A top racing driver who played the Stig on Top Gear has urged used car buyers looking to get behind the wheel of an economical yet entertaining city car to consider one model. Ben Collins played the Stig on the popular motoring programme between 2003 and 2010 and now runs the YouTube channel Ben Collins Drives, posting videos in which he tests a considerable range of cars.
In a recent video, Ben gets behind the wheel of a number of popular used small cars, praising the Fiat 500 in particular for its roomy and well-built interior. He explained: “Now, this little car is a bit of a Tardis. From the outside, it looks quite small, cheeky, cute, and people are quite warmed by it. Getting inside, it’s got really good visibility because you sit quite high up and, with the level of visibility, you can see really well out of the rear window, which is good for reversing. What else can I tell you? There’s lots of chunky plastics, so you can crash in and out of this thing and you’re not going to rip the place up. Quite nice leather seats or faux-leather. They’re a little bit tight on the derriere – that might be because I’ve had too many pork pies, though.”
Produced from 2007 to 2024, the first generation of the revised Fiat 500 was a retro-themed throwback to the Nuova 500 of the 1950s and 60s, which helped to make car ownership attainable for many across Europe.
The model quickly received a number of accolades, including the European Car of the Year award for 2008 and the World’s Most Beautiful Automobile – a particularly unusual achievement for any low-cost family car.
With early examples getting long in the tooth, Brits can buy a used Fiat 500 from around £1,000, with a £3,000 budget being enough for a fairly recent example with a lower mileage.
Getting behind the wheel, Ben noted that the 1.2-litre engine typically found in the 500 gives enough power to make the little Fiat feel peppy enough, particularly with the latest software.
He continued: “It’s got a 1.2-litre engine in this bad boy, pumping out 69bhp – now, that could rip the skin off a rice pudding! 0-60mph in 12.7 seconds. That’s faster than a Porsche, though admittedly a Porsche from 1959, but it’s not bad.
“Now, when I reviewed this car in 2014 for Watchdog, it was because there were loads of complaints about the software update to the ECU because of EU emissions regulations – they completely choked the power. But, I can tell straight away by driving this one that they have improved the tuning of the ECU, the software is better, and I’d say that Fiat have pretty much overcome that problem.”
Alternatively, the former Stig suggested that drivers looking for a cheap city car take a look at a Citroen C1, also sold as the Toyota Aygo and Peugeot 108, highlighting that they offer slightly more interior space and responsiveness.
He added: “Jumping from the Fiat 500 to this, it feels good – I’ve got a little bit more response on the throttle; there’s a little bit more pep to it. It’s a bit snappier, and I feel like I’m a bit more in control.
“Ergonomically, it’s also lovely. I feel like I’ve got bumblebee’s face looking back at me here on the centre console, and everything’s in really easy reach and feels a little bit more spacious in the cabin.”