Fiat 500 Hybrid TEST: hurry, it may be the last!

It should never have come back... but here it is again: the Fiat 500 hybrid! The Fiat 500 has long been one of the brand's best-sellers. Between 2007 and 2019, Fiat sold between 150,000 and 180,000 units each year. Then, in 2020, came the revolution: the 500 evolved and became exclusively electric. Although the launch was a success, its price gradually became less competitive and sales collapsed.

In 2024, Fiat took the courageous decision to relaunch the 500 hybrid. After the rumors of the first half of the year, then the official announcement in the second, the Fiat 500 hybrid finally arrived at the end of 2025... and I was able to test it for you. So, how did they do it? They took the platform of the electric Fiat 500 and installed the hybrid powertrain, exhaust, transmission and fuel tank of the old 500. Of course, it wasn't quite that simple: it took just over a year of development to come up with this model.

The result? The Fiat 500 hybrid is back, and this time it's a 100 Italian %. Platform, engine... everything is produced and assembled in Italy (unlike the previous generation, which was made in Poland). And to top it all off, a promise kept: Fiat is offering the car for under the symbolic €20,000 mark.

So, is everything perfect? No. A small grain of sand has crept into the launch machine. The new car is heavier (due to the platform originally designed for the 500e) and its engine is slightly less powerful than the old one: 65 hp instead of 70 hp. As a result, the car is slower than before, and even among the slowest on the new car market in 2025. So, of course, we laugh (we the first ones), compare and wonder why Fiat could have let this happen.

But if you're reading this, it's to find out what I think of this Fiat 500 hybrid. So I went to Turin to try out this new 500 hybrid for a day. What more can I say about this Fiat 500 hybrid which, even if it is new... isn't really? You can read about the roadholding of the electric 500, or reread the tests of the old Fiat 500 equipped with the 70 hp hybrid engine, or even those of the Fiat Panda with the same engine. All this will give you a good deal of the information you need.

So, what's new?

The Fiat 500 is one of those rare A-segment cars that people buy more for its looks and emotional appeal than for its functionality. And yet it's not lacking in assets: it offers four seats, a cabriolet version, and a 3+1 version with an antagonistic door for easy access to the rear.

In terms of price, it starts at under €20,000. What might have seemed expensive in 2010 isn't really so today. Well... it's still the price of a Dacia Duster (well, that's not very Dolce Vita).

Reliability is clearly one of this car's great assets. If you're wondering which new car will still be on the road in 20 years' time, this Fiat 500 hybrid is probably one of them. And it's not just because there are still a lot of 2007 Fiat 500s on the road: even if everyone jokes about its 1.0L 65 hp engine and its very basic hybrid system, this powertrain has more than proved its worth. At a time when it's easy to get lost among all the engines and the reputations that go with them, the reliability of this 1.0L 65 hp is beyond doubt, especially as it's paired with a manual gearbox. Suffice it to say that this Fiat 500 won't give you any problems with its powertrain.

But then, once we've talked about the genesis of this Fiat 500, its positioning, price and reliability, it's time to talk about its road manners! I drove this Fiat 500 hybrid around the Fiat factory (with a friendly honk to Gaetano Thorel, Director of Fiat Europe, who happened to be standing in my way and must have thought I was crazy) and above all around Turin (and even on the roof of the Lingotto), a city I really appreciate and which really deserves to spend a few days there.

First on the steep, uneven roads to the east of Turin, on the other side of the River Po, where, let me tell you, I was mostly in 2nd and 3rd gear, with my hand constantly on the gearshift. Then in downtown Turin, in 3rd and 4th gear, again with my hand always on the lever: the Fiat 500 is agile and responsive. 0 to 100 km/h? A non-issue in this type of use. What counts here is torque and gear ratio. And it's not lazy (in fact, I wanted to headline my test: "Small but not lazy", but my wife talked me out of it).

I was even able to do a bit of highway driving. Of course, you'll have to downshift if you want to overtake, at least in 4th gear. But what's nice about the 500e's platform, compared to the old one, is that being wider and longer, it's above all more stable. At 130 km/h, you'll feel safe and secure, without any roll, and firmly planted on the road. For those of you who like numbers, I ended up with an average fuel consumption of around 9 L/100 km... yes, I had a heavy foot.

So yes, this Fiat 500 hybrid won't, at first glance, be a pragmatic purchase. Above all, it's love at first sight. For its looks, for what it represents... and because it's very likely to be the last petrol Fiat 500 produced in Italy. Its replacement, due in 2029 or 2030, should this time be 100 % electric.

When you buy this Fiat 500 hybrid, you're not just buying a piece of Dolce Vita. You're buying a piece of Italian motoring history: a Cinquecento produced in Turin, Fiat's historic capital, powered by a Fiat engine also made in Italy. And for all these reasons, it simply has no real competitors.