Fiat 500 Owner's Manual

About The 500

The 500 is a small city car built by the Italian car manufacturer Fiat. There are two main eras for the 500, 1957 – 1975, and then following a long hiatus, 2007 to date.

The first early models were built as 4 seated cars available as either a 2-door saloon or a station wagon, both looked incredibly similar. Despite its small size the Fiat 500 was highly practical due to its interior capacity and cheap running costs.

Fiat enjoyed excellent sales throughout the whole of Europe and many versions had a canvas panoramic sunroof that could be folded back fully.

Fiat ended production of the original 500 in 1975, naming its successor the Fiat 126. The 126 was never really successful and certainly not as popular as its predecessor. The 126 was assembled and manufactured in Poland and was rebadged Polski Fiat.

In 2007, Fiat announced the rebirth of the 500, making sure to keep the original aesthetic and to keep the main attributes, that is to say, a reasonably priced small vehicle that was practical for both single persons and families alike. These new cars were still manufactured in Poland as well as Toluca, Mexico.

This new 500 was exported to 100 countries worldwide including the USA and as of 2017, Fiat had sold 2 million units. The new Fiat 500 enjoyed a similar trend of other car companies, reviving an old classic. Other vehicles that did this were the Mini and the VW Beetle.

The Fiat 500 won Car Magazines ‘ world’s most beautiful car,’ along with over 40 other accolades. Fiat kept the majority of the original car structure (where possible as safety regulations had changed somewhat since the 1950s), the same chassis shape was maintained along with the door frames, roof pillars, side windows and canvas roof for the cabriolet.