The Lemon IndexFiat 500 reliability.
Is it reliable? Not really. 2.1× the average car's complaints.
Avoid · 2012–2015
What owners say on YouTube
Looking at a 2016 or newer? Those are too new for a full complaint score (any score shown is partial, in gray), but YouTube owners like the 2018 best.
Fewest complaints
2013.
Only 4 Fiat 500 years have enough complaints and sales to score, too few for best and worst lists. 2013 drew a bit more than the average car's complaints.
Every year. Lower is better. Tap a year for its full report.
Newest year first. Red = worse than average, gray = about average, too new (2023+: a partial score, marked “partial”) or too few complaints to score. #1, #2… = that year's YouTube rank among the 4 Fiat 500 years with enough videos (#1 = the year owners and reviewers talk about most positively). It is not a reliability rank.
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<iframe src="https://lemonindex.com/embed/cars/fiat-500/" title="Fiat 500 reliability by model year (The Lemon Index)" width="100%" height="307" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe><p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Data: <a href="https://lemonindex.com/cars/fiat-500/">Lemon Index</a> (Fiat 500 reliability by year)</p>YouTube rank: we read 196 YouTube videos about the Fiat 500, 2012 to 2019, and ranked every year by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. YouTube's favorite: 2012. Old cars rank lower partly because most of their videos are repair and restoration videos. A gray dot means not enough data yet: under 10 videos, or a new year with no owner complaints to compare.
Compare the Fiat 500.
Opens the compare tool with both cars, every year side by side. Compare with any car →
Quick answers.
Is the Fiat 500 reliable?
Not really. It draws 2.1× the average car's complaints, but YouTube owners sound happier with it than with most cars its age. No year beat the average car. The year with the fewest complaints, 2013, still drew 1.3× the average.
Is the Fiat 500 a good car?
Not overall: it draws more complaints than the average car, by owner complaints to the government per car sold (2012-2015: Lemon Index 206; 100 is average). Some years are much better than others: 2013 drew the fewest complaints and 2014 the most.
What are the best Fiat 500 years to buy?
Only 4 Fiat 500 years have enough data to score, so we don't list best years. 2013 drew the fewest complaints (a bit more than the average car's complaints).
What Fiat 500 years should you stay away from?
Only 4 Fiat 500 years have enough data to score, too few to single out years to avoid.
How many recalls does the Fiat 500 have?
32 safety recalls across the 8 model years we track. Most: 2014 (7), 2015 (6), 2016 (5). Each year's page lists them, and every Fiat 500 recall is in one list here.
What are the most common Fiat 500 problems?
Across every year, owners' complaints to the government name transmission & drivetrain, electrical and engine most. Some years are much worse than others: see the chart above.
Every year in one table
| Year | Index | Compared with average | Complaints | Top complaint | Recalls | Crash test | MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 163 | about one and a half times the average car's complaints | 107 | transmission & drivetrain (36%) | 4 | ★★★☆☆ | 29–32 |
| 2013 | 129 | a bit more than the average car's complaints | 71 | transmission & drivetrain (37%) | 4 | ★★★★☆ | 29–116 |
| 2014 | 293 | about 3 times the average car's complaints | 113 | transmission & drivetrain (54%) | 7 | ★★★★☆ | 27–116 |
| 2015 | 217 | about twice the average car's complaints | 60 | electrical (42%) | 6 | ★★★★☆ | 25–116 |
| 2016 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 12 | transmission & drivetrain (67%) | 5 | ★★★★☆ | 24–112 |
| 2017 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 7 | body structure (29%) | 2 | ★★★★☆ | 24–112 |
| 2018 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 2 | seats (50%) | 2 | — | 24–112 |
| 2024 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 5 | electrical (40%) | 2 | — | 110–116 |
The Lemon Index counts owner complaints filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) in a car's first 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model years (100 = average, lower is better). It measures complaints, not crash safety. U.S. sales source: goodcarbadcar.net. How it works
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Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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