain and change color after the buttons have been pressed a few times.

This car is an absolute disappointment.

I purchased it to get a "premium small car" with plenty of comfort, decent handling and good fuel economy for a grueling urban commute.

What I got was a pimped up cheap econobox, with flashy styling features that wear away fast, and decent handling.

The quality of this car's interior is utterly appalling. I would have expected better from a $9,000 Kia. The plastic used in the doors can literally be scratched by having your blue jeans rub against the door. I've owned seven other cars, and none of them had cheap, soft plastic like this car.

The quality of the other interior components is way below par, especially for the price point. The vinyl seats are starting to stain at just 8,000 miles, and scrubbing with warm water and a cloth doesn't help that much. The buttons on the dashboard are staining due to simple finger contact. The driver's door armrest is staining similarly to the vinyl seat.

The entire car's fit-and-finish seems okay on visual inspection, but start to drive it and lots of flaws emerge after just a couple of months of ownership. My driver's seat has a "clunk" inside of it that feels like a slipping anchor point, poorly mounted internal airbag, or some other component that is "thumping" at hard stops, starts, or turns. The entire car is a creaky, rattly mess -- my 2001 Sebring convertible had fewer squeaks, rattles and body flex noises after 8 years than this car has in less than 8 months of ownership. The rattles and buzzes are so bad at speed that one has to raise his voice to have a conversation.

Mechanically, the car has been reliable (something that's reasonable to expect just eight months into the ownership experience), but overall the quality of this car is WAY below what it should be for the price. Resale values reflect this -- the car has already depreciated by over 35%, a much steeper hit than other comparably priced cars.

If this was a $10,000 car, I wouldn't be so harsh, but for the $17,000 to almost $30,000 (in Abarth trim) that this vehicle sells for, almost everything about the build quality and materials should be much, much better.