Fiat 500 Hybrid Review 2026: Prices, specs and verdict

What is the Fiat 500 Hybrid?

The Fiat 500 is a characterful, compact city car that’s arguably one of the most successful retro revivals in the automotive world.

The original 500 (called Cinquecento in Italy) was launched in 1957 as a pint-sized, functional and affordable city car designed to mobilise post-war Italy in the cheapest possible way.

But its cute, curvy looks meant it quickly became a design classic. Fast forward to 2007, and Fiat struck gold by bringing back that iconic shape in a new 500. Over three million examples of the MINI rival have been sold globally, with half a million sold in the UK alone.

By the 2020s the 500 was still successful but ageing next to rivals. The all-new, all-electric Fiat 500e was then launched, but despite big improvements it hasn't sold anything like as well as the petrol model.

The result was unprecedented: Fiat ripped up the rulebook, took the EV-only 500e and shoehorned the only engine that would fit under the bonnet to create this: the new 500 Hybrid. But is this a return to form, or a compromise too far? Our review finds out.  

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Verdict: is the Fiat 500 Hybrid a good car?

For buyers who’ve waited for petrol power before giving up their old 500, we reckon the new 500 Hybrid is a big improvement. Cabin quality, in-car tech and comfort levels have taken a big step up, while the new car is also notably more refined and stable at speed.

Having said that, we reckon all but die-hard petrol manual drivers who can’t charge an EV at home are better served by the much smoother and quicker 500e. The 500 Hybrid’s engine has character, but it certainly doesn’t have much performance and isn’t very relaxing on long drives. It’s difficult to ignore the extra space and performance of the Fiat Grande Panda, too.

Pricing, specs & rivals

Prices for the Fiat 500 Hybrid start at £18,995 at the time of writing. That makes the petrol model around £1,750 more than the entry-level Fiat 500e with the smallest 24kWh battery. It’s also an identical starting price to the bigger Fiat Grande Panda - our best small car of 2026.

The 500 is also around £1,900 more than the cheapest Kia Picanto, but the Fiat is significantly cheaper to buy than the Toyota Aygo X and several thousand pounds less than the MINI Cooper.

The entry-level Fiat 500 Icon offers a decent amount of standard equipment including 16in alloy wheels, LED headlamps, gloss black mirror caps, two-tone fabric seats, climate control, a touchscreen with smartphone connectivity, cruise control and rear parking sensors. In other words, enough kit for most city car buyers.

Alongside the Icon model is the Fiat 500 Torino, designed to celebrate the car’s Turin-based factory. Unique badging and fabric/vinyl seat designs feature, but both the price and base equipment levels are the same as the 500 Icon. Similarly, the 500 RED continues in the new model as part of Fiat’s partnership with the RED charity.

Fiat reckons 80% of buyers will upgrade to the 500 La Prima, however. Priced from £20,995, La Prima trim upgrades the alloy wheel size to 17in while also adding privacy glass, a panoramic glass roof and faux leather upholstery with additional colour choices.

Further kit additions for La Prima trim include a two-tone steering wheel, heated front seats, auto high beam, adaptive cruise control, a reversing camera, sat-nav, wireless phone charging and a JBL sound system upgrade.

The Fiat 500 Convertible starts from £21,995 in Icon trim and £23,995 for La Prima.

Rivals

The Fiat 500 has fewer rivals in petrol form than it does in electric form because the petrol city car market has shrunk over the years. A chief competitor is the less style-oriented Kia Picanto, while you’ll also want to consider more expensive alternatives like the Toyota Aygo X and MINI Cooper. Don’t forget the 500’s bigger brother, the Grande Panda, which is similarly priced but feels less premium.

If you are willing to consider an EV, there’s a much greater array of small rivals including the BYD Dolphin Surf, Renault 5 E-Tech, Hyundai Inster and Geely EX2.

Interior comfort, quality & technology

We love the Fiat 500e’s interior, with its splashes of colour, logical layout and premium touches in higher trims. And the 500 Hybrid gets an almost identical cabin.

The only change you’ll notice (other than the obvious clutch pedal) is the manual gearbox, which sits on its own dashboard extension and falls easily to hand.

Compared to the dark and dour interior of rivals from Kia and Toyota, the 500 is bright and airy thanks to the big body-coloured trim panel across the dash. There are various funky seat trims that lift the ambience, too. Granted, the MINI Cooper has fewer hard and scratchy plastics, but then it is a more expensive car.

The driving position is less compromised than the old 500, too, with more space for taller drivers to get comfortable. This tester’s size 12 feet didn’t feel too cramped in the pedal box, either, while the steering has plenty of reach and rake adjustment.

However, only La Prima trim gets driver’s seat height adjustment. That’s essential if you’re a taller driver, because you sit too high otherwise and find the rear-view mirror mounting obscures your front view. La Prima trim is also the only one with a centre armrest. At least all-round visibility is very good.

Infotainment, sat-nav, stereo and connectivity

Every 500 Hybrid comes with a 10.25in touchscreen infotainment system – the same display found in the 500e. The base system only comes with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, while La Prima adds built-in sat nav.

It’s a massive improvement on the touchscreen in the old 500 – and not just because it has a much larger screen. The display itself is responsive to inputs, the menu layouts are easy to understand, and the graphics are smarter than in most city car rivals. Only the odd small menu icon lets it down.

The 7in digital instrument display isn’t exactly feature-packed, but it’s very easy to read on the move. We also like that there are a couple of physical buttons to turn off the lane assist and speed limit warning.

As well as the wireless charging pad in La Prima models, all 500s come with both USB-C and USB-A charging ports for devices. The standard audio has four speakers, but upgrading to La Prima trim brings a reasonably punchy six-speaker JBL premium audio system.

How practical is the Fiat 500 Hybrid?

The 2026 Fiat 500 Hybrid’s dimensions of 3,631mm in length, 1,627mm in width (without mirrors) and 1,532mm in height make it 60mm longer, 60mm wider and 40mm taller than the old 500. Even so, it’s tiny by modern car standards.

In fact, even this bigger 500 is one of the smallest cars on sale, excluding quadricycles like the Citroen Ami. It’s significantly shorter and narrower than the Aygo X, and slightly smaller even than the Picanto. That should set your expectations for space inside the Fiat.

Those up front have a good amount of space. Despite being perched high up (no 500s have a height-adjustable passenger seat), six-footers will find a decent amount of legroom and enough headroom. It’s a far less cramped environment than the old 500.

The rear seats are a bit more spacious than the old car, too, but it’s all relative because this is not a car designed to regularly carry adults on longer trips. The three-door layout means accessing the seats is a bit awkward, and once back there you’ll find both leg and headroom are tight for anyone but small adults. There are only two seats, too.

Even the relatively cramped Toyota Aygo X and MINI Cooper are slightly roomier, while the Kia Picanto is far better. Really, the back of the 500 is best for taking a couple of kids to school at most, or the odd lift up the road for adults.

Storage and boot space

There’s a decent amount of storage space in the front of the Fiat 500. The door bins are on the narrow side, but the glovebox is a good size and you get a useful cubby in the centre console with a fold-back lid. La Prima models get a sliding centre armrest with a deep space underneath the lid, too.

There’s also a phone storage tray in the dash which becomes a wireless phone charging pad on La Prima models. However, the 500 Hybrid misses out on the 500e’s neat pop-out cupholder because the manual gearbox removes the space for it.

In the rear there’s essentially no storage whatsoever. You do get ISOFIX points, but you’ll struggle to get bulkier rear-facing child seats in without seriously compromising front passenger space. At least there are ISOFIX points on the 500’s front passenger seat too.

As for the Fiat 500’s boot? Well, the capacity is 183 litres. That’s the same as the electric 500e, but about 30 litres less than a MINI, 50 litres or so less than the Aygo X and 70 litres less than the Picanto.

It’ll take roughly three carry-on suitcases or a modest weekly shop, but it’s quite a narrow space that gets much smaller higher up due to the seatbacks (the parcel shelf is comically small as a result).

Performance & drive: What is the Fiat 500 Hybrid like on the road?

The outgoing Fiat 500 had various engine options in its life, from the quirky TwinAir to traditional four-cylinder engines and even a diesel. The new 500 makes do with just one petrol engine – and it’s not a powerful one.

Being based on the 500e, which was never designed to take an engine in the first place, severely limited the space under the bonnet. The 500 Hybrid’s engine is the smallest of any Stellantis brand – a 1.0-litre, non-turbo three-cylinder engine with basic 12-volt mild-hybrid assistance.

With just 64hp and 92Nm of torque, the 500 Hybrid’s engine is one of the least powerful cars on sale today. The 0-62mph sprint takes a yawning 16.2 seconds in the hatchback, and the convertible takes a full second longer. In other words, it’s one of the slowest-accelerating cars on sale today.

That’s fine around town if you’re willing to work the manual gearbox (there’s no automatic option). There, the 500 Hybrid’s performance is enough to keep pace with traffic, and there’s reasonable response from around 2,000rpm. But you’ll quickly find it seriously underpowered when venturing out of town.

There’s some fun to be had if you’re in the mood because you can regularly extract 100% of the car’s performance without ever breaking the speed limit, and the engine makes a characterful, rorty sound. Stirring the relatively slick manual gearbox is also refreshing as automatics become the norm. It’s a great car for new drivers to learn how to find a car’s limits without speeding, too.

Those who prefer effortless performance and a relaxed drive will find its charm wear thin, though, particularly on hilly roads where you’ll need to change down a couple of gears just to keep moving. Motorway inclines are hard work, too, but the 500 is at least less noisy than a 1.0-litre Kia Picanto at 70mph because of its sixth gear.  

Ride and handling

The 500’s tiny dimensions, finger light steering and good visibility make it an absolute breeze to park, even with a manual gearbox. A tight turning circle also helps make this one of the best cars out there for city driving.

Compared to the old 500, this new car is also much more composed and stable at higher speeds thanks to its longer wheelbase and wider track. There’s plenty of grip, too, but a fair amount of body lean, particularly compared to the sharp MINI Cooper.

The biggest obstacle to enjoying twisty roads in the 500 is the steering, which is completely devoid of any feel or sense of natural weighting as you turn. It is reasonably precise, but most city car rivals inspire more confidence in that situation.

Ride comfort is somewhat compromised by the 500's tiny wheelbase, but compared to the overly firm MINI it does a decent job of absorbing sharp potholes and doesn't feel too bouncy on undulating roads. An Aygo X has a more consistent ride, though.

Noise and refinement

One of the biggest improvements of the new 500 over the old car is refinement. The old model was very noisy at speed, whereas the new car has much lower levels of both road and wind noise. The latter is still noticeable at speed, though, and the little engine needs to work hard on motorway inclines, so a Toyota Aygo X is a quieter long-distance companion.

Euro NCAP: is the Fiat 500 a safe car?

The Fiat 500 was crash tested by Euro NCAP in all-electric 500e form in 2021, achieving four stars out of five. It’s unlikely that the petrol version will be tested separately.

The 500e’s crash test scores are strong across the board, beating the Toyota Aygo X for adult and child occupant protection. However, the Aygo better protects vulnerable road users, while the more expensive MINI Cooper is a safer five-star car.

Every 500 comes with the expected level of safety kit including automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist, speed limit warning and cruise control.

La Prima models further add to that with adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring, while also adding front parking sensors and a rear-view camera to help avoid low-speed accidents. An alarm is an optional extra, which is also the case with the Aygo X but isn’t with the Picanto.

Running costs and fuel economy

The new Fiat 500 should be as cheap to run as it’s always been, with the new petrol engine proving even more efficient than the old 1.2-litre unit.

The 500 Hybrid officially manages 54.3mpg combined in WLTP testing. That’s comparable with the Kia Picanto and better than any version of the MINI, although the Toyota Aygo X is far more efficient than any of those thanks to its hybrid system.

“But isn’t the Fiat 500 a hybrid?” you might ask. Well, not really. Whereas the Aygo X’s hybrid tech allows it to run purely in electric power for long periods of driving, the Fiat can never move without the engine running.

The 12-volt system mainly makes the stop/start system more effective. We didn’t notice any electrical assistance when driving the 500, which is a shame because the engine needs all the help it can get.

Still, the Fiat is cheap to buy in the first place. It’s a shame the 500 can’t compete with the Picanto’s excellent seven-year warranty, only offering three years of cover. The mileage is unlimited in the first two years, at least.

How much does the Fiat 500 cost to insure?

The Fiat 500 Hybrid is likely to be one of the cheapest new cars to insure for most people, if its insurance groups are anything to go by. That carries on the tradition of it being a popular car for young drivers.

All variants of the new 500 sit in insurance group 5, which is on a par with the 1.0-litre Kia Picanto and only beaten by the least powerful Volkswagen Polo, which sits in group 3.