Fiat 500 500 Modern (2008–2025) Price Guide

The Fiat 500 Modern of 2007 is one of the great automotive design successes of the twenty-first century — a retro-inspired city car that evoked the original 500 of 1957 without slavishly copying it, and found buyers in markets that had never shown the slightest interest in small Italian city cars. The 500 won European Car of the Year in 2008 and sold in numbers that the original’s creators could not have imagined.

The Car

Roberto Giolito’s design references the 1957 original in its round headlamps, curved flanks, and friendly demeanour without reproducing it. The platform came from the Nuova Panda. Engines covered the 0.9 TwinAir two-cylinder turbo, 1.2-litre and 1.4-litre petrol four-cylinders, and a 1.3 Multijet diesel. The Abarth 500 used a 135bhp or 160bhp turbocharged 1.4-litre. The 500 TwinAir is the most fuel-efficient but the two-cylinder can vibrate noticeably at low speeds. The Lounge and Sport specifications are the most common trims.

What Goes Wrong

The TwinAir’s timing chain and water pump require attention on higher-mileage cars. The 1.2-litre is the most reliable but least refined engine. The dualogic automated manual gearbox is best avoided — jerky in slow traffic and expensive when the actuator fails. The five-speed manual is the correct choice. Interior quality is acceptable rather than premium.

Buying

The Abarth 500 is the performance choice. The 1.4-litre in Sport specification is the best standard 500. The 500C cabriolet is covered separately. Avoid the dualogic. Fiat