Fiat 500C Hybrid review

Plenty of drivers will struggle to get comfortable in the 500C. The seats are quite flat, and – more critically – there’s no height adjustment on Pop trims (you can’t add it, either), and no reach adjustment to the steering wheel; it only moves up and down, not in and out. You can add optional leather seating on Lounge trims.

The Fiat’s interior may be as bright and bubbly as a children’s TV presenter, but the Mini Convertible’s interior certainly feels a class above and goes a long way to justifying its higher price. The dash is reasonably easy to use, with conventional rotary switches for the air-con, and you get audio controls on the steering wheel as standard across the range. 

In terms of infotainment, Pop gives you an AM/FM radio with USB and aux-in connectivity, while Lounge ups this to a 7.0in touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration as standard.

The system itself isn’t the best in the class – it’s slow to respond, has small icons, and can be hard to see in direct sunlight – but it is fairly easy to get the hang of, and don’t forget you can always plug your smartphone in to use its navigation or media apps instead. 

Visibility is pretty poor to the rear. No small cabriolet does well in this area, but the 500s narrow rear window (which is heated and made from glass as standard) offers a more restricted view out than the broader window of the Mini, so you need to be conscious that there’s a big blind spot to the rear three quarters. And, with the roof folded, you really can’t see much to the rear at all. Fortunately, rear parking sensors are standard on Lounge trim and above.