Twelve months have passed since the Fiat 500 picked up its first Auto Express City Car of the Year award, but its appeal now is stronger than ever. It has an incredible record in our road tests, having shrugged off every rival that has come along. Plus, the range has now grown to include feisty hot hatches as well as a convertible model - so the 500 is a deserving winner of the Best City Car prize for the second year running.

Our definition of a top-class urban runabout is a model that fits in perfectly with a daily commute, is designed to slot into the tightest city spots and doesn't make too many demands on your budget. The 500 scores on all counts - and then it adds retro styling into the bargain.

It was back in Issue 1,047 that the little Fiat faced its toughest test of the year - when it came up against the new Ka. Ford had used the 500 as the basis for its latest model, and with the blue oval's engineers having added some of their suspension expertise to the package, along with a new interior, the odds were stacked against the Fiat. Yet while the Ford ticked all the boxes, it did so without the feelgood factor offered by the cute 500 - so the Italian model came out on top.


* courtesy of http://www.autoexpress.co.uk