Fiat 500 Euro NCAP crash test

3 stars. At least average occupant protection but not always equipped with the latest crash avoidance features

The passenger compartment of the 500 remained stable in the frontal offset test.  Dummy readings indicated good protection of the knees and femurs for both the driver and the passenger.  FIAT showed that a similar level of protection would be provided to occupants of different sizes and to those sat in different positions.  In the full-width rigid barrier test, the head of the driver dummy exceeded critical limits for deceleration.  As a result, no points were scored for the driver dummy even protection of the chest was adequate, and that of the knees and femurs was good.  Likewise for the rear passenger dummy: poor protection of the head resulted in all points being lost.  However, in this case the chest would not have scored points anyway, owing to excessive shoulder belt force, and the abdomen lost all points owing to a phenomenon known as 'submarining', in which the dummy slips under the lap portion of the belt.  In contrast to its performance in the full-width test, the 500 scored maximum points both in the side barrier test and the more severe side pole impact, with good protection of all critical body regions.  Tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated good protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision.  A geometric assessment of the rear seats indicated marginal whiplash protection.  The 500 does not have an autonomous emergency braking system.

In the frontal offset test, forward movement of the 10 year dummy was excessive and the head hit the back of the seat in front.  As a result, dummy readings for the head and neck were were high and points were scored only for adequate protection of the chest.  Neck tension in the 6 year dummy indicated poor protection for this body region.  Protection of the chest was marginal and that of the head was adequate.  In the side barrier test, high decelerations in the chest of the 10 year dummy, on the struck side, demonstrated poor protection but other body regions, and the whole of the 6 year dummy, were well protected.  The front passenger airbag can be disabled to allow a rearward-facing child restraint to be used in that seating position.  However, the information provided to the driver regarding the status of the airbag is not sufficiently clear and the system was not rewarded.  Only one seating position - the rear passenger side - has iSize anchorages and installation of some child restraints on the rear driver's side did not meet Euro NCAP's requirements.

The bonnet provides predominantly marginal protection to the head of a struck pedestrian, with poor results recorded on the front edge of the windscreen and on the stiff windscreen pillars.  The protection provided to pedestrians' legs was good, and maximum points were scored, but that offered to the pelvis was more mixed, with areas of good and poor performance.

The 500 has, as standard, a seatbelt reminder for the front and rear seats.  A driver-set speed limiter is also standard.  There is no autonomous braking or lane assistance system.