Item: Used Fiat 500C 2009-present
Rating: 2
Author: Steve Huntingford

Open-top versions of the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/citroen/c1/hatchback/used-review/n871">Citroën C1 Airscape</a>, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/peugeot/108/hatchback/used-review/n946">Peugeot 108 Top</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/toyota/aygo/hatchback/used-review/n853">Toyota Aygo</a> are more practical than the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/fiat">Fiat</a> 500C because they can at least be had with rear doors. However, they aren’t as cute to look at and the interiors of these cars are nowhere near as stylish.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ds/ds-3/sports/review/n17186">DS 3 Cabrio</a> has a similar roof arrangement to the 500C in that it folds down into a creased heap where the back window would be on the ordinary car. It’s a bigger and more practical car than the 500C and it has a range of larger, more powerful engines, making it a better choice for those who need a convertible for longer motorway journeys.

<a href="http://www.whatcar.com/classifieds/used-cars/fiat/500">Find a used Fiat 500C in the What Car? Classifieds here</a>

<a href="https://pages.haymarket.com/whatcar/wcar-form.html">For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? Newsletter here</a>

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What is it like?

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The 1.3-litre diesel engine is fitted with a diesel particulate filter (DPF). To ensure this can regenerate to burn off trapped soot, frequent motorway journeys are necessary because this process is only triggered when the exhaust is hot enough. Check how the previous owner has used the car, because lots of urban journeys will clog up the filter, potentially leading to an expensive repair bill.

Another potential problem relating to the DPF occurs when it has been shut off partway through regeneration. The result is contamination of the oil system with fuel, leading to the oil level rising gradually over time. This can cause damage to the engine, so it’s worth checking the oil level or have the car inspected if you're unsure.

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/fiat">Fiat</a> as a brand didn’t do particularly well in our latest reliability survey, coming in 24th out of 32 car manufacturers. Less than 15% of 500 owners reported issues, but these related to more serious problems that required the car to be in the garage for more than a day.

On the plus side, the 500C shares a number of parts with the Fiat Panda and Ford Ka, so parts availability will be better than most if something does go wrong.

If you would like to see the full reliability list for city cars, head to the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2017-what-car-reliability-survey/n16171">What Car? reliability survey</a> pages for more information.

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Sports

Modern Fiats fall into two categories: the retro models and those with more functional designs.

Cars in the first camp appeal to the heart and include the 124 Spider sports car and the 500 series: a hatchback, a convertible, an SUV and two MPVs.

By contrast, the remaining models rely on their practicality and attractive pricing, with the Panda city car, Tipo hatchback and Fullback pick-up truck all prime examples.

Fiat can trace its roots back to the 19th century but is now part of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group, along with Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Jeep and Maserati.

FIAT

The Fiat 500C is stylish city car that’s easy to park and comes with a retractable canvas roof to take advantage of warmer weather

Used Fiat 500C 2009-present

Fuel economy and emissions figures for the 500C are similar to those of the standard <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/fiat/500/hatchback/used-review/n323">500</a>, despite the weight penalty of the soft-top due to extra chassis strengthening and the heavy folding mechanism.

The worst-performing 500C is the 1.4-litre petrol, which has an average fuel economy figure of 48.7mpg and costs £140 to tax. The 1.2-litre petrol is the most sensible option. It has an average of 58.9mpg and costs £30 to tax, improving to 65.7mpg and free road tax with the Eco version of that engine.

The Twinair unit has some excellent economy figures on paper, with 67.3mpg for the 104bhp version and 74.3mpg for the 84bhp car, although the likelihood of achieving those figures in real-world driving is low. Both do break into the free road tax band, though.

If you’re interested in the diesel version, early cars with the 74bhp engine had an average figure of 67.3mpg with £20 road tax, while later cars with the more powerful 94bhp engine had a figure of 76.3mpg and free road tax.

It’s worth bearing in mind that if you buy a 500C that was registered after April 2017, it will cost £140 a year in road tax because of the change in the tax system.

Insurance costs and servicing costs are in line with rivals, both in terms of fixed-price packages and standard servicing.

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The Fiat 500C is stylish city car that’s easy to park and comes with a retractable canvas roof to take advantage of warmer weather

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/fiat">Fiat</a> 500C has been on sale for a long time now and early cars are cheap. A 2009 example with lots of miles will set you back £3000. If you’d like something a bit newer and less leggy, then a tidy 2012 car in 1.2 Lounge spec with 40,000 miles can be found for around £4500.

If you’d like a 500C with a Twinair engine, then a 2011 example with 40,000 miles is £5500. Facelifted cars from 2015 onwards start from around £9000. If you fancy something a bit younger, a nearly new 500C is around £15,000.

To keep up to date with used 500C prices, use our free valuation tool to make sure you are getting the best deal.

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/car-valuation/">Check the value of a used Fiat 500C with What Car? Valuations</a>

The 1.3-litre diesel and 1.4-litre petrol are quite rare on the used market. The 0.9-litre Twinair also isn’t that popular, so we’d recommend going for the 1.2-litre petrol. While it’s not fast, it is much more refined than the two-cylinder Twinair – which can be rather rattly – and copes well in town.

The 500C is well equipped in Pop Star form, but the top-of-the-range Lounge variant seems to have sold better. Since Lounge can often be found for very similar money to Pop Star and comes with rear parking sensors – which help alleviate some of the visibility issues with the roof down – it’s worth looking for if you want a used 500C.

Our favourite <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/fiat">Fiat</a> 500C 1.2 Lounge

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Ride comfort shouldn’t be sacrificed at the altar of handling sharpness</li> <li>Plenty of power from a melodic engine</li> <li>Handling that doesn’t come at the expense of a back-breaking ride​​​​​</li> <li> Practicality is not essential but nice to have </li></ul>

Driving fun is right at the top of any sports car buyer's priority list, and every one of our award candidates has backroad entertainment coded into its DNA.

The Mazda MX-5 embodies sports-car spirit without wearing an exotic price tag, and has deservedly gained a strong following over the years. Much newer to the scene is the mid-engined Alpine A110. It may carry a name from the past, but this potent, mid-engined sports car was designed with the very latest lightweight thinking.&nbsp;

Rounding off our shortlist, though, is a name that'll be familiar to even those to whom sports cars hold little interest. The Porsche 911 was born an icon in 1964, and the latest generation bridges the gap between sports car and supercar. Yet, somehow, it manages to preserve a distinctly civilised character.

If you need to replace the windscreen on a 500C, bear in mind that it isn’t the same as the one in the standard 500. This is because the radio aerial is bonded to it. Check there are no serious stone chips or cracks on the screen because a replacement will cost you more than the one in the standard car.

Interiors of some cars have suffered from items of trim falling off, as well as rattles and squeaks appearing.

Check for any bodywork damage. A car that lives its life in the city might have had one or two bumps in its life, so look for any scrapes to bumpers or poor accident repair to body panels. If the work hasn’t been carried out to Fiat’s workshop standards, this could lead to future rust problems.

The Fiat 500C is a city car for those who like the cute retro styling of the standard <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/fiat/500/hatchback/used-review/n323">500</a>, but with an al fresco twist. You see, the 500C has a full-length canvas top (which replaces the metal roof of the normal car) that can be retracted at the touch of a button. This means drivers who want to savour what little sun we get in this country can do so in their car in seconds.

Open-top city cars are rare. The main competitors to the 500C are the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/peugeot/108/hatchback/used-review/n946">Peugeot 108 Top</a>, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/citroen/c1/hatchback/used-review/n871">Citroën C1 Airscape</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ds/ds-3/sports/review/n17186">DS 3 Cabrio</a>. Like its rivals, the 500C isn’t technically a full convertible because there are still roof pillars in an attempt to maintain structural stiffness.

The entry-level Pop model goes without niceties such as air-con and alloy wheels. If you want those, you’ll need to opt for mid-range Pop Star. Top-spec Lounge cars come with useful extras such as rear parking sensors and extra adjustments for the driver’s seat. There are also a number of special-edition versions that could be worth a look, provided the price is right.

The interior uses lots of bright colours and the dash front is painted to match the exterior colour – all of this makes for a bright and attractive environment. It’s not up to the same quality as a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/mini">Mini</a>, but it’s in keeping with its rivals. The driving position won’t suit all drivers, since the steering wheel only adjusts for height, not reach.

Engines include a tiny two-cylinder Twinair 0.9-litre petrol, an economical (and noisy) 1.3-litre diesel and finishing with a 1.4-litre petrol. The biggest seller, though, is a 1.2-litre petrol; despite not being the fastest, it is more than capable of keeping up with the cut and thrust of town traffic and is even reasonably refined.

Out on the open road, the 500C can be a bit out of its depth. Wind and road noise make their presence known, although this is true of most cars with a canvas roof. The steering is rather heavy for a small car and it springs back to the straight ahead quite quickly – this takes some getting used to. The ride can be a bit bouncy and crashes into potholes more than it should. Grip levels are good, though, and the car will hang on well in the bends, even if you do take a corner a little too quickly.

But the 500C is most at home at lower speeds on city streets, where its diminutive size makes parking a breeze. Rear visibility can be compromised if you have the top fully down because the folded roof blocks most of your rear vision. You might find it’s better to have the roof partially up because this allows you to utilise the rear window.

<a href="http://www.whatcar.com/classifieds/used-cars/fiat/500">Find a used Fiat 500C in the What Car? Classifieds here</a>

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Used Fiat 500C 2009-present review

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Looking for alternatives to the used Fiat 500 2009 - present? The expert What Car? review team guide you through some great options.

Open-top versions of the Citroën C1 Airscape, Peugeot 108 Top and Toyota Aygo are more practical than the Fiat 500C because they can at least be had with rear doors. However, they aren’t as cute to look at and the interiors of these cars are nowhere near as stylish.,The DS 3 Cabrio has a similar roof arrangement to the 500C in that it folds down into a creased heap where the back window would be on the ordinary car. It’s a bigger and more practical car than the 500C and it has a range of larger, more powerful engines, making it a better choice for those who need a convertible for longer motorway journeys.,Find a used Fiat 500C in the What Car? Classifieds hereFor all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? Newsletter here 

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