Used Fiat 500C 2009-2026 review

The Fiat 500C is a city car for those who like the cute retro styling of the standard Fiat 500, 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, even on the used market. The main competitors to the 500C, which was in production from 2009 to 2026, are the Peugeot 108 Top, Citroën C1 Airscape and DS 3 Cabrio. Like its rivals, the 500C isn’t technically a full convertible because there are still roof pillars that stay in place in an attempt to maintain structural stiffness.

Later models from 2020 introduced a small and efficient hybrid engine option, with the car known as the Fiat 500C Hybrid. It remained on sale until 2026.

Trims & equipment: 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. Several special-edition versions could be worth a look, provided the price is right.

Interior & practicality: The interior uses lots of bright colours and the dashboard 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 Mini, 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: 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.

In 2020, the standard range was reduced to one variant, the aforementioned mild hybrid model called the Fiat 500 Hybrid. It uses a 69bhp 1.0-litre petrol engine, aided by a tiny electric motor and battery. You can’t plug it in, and it can’t travel on electric power alone. It's nippy and economical enough around town but is lacklustre when it comes to motorway driving.

It has enough zip to push along through hectic city traffic, but when you try for a meaningful burst of pace, you’ll find the performance pretty gutless. A Mini Convertible would leave it for dead in a straight line, and also offers significantly better handling.

Ride & handling: 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.

"Its small size makes it ace for city driving, but the truth is the 500C is not as good to drive as it is to look at. A tight fit, too, if you're tall." - George Hill, used cars writer

If you'd like to buy a used Fiat 500, or any of the other cars mentioned here, check out our Used Cars For Sale pages.

Prices for the 500C start at around £1000 for the highest-mileage, slightly ratty examples from 2008 and 2009. If you can spend around £2000 to £3000, you'll have your pick of 1.2 cars that have done an average or even below-average mileage for the year.

The 1.4-litre engine was only on sale until 2011, when the turbocharged 0.9-litre Twinair replaced it. It's therefore quite rare on the used market and prices vary, so expect to have to pay between £2000 and £5000 for a 1.4 that hasn't driven to the Moon and back.

Diesels are also scarce, but an example that has been looked after will set you back around £2500. You’ll have to spend a similar amount for a 500 with the Twinair engine.

Later examples from 2016 and 2017 will set you back between £4000 and £6000, while a good 2018, 2019 or 2020 car will cost you upwards of £6500. For later post-2020 Hybrids, look to spend around £7500 and above £8000 on 2022 and 2023 cars. Last-of-the-line 2025 and 2026 models cost upwards of £12,000.

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Fuel economy and emissions figures for the 500C are similar to those of the standard 500, despite the weight penalty of the soft-top due to extra chassis strengthening and the heavy folding mechanism.

MPG

Diesel models are rated for 67.3mpg (72.4mpg with automatic stop/start) as recorded under the older NEDC tests. The 1.2 has an official average of 55.4mpg (58.9mpg with stop/start), or 51.4mpg under the WLTP tests, and the 1.4-litre 46.3mpg (48.7mpg with stop/start), while the Abarths manage 43.4mpg, all under the NEDC.

The 0.9-litre Twinair is the economy star, promising 70.6mpg or 67.3mpg, depending on power output, although this drops to 52.3mpg under the later, more realistic WLTP test. Meanwhile, the later 1.0 Hybrid version has an official WLTP figure of 53.3mpg.

CO2 emissions

The 1.2-litre petrol emits just 119g/km (99g/km with stop/start) of CO2, while the 1.4 emits just 140g/km (135g/km with stop/start) and the diesel 110g/km (104g/km with stop/start).

Road tax (VED)

Tax for the pre-April 2017 500s shouldn't prove expensive, because the tax system was based on CO2 output, and for most models, that was quite low. Those cars registered after the tax changes of April 2017 came into force will pay VED at the flat annual rate. This is currently £195 per year.

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.

Servicing and insurance

Insurance shouldn't be expensive, with all 500s (bar the Abarths) being in very low insurance groups. Servicing costs are in line with other models in the Fiat range and rival city cars.

Reliability

The Fiat 500’s reliability, according to real-world owner reviews from our annual What Car? Reliability Survey, is a mixed bag.

Earlier petrol models were praised for their general dependability, but issues like faulty dashboard warning lights and glitchy infotainment screens cropped up across the range. Diesel versions drew more criticism, with common – and costly – problems involving the diesel particulate filter (DPF) and engine management systems.

Owners also reported small but annoying niggles such as interior rattles and worn door seals. Fiat’s dealer support didn’t always impress either, with complaints about communication and repair delays.

Discover more about used Fiat 500C reliability on our dedicated page.

Engine

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.

Trim

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 Fiat 500C 1.2 Lounge

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.

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