Name: Fiat Panda (2012 – present) | Expert Rating | The Car Expert
Item: Fiat Panda
Rating: 40

Summary

The Fiat Panda is a city car-sized five-door hatchback. Unusually, it is also offered either as a regular city car or as a 4×4 version with very decent off-roading ability that outperforms most conventional family SUVs.

The current Panda was launched back in 2012 and has received minor updates throughout its life.

In 2018, the Panda scored zero stars in a Euro NCAP crash test – the worst score ever recorded by the safety organisation. There has been substantial criticism of Fiat and calls for the car to be withdrawn from sale, but as of September 2023 it is still in production and on sale across Europe.

Despite its safety record, the Fiat Panda continues to receive mostly positive reviews from the UK motoring media, although the scores have tended to gradually decline over time as they would for any car that has been on sale for almost a decade. The regular model Panda has been warmly praised for its city driving dynamics, while the 4×4 version is similarly acclaimed for its considerable off-road ability.

As of January 2024, the Fiat Panda holds a pretty abysmal New Car Expert Rating of E with a score of 40%. That makes it one of the lowest-scoring new cars on sale.

It’s a great shame that the Panda has such a terrible safety score, because the rest of the time it should very reliable and very cheap to run. According to exclusive costs provided to The Car Expert by our data partners (see below), it has outstanding results in our reliability and running cost categories.

More Fiat ratings, reviews, news and features

Key specifications

Body style: Small five-door hatchback
Engines: petrol (with mild hybrid assistance)
Price: From £14,740 on-road

Launched: Spring 2012
Last updated: Spring 2019
Replacement due: TBA

Image gallery

Media reviews

Reviews, road test and comparisons from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

The Car Expert+

Model reviewed: Panda Cross
“The Fiat Panda Cross does a lot of what a Land Rover can do, but in a smaller, lighter and more economical package.”
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Auto Express+

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6 / 10
“The Fiat Panda is a characterful city car with lots of practical touches”
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Model reviewed: Panda Cross Hybrid
Score: 4 / 10
“Hybrid technology doesn’t do enough to mask the Fiat Panda’s age. It remains a charming and quirky car, but almost impossible to recommend in today’s new car market. It’s incredibly slow, not all that fuel-efficient and devoid of any sort of interior technology that buyers expect these days.”
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Model reviewed: Panda 4×4
Score: 6 / 10
“The four-wheel-drive supermini is a rare thing, but we’re glad that the Fiat Panda 4×4 exists.”
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Autocar+

Model reviewed: Panda 4×4
Score: 8 / 10
“The Fiat Panda 4×4’s mix of city car and SUV traits remains as unique as ever. This version adds expertly judged style to the list, making a truly distinctive car all the more appealing, while the characterful TwinAir engine serves to make the Panda even more quirky, with the Cross quirkier still.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“Fiat is so good with small cars that you wonder why it bothers with anything else. The Panda is another example of Fiat’s excellence in this segment.”
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Car+

Model reviewed: Panda Cross TwinAir
Score: 6 / 10
“Is the Fiat Panda Cross a bargain small off-roader or an overpriced Panda? Depends on your point of view. It’s genuinely capable off-road, great in the city (no speed bump too big, no multi-storey too steep, no parking space too small) but in all honesty a bit rubbish on the open road.”
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Model reviewed: 4×4 TwinAir
Score: 8 / 10
“The price tag might seem expensive for a city car. But it’s not bad for a perfectly fit-for-purpose, superbly engineered off-roader, with a clever little engine and excellent driving characteristics that will embarrass those behemoths in the field and hold its own on the road.”
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Model reviewed: 0.9-litre petrol manual TwinAir
Score: 8 / 10
“Fiat’s new Panda rides well, steers well, and can come with a fantastic two-pot engine; it’s an absolute joy.”
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Car Keys+

Model reviewed: 1.0-litre petrol mild hybrid
Score: 7 / 10
“The Fiat Panda is a model that’s hard not to love. Whether it’s the quirky interior, the funky and loveable exterior styling or its appealing list price, there are plenty of reasons to choose this city car, which is also superb around towns and cities.”
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Carbuyer+

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 5 / 10
“The Fiat Panda is a roomy and affordable city car with a strong sense of fun”
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Model reviewed: Panda 4×4
Score: 6.4 / 10
“Despite its tiny size, the Fiat Panda 4×4 is more capable off-road than many larger SUVs.”
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Carwow+

Model reviewed: Panda Cross
Score: 7 / 10
“The Fiat Panda Cross is a more rugged, four-wheel-drive version of the standard Panda hatchback. It’s surprisingly capable off-road, but feels rather cheap inside.”
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Model reviewed: Panda 4×4 range
Score: 7 / 10
“The Fiat Panda 4×4 is a city car with chunky, off-road-inspired looks and a grippy four-wheel-drive system to match. It’s cheap to buy and easy to drive, but not well-equipped.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 7 / 10
“Building excellent small cars is something Fiat does extremely well, so it’s no surprise to find the Fiat Panda is one of the best models in a class that includes the Skoda Citigo, Kia Picanto and Hyundai i10.”
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Daily Mail+

Model reviewed: Panda 4×4 1.3-litre diesel manual
“The Fiat Panda 4×4 looks like a city car but packs real cross-country skills. Being small and light, it can pull itself out of most trouble you’re likely to come across.”
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Evo+

Model reviewed: Range overview
“Whether it’s the basic hatchback or rugged 4×4 and Cross, the Fiat Panda is fun utilitarian transport.”
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Green Car Guide+

Model reviewed: Panda Cross
Score: 9 / 10
“With its genuinely extremely impressive off-road ability, it’s simply the most capable city car that exists. It also has bags of character and it’s fun.”
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Model reviewed: 4×4 1.3-litre diesel manual
Score: 9 / 10
“It soon becomes obvious that the Fiat Panda is not only the most interesting city car, but also the most capable by far. The normal Panda doesn’t feel like a city car, and the 4×4 version distances itself from this category by an even greater margin.”
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Heycar+

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 5 / 10
“Fiat knows a thing or two about building city cars. Between them, the 500 and Panda models have been winning metropolitan fans across Europe for decades; one the chic style icon, the other a loveable utility car.”
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Model reviewed: Panda 4×4
Score: 6 / 10
“Fiat knows when it’s on to a good thing and the Panda 4×4 is just that. It may not be a huge seller, but it’s a crucial part of the Panda line-up and has a history going back four decades. This makes it a key pillar of the Panda range and one that many of its owners couldn’t contemplate being without.”
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Honest John+

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6 / 10
“The Fiat Panda is spacious, practical and family-friendly. There’s a larger boot with a wider tailgate plus more space for those sitting in the back, both in terms of width and legroom. It can even be specified with a sliding rear seat bench which increases boot space should you need more.”
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Model reviewed: Panda 4×4
Score: 6 / 10
“If you like the 4×4 looks, but don’t need the hardware, go for the Fiat Panda Trekking, which is offered on the standard hatchback. It’s two-wheel drive, but much cheaper.”
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Model reviewed: Panda Cross
“The Fiat Panda Cross is a top-level version of the Panda 4×4, with features that give it even greater off-road ability and lift it in status terms to sensible chic.”
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Parkers+

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6 / 10
“Spacious, practical city car, but feeling its age now”
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Model reviewed: Panda 4×4
Score: 8 / 10
“Behind the likeable, informal design lies a practical and versatile vehicle. Combining small car proportions with 4×4 capabilities, the Fiat Panda 4×4 represents something of a contradiction – it’s even cool.”
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The Sun+

Model reviewed: Trekking TwinAir
“Buyers will be shocked at how much ability it still has in the rough stuff. Fiat has given it a special suspension tweak so the Panda Trekking glides across bumps and potholes.”
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The Sunday Times+

Model reviewed: 1.2-litre petrol manual Easy
Score: 8 / 10
“Cheap and looks worryingly functional, but the Fiat Panda makes highly effective, surprisingly civilised transport – with bags of charm.”
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Model reviewed: Panda 4×4
Score: 8 / 10
“A no-nonsense runaround that likes playing in the mud”
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The Telegraph+

Model reviewed: Panda 4×4
Score: 8 / 10
“When the going gets tough, never mind an SUV, what you need is a Fiat Panda 4×4.”
Read review

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“Nothing radical, but cheap, cheerful and characterful approach makes it an intriguing contrast to the impressive Volkswagen Up.”
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Top Gear+

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 7 / 10
“A cruelly underrated, often-overlooked car. Now dating inside and on the tech front, but still one of the most rounded small cars on sale. (Not just to look at).”
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What Car?+

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 2 / 10
“People talk about things like ‘charm’ and ‘character’ when discussing the Fiat Panda, but the cold, hard facts that we measure cars by prove it to be a terrible choice. It’s below-par to drive and isn’t very practical, but by far the worst thing about it is its utterly abysmal Euro NCAP safety rating. Please avoid the Panda at all costs.”
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Safety rating

Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

Overall score: 0 stars
Date tested: December 2018
Read the full Euro NCAP review

Adult protection: 45%
Child protection: 16%
Vulnerable road users: 47%
Safety assist: 7%

Note about the Euro NCAP rating

The current Fiat Panda was first tested by Euro NCAP when it was originally launched in 2011 and scored four stars. However, safety standards have increased over the course of this decade.

When the Panda was re-tested in 2018 against the latest criteria, it scored zero stars. In fact, it was the worst new car result in Euro NCAP’s history. The safety organisation said: “With nothing more than a seatbelt reminder scoring points in Euro NCAP’s Safety Assist box, the vehicle fails to reach even a single star.”

Eco rating

Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP

Model tested: 0.9 Twinair 4×2 manual

Overall score: 0 stars
Date tested: February 2019
Read the full Green NCAP review

Clean Air Index: 0 / 10
Energy Efficiency Index: 6 / 10

Model tested: 1.2 8V Petrol 4X2 Manual

Overall score: 2.5 stars
Date tested: February 2021
Read the full Green NCAP review

Clean Air Index: 4.3 / 10
Energy Efficiency Index: 5.7 / 10
Greenhouse Gas Index: 4.8 / 10

Additional eco rating

The Fiat Panda 1.2-litre petrol manual received a 2.5 star rating from Green NCAP in February 2021. This is a separate result from the one illustrated above, which is for the 0.9-litre engine.

Green NCAP said: “The car is tested here with the four cylinder 1.2 litre petrol engine, now Euro 6d-Temp compliant. With only a three-way catalyst by way of exhaust after-treatment, control of pollutant emissions is limited and, in the more challenging tests – cold ambient temperature, high-load highway – CO is high enough for all points to be lost. However, even without a gasoline particulate filter, particulate number is never excessive, in the laboratory or on the road. Energy efficiency is not impressive for such a small car.

“Overall, the Panda 1.2 petrol delivers respectable performance all-round and achieves a fair 2½ star rating.”

The written rating only applies to the 1.2-litre petrol manual version of the Fiat Panda, while the illustrated example only applies to the 0.9-litre petrol manual version. These results do not imply similar ratings for any other engine and gearbox combinations in the range.

Reliability rating

Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by MotorEasy

Total claims: 25
Average repair cost: £152.65
Last updated: September 2023

Reliability score

All data based on MotorEasy average workshop costs for extended car warranty claims

The Fiat Panda has an excellent reliability score of 70%, according to exclusive extended warranty data provided by our partners at MotorEasy. This score covers both the current-generation Panda and the previous (pre-2012) version, although it’s based on only a small number of repair claims to date.

In addition to being very reliable, the Panda is one of the cheapest new cars to repair if it goes wrong, with an average repair bill of about £150.

A third of all reported problems with the Panda relate to its suspension, with an average repair bill of £140. The other area to look out for is the braking system, where repairs are about £200.

If you’re looking at a used Fiat Panda, make sure any extended warranty cover you purchase covers all of these potential problem areas.

Running cost rating

Monthly cost of ownership data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by Clear Vehicle Data

Fuel consumption	Average	Score	Variation	Score
Petrol models	55 mpg	B	37 – 58 mpg	B – D

CO₂ output	Average	Score	Variation	Score
Petrol models	111 g/km	A	108 – 168 g/km	A – C

Insurance group	Average	Score	Variation	Score
All models	7	A	2 – 12	A – A

Service and maintenance	Cost	Score
Year 1	£115	A
Year 2	£373	A
Year 3	£603	A
Year 4	£788	A
Year 5	£1,077	A
Overall	£2,956	A

The Fiat Panda is a very cheap car to own and run, according to whole-life cost numbers provided exclusively to The Car Expert by our data partner, Clear Vehicle Data.

The only thing stopping the Panda from getting a perfect set of straight-A scores is its fuel economy, which scores a B and is merely ‘very good’ rather than ‘outstanding’. However, for a petrol-powered car with no hybrid assistance (mild hybrids don’t really count), this is actually an excellent score.

You will struggle to find a car that’s cheaper to live with than a Fiat Panda.