In-depth reviews

Fiat 500L owner reviews

“The Fiat 500L is a spacious and distinctive family car but it feels a little outdated now"

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22 Sep 2021

.polaris__post-meta--date { display: none; } .polaris__post-meta--date.no-script { display: block; padding-left: 45px } 22 Sep 2021

Carbuyer Rating

2.5 out of 5

Owners Rating

3.9 out of 5

Reviews

Owner Reviews

5 out of 5
4 out of 5
3 out of 5
2 out of 5
1 out of 5

56%of people would recommend this car to a friend

Common Problems

Brakes, Suspension (1 case)
Electrics, Other (1 case)
Engine, Gearbox / clutch (1 case)
Engine, Other (1 case)

Review 1 of 9

Tell us what you think about your car?

Bought this car after seeing it in showroom, 15 months old with only 5000 miles on clock at less than half of new price. Having had 3 Fiat Pandas previously this was a big jump in class for me. After three years Now of ownership I am absolutely delighted with the car, the space inside is incredible for us as a family of four with a boot that will take four suitcases when we go on holiday. High driving position( Trekking 4 inches higher than standard) Average of 48 mpg on mix of urban and rural runs with 55/56 on motorway trips. The 1.6 diesel engine is very strong, no loss of power with a full load, great for overtaking and relaxed motorway cruise. I would consider changing it but worry I would not get a car I like so much. I would rate it at 4-5 stars and can only assume the lower ratings from owners seem to be on the cars with petrol or 1.3 diesel . Flew through its MoT without any pre check and here is to another trouble-free year of motoring. Negative was squeaky back brakes but I got that fixed cheaply and front suspension top strut replaced.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Looks good, drives quicker than expected for engine size plus comfortable. Good interior size with great visibility. We opted for the stereo upgrade which sound really clear with good bass, unfortunately you have to guess what track to select as it has no scroll function and very little info displayed (common Fiat this display is about 10 years out of date). If you want fuel economy don't buy buy this car I an extremely disappointed with only 36mpg when it stated 59mpg, what a con. I haven't had air con now for 6 weeks apparently a part is on back, I say apparently as getting information out of my local Fiat dealer is close to impossible. If the dealer would sort out warranties and the fantasy fuel figures were not so far out I would have marked it higher.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

We were looking forward to receiving this little car. Plenty of extras already built into the Trekking version. Much easier to handle and park. Previously we has a Peugeot 3008, 63 plate and my wife found it too bulky to drive. Before that we had a new Mercedes B class 62 plate which turned into a nightmare for the whole year. We made a loss in giving it up early as it spent more time in the garage than on the road. The Peugeot was okay and had we known how disappointing the Fiat 500L Trekking would be, we would have stuck with the Peugeot another year. MPG. On the Fiat 500L Trekking we expected upward of 60mpg on a run, and more than 50mpg in the town. The first 1000 miles it did achieve an average of 53 mpg, city driving, which was not so bad. But since getting over the 3000 miles it has dropped down to 37-39 in city driving with stop and start working. (There is an intermittent fault which turn this off and the dealer cant find). On a run if I drive under 2000 rpm around 56 mph I can get a dizzy 56 mpg. But who wants to drive on the motorway at that speed. driving in cruise control at 70mph I am getting around 46/49mpg . If the car is loaded it does not get these kinds of mpg. As stated by others that car seating is good and the room inside is great for 4 tall passengers. Boot is big enough for a short weekend away. We had thought of getting a Citroen C4 Picasso having had one before the Mercedes. The old version of the C4 Grand Picasso gave us an easy 53mpg on average and was a 7 seater. But the Mercedes promise of over 70mpg turned our head (we got nearer 50). Now the Fiat is again making us wish we had stuck with a French car. No we wont get another Fiat and giving it 3 stars is for the in cabin space and reasonable seating. Plus it's looks. The Trekking looks much better than the standard 500L. The 1300 Diesel engine is too weak for the vehicle. Had the 1.6 Diesel had an automatic we would have gone for that. My wife cannot drive a stick shift. Interestingly after receiving the vehicle a fact came to our notice that the Trekking ability switches it's self off at 17 kph although the engaged light is still alight. 17kph what is that? 10.56 mph. They never told us that on the sales desk.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

I have had a fiat 500 L 1.3 litre automatic diesel for two months. The cars physical size is great for my requirements. The forward visability is great. I am struggling with the reversing , but that is just a matter of getting used to a different car ( I had a Peugot 3008 before – a wonderful car!). The automatic gear stick system is awful ! It is such a simple concept of needing to go forward or backwards with an automatic gear box, yet this Fiat system can be an absolute fiddly pain in the neck and it is easy to keep knocking it into manual mode accidentally. ( Typical of modern progress I suppose : – you take a simple idea and complicate it !!) The cruise control system is also a pain, you can’t tell from the display when it is actually operational and when its not ( it’s hard to explain!). I took a salesman’s word on the description of the controls as there was no automatic, cruise control version available when I ordered. What a mistake! I look forward to the end of the motabilty lease to get a better, more practically controlled car. I hoped to get 55 – 60 mpg . At the moment it is 49 mpg but I hope it will improve as I get more mileage on it ( currently it has 1700 miles on the clock). There are 3 buttons on the key fob. The boot opener has it's own button ! I am continually hitting this button when starting the engine , which opens the boot so I have to stop the engine and get out of the car to shut the boot. The spare key can't open the boot ,or the passenger door! ( It is a normal mechanical key that opens the drivers door and starts the engine only ). It would be simpler and more practical just to have the boot unlocking system on the same button as the doors. The eco drive analysis function is just a gimmick really, but its a bit of fun! Heaven forbid that you should use the brakes or accelerate - you will be punished on your performance rating! I half expected Joanna Lumley's voice to tell me that I had been a very very naught boy !!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

I absolutely love this car! I previously had a 07 Kia Picanto and when I was looking for a new car I said straight away I wanted a much bigger car, as with little city cars they are so cramped and can hardly fit anything in or be comfortable! When I first looked at this car I wasn’t sold straight away, but when I test drove it, my god that was it! The smoothness of driving it was immaculate! I thought with it being a much bigger car than I was used to I’d struggle with reversing etc but the all-round visibility is great! My only downfall on visibility is the two pillars where your blind spot is, it was meant to increase visibility however I feel as though it’s impaired it slightly. The comfort of the car is amazing and the space in the boot and the back seats is ridiculous!!! If you are into music, I definitely recommend the Beats edition 100%. All-round perfect car! Can’t fault it!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

On July 7th 2015 I collected my brand new Fiat 500L Auto Popstar. After approximately 3/4 months wait I was delighted to pick up my new car. To my added surprise my husband had organised a personal number plate for me. Before purchasing the car to my own specification I did test drive a 500L but could only do so on a manual car as there was not an automatic car available locally. I was not worried about this as I was trying to get a feel for the car itself, headroom, interior etc, not the engine as I have driven automatic cars for over 30 years from driving my mums around which is a Micra to my husband's Q7, automatic feels pretty similar to me. On picking up the vehicle and driving for a couple of weeks I was a little unsure about the drive of the car. It feels quite like driving a manual as I found I was having to use my handbrake when faced with any incline. This was new to me as I have never had to use this unless of course when I was driving a manual car many years ago. I was then told by the garage that the car was duologic and the gears were slightly different. I was never told this and had I been told I would have made sure that I found an automatic car to test drive. I was not even aware what this meant! I have driven automatic cars for 30 years and this feels very different. After a couple of weeks the car cut out on me three times. Always when stationary. I took the car back to the dealership where I waited for approximately one hour but a fault could not be found. Around the beginning of September it happened again. I took the car back again and was given a courtesy car by the local car rental garage. A new throttle body was put in which apparently has something to do with the air control? I was given a courtesy car from a local car rental garage. Around three weeks after that, the car went back in. Yet again the car had cut out on me a few times. Something else was carried out to do with the RPM sensors, something that controls the speed? A week later the same thing happened again. This time at a very busy junction at the traffic lights a long way from home. The car is now back at Fiat and I have had another courtesy car for a week now. I am told Fiat engineers have looked at it and another part is being delivered for them to fix the car. Apparently something to do with a part that controls the engine?! I have now taken the new Fiat back four times, each time having to drive the car over to the garage. I have called Customer Services and logged the problem and now have a case number. I have called them and asked that someone call me back, ie a manager. I did get the feeling they weren't that interested and probably reading a script, someone will get back to you etc. I have had a problem with the radio too. Seems quite minor compared to the engine problems but still a fault! On many occasions whilst listening to the radio I have often heard the same line of a song twice. The only way I can explain what this is like is as if you were playing a vinyl record and there was dust on the needle and it sticks! Naturally, this never happens when the car is in the hands of the mechanics. I have never come across this before. A car is a very large purchase, second to buying a house. If I or most people I know actually bought something brand new, a TV, hoover, bags, shoes etc etc and it was faulty I would imagine that most would take their purchase back to the store and demand a new one, not keep having it fixed, considering it is brand new. On a plus point I love the look of the car. My husband and son are 6ft 4 plus and there is plenty of headroom. The boot is big and overall looks great.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

I never thought about looking into Fiat but decided I had to when I first saw the 500L. The appearance attracted me immediately. It's different. Inside and out the car looks and feels good. With plenty of room inside, (2 car seats and an adult in the back, 2 adults in the front, two buggies and lots of shopping in the boot) this car was ideal for family life. There's plenty of room for tall adults to stretch out and plenty of boot storage. The car is easy to drive, with lots of good features, Bluetooth, cruise control and much more. I rarely have to top up with petrol as it lasts quite well. What's more is the 1.4 engine is enough to gain speed without shooting off too fast. It tracks my journey and even tells me what petrol I've used, average speed and much more. As soon as I brought the car, everyone around me said how they wanted one. It's tall, it's quite wide (not advisable if you're a bad parker) but it's got everything you need and want to take a road trip with a small family.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I have had this car for a few weeks and would like to give my initial impression and will follow up with a review at a later stage. Having bought the diesel, I am hoping for increased mpg, and for my average commute around 6-7 miles each way, I am easily getting over 48mpg. This is a massive improvement on my last car (Mercedes 08 plate A-Class). Having been on a couple of longer distance runs, the mpg increased (especially due to a number of 50mph speed restrictions on the motorways in and around Yorkshire at the moment!) and had upwards of 55mpg before testing out how quick the car would go...! Internal space is great and the higher driving position and all around great visibility is a valuable asset. The vast array of cubbyholes and storage are really useful and even my 6 year old daughter has commented that there is more to see from the back seat and that she prefers the amount of space that is available. The boot space is substantial and with the seats folded up, a large amount of stuff can fit in with ease. One of the extras that we purchased with the car was the Beats Audio system with DAB radio. This is a completely amazing system and anybody who enjoys music whilst they drive will be in awe of the power and quality of the sounds produced. For me, this system has made driving a pleasure and I look forward to spending time in the car as it is comfortable, spacious and sounds fantastic. Seeing as though I will be in the car for long periods for work, I really appreciate the cruise control too. I was concerned following some negative points raised by others, but cannot recommend the 500L enough and the people who I have shown the car to all agree that it exceeds their expectations as to what they thought it would be like. One surprise is the size of the car, it does seem like a tardis, going to show that space can be utilised well in what is classed as a 'mini' MPV. I feel that other people's issues with the MPG might be negated by the smaller diesel engine which I have, but this still provides enough momentum once you get used to the short gear ratios. Fair enough it's not going to set the world on fire with it's blistering pace, but living in a world where 80% of all the countries motorways are going to be upgraded in the next 5 years, 50mph is going to be a common speed all over the country, so at least I will be comfortable and able to relax in a car which is just a little bit more individual than every other MPV on the market.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I have had the car for a month now my first impressions are generally good. Plenty of room and well equipped, my only criticism is of the 1.4 engine which is underpowered for a car of this size, this is particularly apparent at lower speeds. Fiat have stopped making diesels which is what this car really needs.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up