Awards 2009 - City car: Fiat 500

If ever there was a sure bet for a new car to take a category win in the BusinessCar Awards then the Fiat 500 in the city car class was it.

Ending the three-year run by the near-identical trio of Citroen C1, Peugeot 107 and Toyota Aygo, the Fiat 500 has captured hearts and minds ever since it was first revealed in 2007.

Fleets have also taken to it thanks to high residual values and low emissions and overall costs.

When we tested the 500 we praised its class-leading low running costs, the easy to use package and the car’s desirability. Clearly BusinessCar readers agreed.

From a standing start, Fiat sold more than 2200 500s to fleet out of a total of 15,000 in 2008, and this year will see a hot Abarth version join the range, giving it a boost to fend off renewed competition from Ford’s new Ka.