Is a Fiat 500 a good first car?
Yes, if you don't need rear-seat space: the 500 stays in a tight, low insurance band across nearly its whole real-world range, though it's smaller inside than most rivals at the same price.
The numbers*
| Insurance group | Group 3 to 11, depending on engine and trim. For a young new driver, every version costs between £147 and £163 a month standard cover, an unusually narrow range for a first car. |
|---|---|
| Typical used price | £5,000 to £8,800 on the used market (most trims and years) |
| Road tax | £20 to £200 a year depending on registration date, since the 2017 VED reform changed how it's calculated. |
| Fuel economy | 55 to 69 mpg combined (official, combined cycle) |
| Euro NCAP rating | 3 stars (Euro NCAP) |
Ins grp 5 Fiat 500 1.2 Pop 5dr
- Standard
- £1,769/yr
- Telematics
- £1,238/yr
Standard monthly £147/mo
Ins grp 7 Fiat 500 1.2 Pop 3dr
- Standard
- £1,947/yr
- Telematics
- £1,363/yr
Standard monthly £162/mo
Ins grp 10 Fiat 500 1.0 Mild Hybrid 3dr
- Standard
- £1,955/yr
- Telematics
- £1,369/yr
Standard monthly £163/mo
Labels go by monthly insurance: Manageable up to £150, Getting pricey £151 to £200, Danger zone over £200.
Why parents like it
The 500 has a strong, recognisable badge and a genuinely narrow insurance range, so the exact trim matters less than with most first cars: there's little risk of accidentally picking an expensive-to-insure version.
Why new drivers like it
It's one of the most distinctive-looking first cars available, with real badge appeal, and its small dimensions make it easy to park and manage on tight city streets.
The catch
The 500 is unusual among first cars: its insurance cost barely moves across the range. The cheapest version (group 5) comes to around £147 a month standard cover for a young new driver, and the most expensive ordinary version (group 10) around £163 a month, only £16 apart. A real quote for a 2012 500 at group 10 came in close to this, £165 a month standard cover, so the estimate holds up. The trade-off for that consistency is space: the 500 has the smallest back seats of any car on this list.
Which version to look for
Any ordinary 1.0 or 1.2-litre 500 insures similarly, so choose on age, condition and equipment rather than insurance group. If rear-seat space matters at all, a different first car is worth considering instead: the standard 500's back seats are genuinely tight for anyone over child height.
* Sources: First Car Scout vehicle listing and insurance-group data (July 2026).