The petrol Fiat 500 is back in Britain, and it only comes with three pedals. Fiat UK’s order-books release lists the 500 Hybrid Icon hatchback at £18,995 on the road. Every version uses the same 65 HP 1.0-litre three-cylinder with a six-speed manual gearbox. There’s no automatic on the price list.
The UK range is short. Icon hatchback is £18,995 and Icon Convertible is £21,995. La Prima hatchback is £20,995 and La Prima Convertible is £23,995. The Torino launch edition, a hatchback-only tribute to the car’s home city, is also £18,995. Fiat’s UK 500 Hybrid page still shows Icon from £18,995 OTR and La Prima from £20,995 OTR today. The car is built at Mirafiori in Turin, where the original 500 was born in 1957. Fiat said right-hand-drive production for the UK would start in the second quarter of 2026.
The clutch
This is a mild hybrid, not a self-shifting one. Fiat’s launch release lists the transmission as a “6-speed manual” and front-wheel drive, and the UK model page says the 500 Hybrid has a “six-speed manual gearbox” in both hatchback and convertible form. The 12-volt lithium-ion battery helps the engine; it doesn’t take over the shifting. So you get a clutch pedal and a gear lever on every trim, from the £18,995 Icon to the £23,995 La Prima Convertible. Fiat doesn’t sell an automatic 500 Hybrid in the UK, so if you want this car, you’re driving a manual.
The engine
The numbers are modest, and Fiat doesn’t pretend otherwise. The 1.0-litre three-cylinder makes 65 HP. Fiat quotes 0–62 mph in 16.2 seconds for the hatchback (17.3 seconds for the Convertible) and a 96 mph top speed. The release quotes 53 mpg combined (52 mpg for the Convertible), and the UK page lists 52.3–53.3 mpg WLTP and 119–123 g/km CO2. Six gears matter more when you only have 65 HP to work with, because you’ll be using all of them.
Icon gets 16-inch alloys, full LED headlamps, a 10.25-inch touchscreen, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, automatic air conditioning and rear parking sensors. La Prima adds 17-inch wheels, tinted rear glass, a fixed glass roof on the hatchback, eco-leather seats, heated front seats and windscreen, a rear camera and navigation. It’s a city car, not a hot hatch. But it’s one of the cheapest ways to buy a new manual car in Britain, and it’s a manual by default.
Highlights
- 500 Hybrid Icon hatchback: £18,995 OTR; Icon Convertible £21,995
- La Prima hatchback £20,995; La Prima Convertible £23,995; Torino launch edition £18,995
- 1.0-litre three-cylinder mild hybrid, 65 HP, 12V Li-ion battery, FWD
- Six-speed manual on every UK version; no automatic offered
- 0–62 mph 16.2 s (Convertible 17.3 s), 96 mph, 52.3–53.3 mpg WLTP
- Built at Mirafiori, Turin
More Autogonzo clutch stories
- Kia Priced the Picanto at £17,095 and Kept the Clutch
- Hyundai Priced the i20 at £19,995 and Kept the Clutch on Every Trim
- Suzuki Priced the 2026 Swift Motion Manual at £19,999 and Kept the Clutch
- Dacia Priced the 2026 Sandero at £14,765 and Kept Only the Clutch
Sources: Stellantis Media UK: FIAT opens UK orders for new 500 Hybrid, Stellantis Media UK: The new Fiat 500 Hybrid, Fiat UK 500 Hybrid.
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