Fiat 500 Hatchback

1.0 Mild Hybrid Torino 3dr

The ‘new’ Fiat 500 has recently reached adulthood, having celebrated its 18th birthday in 2025. Of course, its roots date back much further than that – the original 500, which inspired the current model, first rolled off production lines in the mid-to-late 1950s.

The anniversary is significant, though, because it means the current 500 has been in production for as long as the old one, which was discontinued in 1975. Birthday cake aside, though, there’s been little to celebrate in recent years. Sales of the 500 have been declining for a long time, as more people shift their attention to larger, more practical SUVs, away from traditional hatchbacks and saloons. And, of course, more people are switching to economical alternatives such as hybrids and electric cars.

As a result, the all-electric Fiat 500e is a direct threat to the standard 500’s future. While some regard them as different versions of the same car, they’re actually markedly different, with the 500e having notably fresher looks. Curiously, when the 500e launched, Fiat didn't update the petrol 500 to match the looks of its battery-powered sibling, yet continued to sell both models alongside one another – and all it achieved was making the petrol 500 look even more dated.

Now, finally, Fiat has announced a new hybrid version of the 500, which belatedly inherits the looks of the 500e – five years after its electric sibling’s introduction – and states that it is the ‘natural evolution of an icon’.

But, really, that’s just PR spin.

The truth is, sales of the 500e haven't met expectations, and Fiat has all but admitted that it was a mistake to leave the old 500 on sale when it launched the new, modernised 500e alongside it – so now it’s hurriedly backtracking. While some manufacturers have taken an existing platform from a combustion-engined car and fitted an electric motor, Fiat is the first to do it in reverse, adding an engine to a vehicle built to be all-electric.

Will this revitalise the 500 (and 500C, given there’ll be a Cabriolet version, too)? We've got our hands on one, so we can find out.