Fiat 124 Spider (2016 – 2018) Review

The Fiat 124 Spider is based on the Mazda MX-5, but with retro styling inspired by the original 124 Sport Spider of 1966. Sold in the UK between 2016 and 2019, it’s a leftfield alternative to the more familiar Mazda. There’s also a sporty Abarth version, with more power and noise. It’s also quite affordable, with used-only prices from around £11,000. And it should retain its value over the longer term – thanks in part to the small number sold.

As cars become ever larger, heavier and more laden with technology, the Fiat 124 Spider feels like pressing ‘reset’. A front-engined, rear-wheel-drive roadster, it’s the old-school sports car formula – yet feels more relevant than ever. Forget hot hatchbacks with 300hp; when it comes to real-world driving, simple pleasures are best.

Before you even turn a wheel, though, you’ll be seduced by how the Fiat looks. While the MX-5 is sleek, angular and unmistakably Japanese, the 124 Spider channels traditional Italian style.

Its 2016 debut came exactly 50 years after the 1966 original and the family resemblance is clear to see. Fiat even produced a sought-after Anniversary version to mark the occasion. Understated and pretty, this car doesn’t try too hard to be ‘retro’.

The Abarth version, of course, is rather less subtle, with a distinctive matt black bonnet – originally a feature of Abath rally cars, to reduce glare for the drivers. You also get red door mirrors, chunkier alloys and Abarth scorpione badges. If you want to be noticed, it’s the default choice.

Both cars use a different engine to the MX-5: a 1.4-litre MultiAir turbo petrol. The Fiat musters 140hp, while Abarth turns the wick up to 170PS – and bolts on a rorty exhaust. Either way, modest weight and a malleable chassis mean there’s ample power for B-road fun. The standard car sprints from 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds, the Abarth in 6.8 seconds. 

That said, the standard 124 Spider is a slightly softer proposition than the Mazda, with more body-roll in corners and a more pliant ride. You could even opt for an automatic transmission if you prefer to take it easy and soak up the sunshine. We’d have the wonderfully snickety manual, though (and no, we’re not certain ‘snickety’ is a real word).

Inside, the Fiat is cosseting and comfortable, with a simple, driver-focused dashboard (note the large rev-counter directly in front of the driver) and straightforward media system. It’s hardly practical, although the boot is slightly bigger than the Mazda. You could certainly manage a long weekend away if you pack light. 

Flipping back the hood is a one-handed job that takes seconds. The extra weight and complexity of an electric roof would, frankly, be unnecessary here. The GT version of the Abarth came with a detachable hard-top in addition to the fabric roof (which still stores beneath the rear deck). The idea is to use the soft-top in summer and hard-top in winter, but remember you’ll need somewhere to store the latter when not in use.

As for reliability, the 124 Spider’s Japanese roots should stand it in good stead. You’ll also discover that average mileage tends to be low, as many are bought as second or ‘weekend’ cars, while running costs are very affordable for a sports car.

Both the Fiat and Abarth are relatively rare, but you can still afford to be choosy when buying one. Read on to discover what you need to know.

It depends what your priorities are, of course, but even the most scintillating sports car is tainted if you can’t use it every day. The Fiat strikes a good balance between agility and usability, with suspension that’s well suited to Britain’s rubbish roads.

Anyway, if you crave something sportier, there’s always the Abarth. In addition to its extra 30hp, this car also boasts a limited-slip differential for enhanced cornering ability and a strut brace to stiffen the chassis. Then factor in a more relaxed (read: slippier) traction control system, a Sport mode to sharpen engine response and an extrovert exhaust: you can’t fail to have fun.

If there’s a criticism here, it concerns the steering, which simply isn’t as direct and incisive as the Mazda. Then again, very few cars are.

There’s another point of difference here with the ubiquitous MX-5. The Japanese car has naturally aspirated 1.5- and 2.0-litre engines, which need to be worked to give their best. The turbocharged Fiat and Abarth offer more low-down punch – making for more relaxed progress. You can use more of the performance, more of the time, but the trade-off is less high-rev drama and ultimately less excitement.

The Fiat could sound more exciting, too, but you’ll have no such complaints in the feisty Abarth (even if your neighbours won’t like it).

There is some turbo lag from the MultiAir engine, then it spools up strongly in the mid-range, tailing off as you approach the redline. We especially love the manual gearbox, which feels Teflon-coated and wonderfully analogue. 

The slushy automatic ’box simply can’t compete, particularly when you take its inferior performance and fuel economy into account. It gives away 0.8 seconds in the 0-62mph sprint and 1.3 miles per gallon.

The 124 Spider comes with the safety equipment you’d expect, including front and side airbags, stability control and an active pedestrian safety system.

There’s also an Isofix mount for fixing a child car seat to the passenger seat, plus a passenger airbag deactivation switch. The top-spec Lusso Plus version gained adaptive LED headlights and rain-sensing wipers.

Safety watchdog Euro NCAP has never crash-tested this car, but the closely related Mazda MX-5 scored four stars in 2015. Its detailed results were 84 percent for adult occupant protection, 80 percent for child occupant protection, 93 percent for pedestrian safety and 64 percent for safety assist systems

You’re not simply thinking about towing with a 124 Spider are you? There is nowhere to mount a tow bar, so you’ll need to look elsewhere if you have a horsebox or caravan to shift.

This was never going to be the Fiat’s forte. There are only two seats, for starters, and its shallow boot holds 140 litres: just about enough for a weekly shop. For comparison, a Volkswagen Golf hatchback holds 380 litres. An retro-look aluminium luggage rack was optional when new, but cost an eye-watering £1,000 – so few cars have it fitted.

Inside, there’s no glovebox, but you can store your leather driving drives (or indeed your wooly mittens) in the lockable compartment between the seats. There’s a pair of movable cupholders on the transmission tunnel, plus Fiat offered a cargo net for the boot. Those with shorter legs can also stash some luggage behind the seats.

The Abarth GT version is perhaps more practical for city-dwellers as its carbon fibre hard-top is less prone to vandalism. Its heated glass rear window is a boon in cold weather, too.

Leave your Italian car cliches at the door because, well, the 124 Spider isn’t really an Italian car. It’s even built alongside the MX-5 in Japan. Great news when it comes to build quality.

Inside there are plush plastics, well-damped controls and millimetre-perfect fit. Granted, it doesn’t feel ‘premium’ like an Audi or Mercedes-Benz, but the 124 was never premium-priced. 

Entry-level trim was called Classica, with cloth seats and rudimentary infotainment, while Lusso and Lusso Plus offered leather, a larger screen and various cosmetic upgrades. This isn’t a stripped-back road racer, so go for the best specification you can.

You could argue that fresh air, lively steering and a rear-wheel-drive chassis are all the entertainment you need. Even so, we suspect the 124’s basic radio with Bluetooth, Aux and USB sockets would leave you feeling short-changed. 

Thankfully, most cars came with a seven-inch screen (note: not a touchscreen), which is controlled by a rotary dial between the seats. The graphics look a bit dated, but there’s Bluetooth and wi-fi connectivity. Just check the optional sat nav has been specified or you’ll be forced to use your phone.

An excellent nine-speaker Bose audio system was standard on the Abarth and 124 S-Design special edition, or optional on the Lusso Plus.

You can still buy a fourth-generation Mazda MX-5 new, but the Fiat was withdrawn from UK sale in January 2019 – and the Abarth followed several months later. On the one hand, that means you’ll have to buy second-hand. On the other, early cars now cost around half their list price when new. Broadly speaking, expect to pay from £11,000 for the Fiat and £16,000 for the Abarth.

Delving into the classifieds, the cheapest 124 Spider we found at the time of writing was a 2018 car in Classica spec with 40,000 miles for £11,200. Frankly, that’s still a relatively new car with plenty of life left. You’ll pay more for the better equipped Lusso and Lusso Plus, but remember they’ll also command a premium at resale time. 

If you fancy a 124 Spider Anniversary, bank on spending upwards of £13,000, while the well equipped S-Design special edition is more like £17,000. Most 124 Spiders we spotted for sale have less than 20,000 miles on the clock and are still covered by Fiat’s three-year, unlimited mileage warranty.

The Abarth 124 Spider is a pricier proposition, and actually more common than the Fiat, yet still arguably good value for its style, performance and sense of occasion. The lowest priced we found was a 2016 car with 14,000 miles for £15,999.

And we discovered just one GT version for sale in the UK, priced at a whisker over £20,000. If you’re after a future classic to keep for the long-term, it could be worth the extra outlay.

Monthly finance payments for a used Fiat 124 Spider start from around £300 a month on hire purchase, or £350 for the Abarth version.

 All versions – both Fiat and Abarth – return an official 44.1mpg if you opt for a manual gearbox, or 42.8mpg for the automatic version. The actual economy you will achieve, according to the HonestJohn Real MPG index, is somewhat lower: 40.5mpg and 34.5mpg respectively.

CO2 emissions stretch from 148g/km (manual) to 153g/km (automatic). For cars registered before 31 March 2017, that equates to car tax (VED) of £165 and £205 per year.

If your car was registered after 1 April 2017, the first owner would have paid a ‘showroom tax’ of £215 for the manual or a hefty £540 for the automatic. However, the annual cost to you is now a flat rate of £150. Bargain.

Insurance costs are modest in sports car terms – and no higher than the Mazda MX-5. The Fiat falls into groups 25 and 26 (out of 40), while the Abarth ranges from group 29 to 31. The Abarth GT version is the most expensive 124 Spider to insure, despite its theft-resistant hard-top.

This is purely subjective, but Italian cars seem to have a character that so many others lack. Yes, we said earlier that the 124 Spider isn’t truly Italian, but it has just enough homegrown style and brio to tug at the heartstrings. It’s rarity also adds some car park kudos, while you’ll appreciate the affordable running costs even after the honeymoon period is over. 

If you’re buying the Fiat version, don’t be swayed by the special editions: just plump for the fully-loaded Lusso Plus. However, we’d go for the Abarth if possible. It’s simply more evocative and exciting to drive – perhaps even more so than the MX-5. Yep, that good.