Where each one leads
BMW 230i
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Fiat 124 Spider
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2020 Fiat 124 Spider uses 7.9 l/100 km, the 2026 BMW 230i 8.4.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| BMW 230i | Fiat 124 Spider | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2017–2026 | 2017–2020 |
| New cars registered in Europe | — | 16,264 (2010–2020) |
| On the road in the Netherlands | — | 793 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| BMW 230i | Fiat 124 Spider | |
|---|---|---|
| New York safety inspections failed | — | 0.4% |
| … against cars of the same year | — | −73% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | — | 12.2% |
| US owner complaints | 35 | 66 |
| Most complaints about | Engine | Air bags |
| Model year with most complaints | 2017 (11) | 2017 (33) |
| US recall campaigns | 10 | 3 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 638 | 231 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 2 | — |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Fuel, emissions and price
| BMW 230i | Fiat 124 Spider | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.4 l/100 km (2026) | 7.9 l/100 km (2020) |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | — | 154 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | — | 103 kW (138 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | — | 1,125 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | — | €41,033 |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).