Complaints by model year
Each bar is one model year. Highlighted: 2014. The most recent years are still collecting complaints.
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026
New York safety inspections
Share of first inspections failed on safety, by model year. Older cars fail more as miles build up, so compare each year with the average car of the same year. Best against its own year: 2015.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections, initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Year by year
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 500L | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 500L | 2 | 0 |
| 2015 500L | 23 | 2 |
| 2014 500LMost complaints | 183 | 3 |
A model year gets its own page when it has enough data for at least three sections
Most common problems
- Power train130
- Engine32
- Electrical system29
- Vehicle speed control22
- Unknown or other22
- Steering11
- Service brakes11
- Air bags11
NHTSA ODI complaints, all model years
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 20 500L vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died, and 11 people died inside them. These are counts, not crash rates: a model with more cars on the road shows up more often, and people killed outside the vehicle are not counted here.
| Model year | Vehicles in fatal crashes | Deaths in the vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 4 | 2 |
| 2017 | 2 | 2 |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015 | 3 | 1 |
| 2014 | 10 | 6 |
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain) · how we count
Crash-test ratings by year
NHTSA 5-star results for 7 model-year variants; not yet fully rated. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Year | Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2020 Fiat 500L 5 HB FWD | — | 0.0 % |
| 2019 | 2019 Fiat 500L 5 HB 2WD | — | 0.0 % |
| 2018 | 2018 Fiat 500L 5 HB 2WD | — | 0.0 % |
| 2017 | 2017 Fiat 500L 5 HB 2WD | — | 0.0 % |
| 2016 | 2016 Fiat 500L 5 HB 2WD | — | 0.0 % |
| 2015 | 2015 Fiat 500L 5 HB FWD | — | 0.0 % |
| 2014 | 2014 Fiat 500L 5 HB 2WD | — | 0.0 % |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption by year
Official Canadian test results for 7 model years, best variant per year. Combined consumption ranges from 8.3–9.4 L/100 km.
| Year | Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 500L · Station wagon: Small · Regular gasoline | 10.7 | 7.9 | 9.4 |
| 2019 | 500L · Station wagon: Small · Regular gasoline | 10.7 | 7.9 | 9.4 |
| 2018 | 500L · Station wagon: Small · Regular gasoline | 10.7 | 7.9 | 9.4 |
| 2017 | 500L · Station wagon: Small · Regular gasoline | 10.7 | 7.9 | 9.4 |
| 2016 | 500L · Station wagon: Small · Regular gasoline | 9.3 | 7.1 | 8.3 |
| 2015 | 500L · Station wagon: Small · Regular gasoline | 9.3 | 7.1 | 8.3 |
| 2014 | 500L Turbo · Station wagon: Small · Regular gasoline | 9.3 | 7.2 | 8.4 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
In New Zealand
3 500L cars are on the New Zealand register; 0% arrived as used imports.
| Model year | Registered | Sold new in NZ | Used imports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1971 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
In the Netherlands
5,853 500L cars are on Dutch roads; 50% arrived later as imports. Open a year for APK defects, odometer checks and colours.
| First registered | On the road | Median list price |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 72 | €25,805 |
| 2018 | 261 | €26,670 |
| 2017 | 279 | €26,020 |
| 2016 | 439 | €25,085 |
| 2015 | 543 | €24,895 |
| 2014 | 721 | €24,783 |
| 2013 | 927 | €24,120 |
| 2012 | 62 | €23,848 |
| 1974 | 21 | — |
| 1973 | 69 | — |
| 1972 | 518 | — |
| 1971 | 586 | — |
| 1970 | 695 | — |
| 1969 | 433 | — |
| 1968 | 132 | — |
| 1967 | 59 | — |
| 1966 | 36 | — |
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles (CC0) · list price is the manufacturer's catalogue price when new
In Finland
190 500L cars were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026: 96% petrol, 4% diesel. Mileage is the odometer reading at the last inspection.
| First registered | In use | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 6 | 138,000 km |
| 2014 | 51 | 156,000 km |
| 2013 | 123 | 149,000 km |
| 1972 | 5 | 30,000 km |
| 1970 | 5 | 59,000 km |
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use, 30 Jun 2026 · CC BY 4.0
Road collisions in Great Britain
From 2021 to 2025, 233 500L cars were involved in road collisions in Great Britain that injured someone and were reported to the police. 1 of those collisions were fatal and 47 caused serious injuries. As with any count, models with more cars on British roads appear more often.
| Year | Cars in injury collisions | Fatal | Serious |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 37 | 1 | 10 |
| 2024 | 50 | 0 | 9 |
| 2023 | 41 | 0 | 8 |
| 2022 | 61 | 0 | 10 |
| 2021 | 44 | 0 | 10 |
Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data 2021–2025 · Open Government Licence v3.0 · how we count
In the United Kingdom
16,946 500L cars were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, by year of manufacture.
| Built | Licensed | Off the road (SORN) |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2 | — |
| 2021 | 225 | 2 |
| 2020 | 211 | 1 |
| 2019 | 433 | — |
| 2018 | 681 | 8 |
| 2017 | 235 | 1 |
| 2016 | 63 | 3 |
| 2015 | 1,423 | 41 |
| 2014 | 7,960 | 343 |
| 2013 | 5,713 | 277 |
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
21,773 500L cars took their annual MOT test in 2023; 66% passed first time, against 72% for all cars of the same ages. Older cars fail more often, so compare a year with the same year of other cars.
| First registered | Tests | Passed first time |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 162 | 82% |
| 2018 | 606 | 74% |
| 2017 | 887 | 73% |
| 2016 | 1,640 | 74% |
| 2015 | 3,026 | 69% |
| 2014 | 8,440 | 66% |
| 2013 | 6,368 | 63% |
| 2012 | 276 | 60% |
| 2011 | 368 | 57% |
Why they fail
Share of all first tests that ended in a fail because of each part of the car (one test can fail on several).
| Area | 500L | All cars, same ages |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 9.6% | 8.1% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8.6% | 9.8% |
| Brakes | 6.0% | 5.8% |
| Tyres | 5.2% | 6.6% |
| Visibility | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 2.4% | 2.4% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1.8% | 2.4% |
| Steering | 1.7% | 1.7% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests of cars only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
New registrations in Europe
537,381 new Fiat 500L cars registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland between 2011 and 2022, from the European Environment Agency's CO₂ monitoring of every new car. In 2022 the largest markets were Italy (4,418), Romania (382), Spain (312).
| Year | New cars | CO₂ g/km |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 5,536 | 149 (WLTP) |
| 2021 | 20,852 | 156 (WLTP) |
| 2020 | 23,260 | 155 (WLTP) |
| 2019 | 38,353 | 160 (WLTP) |
| 2018 | 51,674 | 161 (WLTP) |
| 2017 | 63,734 | 119 (NEDC) |
| 2016 | 78,998 | — |
| 2015 | 82,095 | — |
| 2014 | 90,015 | — |
| 2013 | 72,589 | — |
| 2012 | 10,273 | — |
| 2011 | 2 | — |
Averages are weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value (NEDC until the WLTP switch). European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · re-use permitted with acknowledgement
Real-world fuel consumption
3,276 Fiat 500L cars registered in Europe between 2021 and 2022 report their fuel use through the on-board meter. Petrol versions average 7.7 l/100 km on the road, against 7.3 l/100 km in the official WLTP test — 4% more.
| Fuel | Cars | On the road | WLTP | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 2,675 | 7.7 | 7.3 | +4% |
| Diesel | 601 | 5.6 | 4.8 | +16% |
Litres per 100 km: total fuel used divided by total distance driven, from the car's own fuel consumption meter (OBFCM), collected in 2024 by the manufacturers, mostly remotely, and by national authorities. WLTP figures are the type-approval CO₂ values converted to litres. Hybrids, including mild hybrids, do not plug in; plug-in hybrid figures include the distance driven on electricity. European Environment Agency, Real-world CO₂ emissions from cars and vans · CC BY 4.0
What it costs in fuel
On real-world figures the petrol Fiat 500L uses 7.7 litres per 100 km, so 15,000 km a year takes about 1,150 litres: €2,316 at this week's average price in Italy, its largest market in Europe.
| Country | Petrol | Diesel |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | €2,316 | €1,875 |
| Spain | €2,046 | €1,578 |
| France | €2,561 | €1,960 |
| Germany | €2,504 | €1,893 |
| United Kingdom | £2,006 | £1,665 |
| United States | $1,300 | $1,385 |
Fuel for 15,000 km (9,300 miles) a year at real-world consumption. Pump prices with taxes, week of 19 October 2026: European Commission Weekly Oil Bulletin, UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, US Energy Information Administration. Non-euro EU prices are in euros as the Bulletin publishes them.
Work it out for your driving
EU safety alerts
Safety Gate, the European Union's rapid alert system, names the 500L in 5 alerts. European versions can differ from the North American car.
The steering track rod can disengage from the steering box as a result of an error in the manufacturing process. This may lead to a loss of steering function, increasing the risk of an accident.
The heat shield on the underbody may cause wear to the fuel line. Leaking fuel could lead to a fire.
The insulation of the electric cable in the auxiliary heater may become damaged. This could lead to a short circuit and cause a fire.
The adhesive bond between the windscreen and the camera bracket may fail. This can cause the camera to dislodge and cause the vehicle to stop unexpectedly.
The knee airbag may not open correctly in case of an accident.
Safety Gate (European Commission) · CC0
Recalls
4 campaigns cover the 500L.
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014 Fiat 500L vehicles. The Powertrain Control Module (PCM) software calibration maybe incorrect, limiting the engine to idle speed and torque even when accelerator pedal is fully pressed.
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2015 Fiat 500L vehicles manufactured April 23, 2015, to May 10, 2015. The affected vehicles may be equipped with a passenger frontal air bag that was not folded properly during the assembly process. As a result, the air bag may not deploy as designed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Fiat 500L vehicles manufactured March 3, 2012, to July 25, 2014. Irregularities in the folding process during assembly of the driver's knee airbag may result in its improper deployment. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2014 Fiat 500L vehicles manufactured April 5, 2013, through January 22, 2014. In certain temperatures, moving the transmission shift lever may have a delayed effect or no effect on selecting a transmission gear.
NHTSA recalls