Fiat 500

Sourcing new and used parts.

Scooping the award for European Car of the Year at launch in 2008 and a host of other accolades since, including Best Used Small Car in a top industry poll, the Fiat 500 remains popular. Not just for its cute, retro looks, but also because it’s fun to drive and cheap to run. It’s based on the Panda platform introduced in 2003 and shares many of that model’s engines, which, at launch, included the 1.2 and 1.4 petrol and the 1.3 Multijet diesel (available in 75bhp guise originally, then 95bhp from 2010). The talented Twinair turbocharged two-cylinder 84bhp 875cc appeared in 2010, its electro-hydraulic control of the inlet valves effectively doing away with a conventional camshaft and resulting in more efficient combustion management. This means that, as well as being able to return 70mpg, CO2 emissions are just 95g/km, so there’s no VED to pay. A 105bhp version of the same engine was offered from 2014.

There are five different trim levels, including the poverty-spec Pop, the Start & Stop, Lounge, Sport and the rather confusingly named Bydiesel which refers to the fashion house, not the type of fuel!

Production takes place at Fiat’s plant in Tychy, Poland and build quality is very good generally. As for values, the arrival of a revised 500 in 2016 has hit residuals, so now the somewhat flaccid 1.2 starts at just £2500, while you will pay marginally more for the diesel. Twinairs begin at £3500. Be wary when buying, though, because we spotted numerous Cat D write-offs when we looked on Autotrader.

The only real blots on the tiny Fiat’s otherwise clean copybook includes diesel particulate filter (DPF) issues on the 1.3 Multijet, which continue to be a problem for many owners. Another thing is the cost of main dealer parts – it’s crucial to shop around at independents because, as you’ll see, some items are surprisingly costly from a main agent.