Category: City Cars 
Price Range: £8,300 to £13,605
Powerful retro flavours matched with modern design, fun to drive, fabulous detailing.
Headroom is tight in the back, steering wheel not adjustable for reach, not much covered storage space.
See one, drive one and you'll want one.
Fiat's hard work has paid off. EuroNCAP has awarded the supermini the maximum five-star rating for occupancy safety. Three stars were awarded for child safety and two out of four for pedestrian impact, indicating that the Italian firm has all safety bases thoroughly covered, there's even a seventh airbag to protect the driver's knees.
Fiat has managed to keep the 500's front overhang short despite the demands of pedestrian protection and barrier crash tests. BMW achieved the same thing with the latest Mini - both cars use sophisticated energy paths through the structure - so the many carmakers who wring their hands at their new cars' long, droopy noses are clearly not trying hard enough.
Other safety kit includes the usual ABS and electronic brakeforce distribution, plus ESP with emergency Brake Assist and a hill holder on the 1.4s. The pedal mountings are designed to break away in a heavy frontal crash, to avoid ankle injury.
