This is a return to the top for Fiat’s iconic baby, four years after it took the last of its four City Car of the Year titles in 2012, and it comes not least as a result of a significant spruce-up. Billed last year as the new 500, it has subtly revised lights and, for the first time, a touchscreen infotainment system.
Although the city car sector isn’t a massive one in the fleet market, the characterful 500 has found plenty of friends in areas including the public sector, as well as in salary sacrifice and marketing applications. Its popularity is helped by residual values that are almost unrivalled in the class.
The most popular engine is the 69hp 1.2. It accounts for around 85% of volume. A new 95hp 89g/km diesel arrives early in 2016 to join the 105hp Twinair petrol and the 85hp Twinair that is the only model in the range mated to an automatic gearbox, in the form of the robotised Dualogic transmission.
The Fiat 500 is certainly the city car with the biggest personality, and it stands alone in the segment in terms of desirability and style, as well as offering impressively low running costs. Without question, that’s why it has been voted our City Car of the Year.