The Fiat 500 has been one of the UK’s most recognisable city cars since its relaunch in 2008.
One of the reasons that the Fiat 500 is such a popular car is the fact that it offers affordable motoring.
However, like most vehicles it can suffer from some recurring reliability concerns.
Here we will take a look at some of the more commonly reported Fiat 500 faults. Including the likely symptoms, causes, and some (hopefully) practical fixes.
Fiat 500 Common Faults
Let’s first take a quick look of each of the Fiat 500 generation, and sum up the common issues:
- Mk1 (2008 – 2020): 1.2 Fire petrol, 0.9 TwinAir petrol, 1.3 Multijet diesel. This is cheap to run, but does tend to suffer from small electrical faults. As well as clutch wear and gearbox actuator issues.
- Mk2 / Hybrid (2020 – present): 1.0 mild-hybrid petrol. Early cars in this generation were struck with intermittent electrical and sensor issues.
- Fiat 500e (2020 – present): 42 kWh EV with ~199 mile WLTP range. Generally dependable, but early software and charging quirks. These led to some recall actions (see our recall table below).
- Abarth 500 / 595 / 695 (2008 – present): 1.4 turbo petrol. Mechanically stronger, but clutches and gearboxes can run into issues when driven aggressively.
Fiat 500 FAQs
Is the Fiat 500 reliable?
It’s a charming city car with generally strong engines. However, small electrical and mechanical faults are common. Not all cars suffer from these issues though, so always make sure to do your research before buying a car.