Fiat Panda review

Prices aren’t particularly competitive compared with those of the Panda Cross’s most obvious rivals, such as the Hyundai i10 and Kia Picanto, but you’ll almost certainly be able to haggle a big chunk off the asking price. Or, if you don’t want all that bother, our New Car Buying pages will secure you a great deal.

There’s less good news when it comes to running costs, though; its fuel economy and CO2 emissions aren’t great by city car standards, even with the benefit of a “mild-hybrid” system. The Panda is only available in one trim level, with a relatively sparse standard equipment list; DAB radio and rear parking sensors are strictly reserved for the optional extras list.

The Fiat Panda was crash tested by safety experts Euro NCAP in 2015 and recorded a very poor result of three stars out of five. Since then, though, test standards become more rigorous, and the Panda scored no stars at all in its 2018 tests – the worst rating it’s possible for a car to receive. Child occupant protection was of particular concern; the Panda achieved the lowest ever score in this category. 

It didn’t fare much better when tested by security experts Thatcham. The organisation awarded the Panda just two out of five for its resistance to theft, and one out of five for its resistance to being broken into.

As a brand, Fiat finished 19th out of 31 manufacturers in the 2019 What Car? Reliability Survey, ahead of the likes of Renault and Citroen. Like all Fiats, the Panda comes with a two-year manufacturer warranty and plus a further one-year dealer warranty. Mileage is limited to 100,000 during that three-year period.