Engine choice
In truth, the 500 is unlikely to fall short when it comes to sprightly town centre driving. However, the 1.2 may feel a little flaccid on the open road, making the 1.4 a better bet if you want to use the car for longer journeys. The 0.9-litre Twinair is fun to drive, with its raspy exhaust note and surprising amount of poke feeling surprisingly sporty, especially when it comes with 105bhp. However, few owners seem to achieve the official figure of 68mpg, with 50-60mpg being a more realistic target.
That leaves the 1.3 Multijet, which is a robust unit, but one that seems to have been plagued by dual particulate filter (DPF) issues, exacerbated by the fact that the regeneration process is often hampered by urban usage.
Beware if any dash warning lights are showing and walk briskly away if a car suddenly goes into ‘limp-home’ mode on a test-drive. Fiat’s Examiner software can be used to force a DPF regeneration to clear any fault codes, otherwise a replacement DPF will cost £225 at an independent.
As for the other engines, the 1.2-litre is reliable, though some have needed a software update to cure hesitation at low speeds. Also, the breather pipes can split on early engines, leading to oily/petrol fumes in the cabin. There are no particular issues with the normally-aspirated 1.4 petrol or the 1.4 turbo Abarth version.
The 0.9 Twinair is relatively trouble-free, but like the 1.3 diesel, it’s imperative that the correct grade of oil is used as the Multiair system is very oil-sensitive. It needs 5W-40 fully-synthetic that meets the ACEA C3 standard, so check with the vendor that this has been used. Also, beware of hot shut-down, which can result in turbo failure.
The cambelt replacement interval on most 500s is 72,000 miles, but on a car used for city centre journeys it would be best to change it sooner, so factor in this extra expense if it needs doing. There’s a chain on the diesel.
The Dualogic automated manual transmission works well, but be suspicious if it fails to select gears smoothly. It could be the actuator, but it might be wise to get it checked out or resume your search elsewhere.