Fiat 500 Convertible Review & Prices
- Monthly
- £343*
Find out more about the Fiat 500 Convertible
Is the Fiat 500 Convertible a good car?
How do you make the adorable Fiat 500 even more stylish? Easy, turn it into the 500 Convertible. As with its hatchback counterpart, the 500 Convertible is actually based on the 500e Convertible but with its digital gubbins ripped out and replaced with a petrol engine and manual gearbox.
Having gone against the grain, with so many small cars turning electric these days, the 500 Convertible is a bit like replacing your electric cooker with a gas stove. Sometimes there’s no beating the tried and tested recipe, especially as the 500e Convertible hasn’t performed too well in terms of sales.
There aren’t many small cars you can buy with ragtops. The Toyota Aygo X offers a similarly large, fabric sunroof, while the Mini Cooper Convertible has a full-fat retracting roof, as does the (admittedly more sporty) Mazda MX-5.
The Mini comes close in entry-level trim, but none of the aforementioned cars are quite as easy-on-the-eye as the dinky little Fiat. It’s near-identical to the electric version, with the only real visual difference being the extra grille in the front bumper to cool the engine. That means a mildly-sinister pair of headlights with cute LED ‘eyebrows’ and a silhouette that harks back to the original 500 of 1957.
Step into the compact cabin and you’ll notice it’s much the same as its 500 siblings. The same dashboard as the 500e Convertible houses a circular instrument display, as well as a floating infotainment screen and a row of shortcut switches below it. The main difference is the six-speed manual gear lever which sits below the buttons, and manages to avoid looking out of place.
It's super slow, but does that matter when the 500 Convertible is so stylish?
Don’t expect much in the way of space inside the 500 Convertible, be it for passengers or for storage. The front seats are fine for adults, even if the cabin is a little narrow, but the back seats are really best for children - and squeezing into them (the Fiat is a three-door) is a bit of a faff. At just 183 litres in size, the boot is identical in size to the hatchback, albeit with a small, hinged boot lid below the fabric roof instead of a hatchback rear end.
There’s a single engine option, called the Hybrid, but it’s really a 1.0-litre petrol lump with mild hybrid tech. Amazingly, Fiat has managed to cram this and a gearbox into the space the electric motor used to take up. Un-amazingly, with only 65hp it also makes the 500 Convertible remarkably slow, even compared to alternatives. Offering up to 53mpg, it’s not very efficient, either.
We’ll update this once we get behind the wheel of the handsome little convertible, but you can expect similarities with the 500e Convertible. That means it ought to be a breeze to drive in town, if a touch jiggly over bad roads, but motorways and country lanes are best taken at a steady turn of pace.
Check out the latest Fiat 500 Convertible deals, as well as 500 Convertible lease offers and used 500 Convertible examples for sale on Carwow. There are other used Fiats for sale, too, and you can even sell your current car through Carwow when it’s time to switch.
How much is the Fiat 500 Convertible?
Starting at almost £22,000, the 500 Convertible is a hefty £3,000 more expensive than the 500 hatchback, which feels cheeky for what’s essentially a glorified sunroof on an otherwise identical car.
That’s until you compare it to the Aygo X, however, because you’ll need to fork out £27,500 for an Excel model with the Premium Pack fitted to get a similarly-sized convertible. At least the Aygo X comes with a full-fat, highly efficient, hybrid engine which is far more fuel efficient than in the 500 Convertible.
Icon trim kicks off the 500 Convertible range, with 16-inch wheels and rear parking sensors as standard, as well as automatic climate control, while La Prima cars come with 17-inch diamond cut wheels, heated front seats, fancy two-tone interior trim and built-in sat nav.
- Monthly
- £343*
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*Please contact the dealer for a personalised quote, including terms and conditions. Quote is subject to dealer requirements, including status and availability. Illustrations are based on personal contract hire, 9 month upfront fee, 48 month term and 8000 miles annually, VAT included.