Fiat Tipo (2016 – 2024) Review

The Fiat Tipo is a compact hatchback that follows a template which is becoming much less common in the new car market as drivers continue to favour SUVs. The Italian offering is as straightforward as cars get, with value being the main priority. Sadly it does little to make us recommend it over rivals. Read on for our full Fiat Tipo review.

The Fiat Tipo contrasts quite markedly with the more style-conscious and popular cars in the firm’s range such as the Fiat 500, but what you get instead is more room and a good equipment offering.

All versions are fitted with a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system that includes Bluetooth and DAB, alloy wheels and cruise control.

In terms of engine options, there are just two to choose from: the 1.0-litre 100PS petrol and a 1.5-litre mild hybrid petrol with 130PS paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

While the hybrid appears to be a set-up that promises economy and good performance, unfortunately the driving experience is hampered by the slow reactions of the automatic gearbox. The acceleration on offer is good, but it’s too easy to be left waiting around for the automatic to get into the right gear.

Inside, the Fiat Tipo offers a useful amount of space for both passengers and luggage. Six-foot adults will find sufficient room up front and elbow room is good too.

In the rear, legroom is sufficient to house adults too, although it is not among the best in the class. Headroom is less impressive, however, so the back is better suited to shorter adults or children. Boot space is impressive though, with 440 litres on offer with the rear seats in place.

The Fiat Tipo offers robustness rather than quality. The layout is simple and easy to understand, but feels quite dated with rows of small buttons dotted around the cabin, as well as controls on the steering wheel. Rivals like the Skoda Scala feel far better.

There’s very little in the way of colour or smart design to please the eye and although the plastics are mostly hard to the touch, they do at least feel like they could stand up to family use. Some of the buttons seem lightweight, though.

The driving experience is safe and solid but unispiring. All the major controls have a decent weight to them and it is undemanding to drive, but there is only modest feedback through the steering wheel. It is reasonably comfortable and offers adequate grip, but there is very little to get excited about.

The most recent versions of the Fiat Tipo are available only in Tipo Garmin or Tipo Cross specifications, both of which benefit from increased safety equipment. We've covered the Fiat Tipo Cross in a separate review.

Ultimately, the Fiat Tipo is not a bad choice in terms of value for money and space efficiency, but its rivals can offer all this and more for similar money.

The Fiat Tipo provides an easy-going driving experience, with decently-weighted controls.

There is little feedback on offer through the steering – enough to make it easy to place the car on the road, but not enough to provide a good idea of the amount of grip the front wheels are offering.

It responds adequately to steering inputs, but there are better cars in this respect if you want to enjoy the driving experience.

In terms of handling, the Fiat Tipo is safe and secure, with reasonable levels of grip, but if you do try to press on a little through a series of bends, the relatively soft suspension results in some body roll.

It’s not sufficient to cause too much upset to your passengers, but neither does it encourage you to make the most of a twisty road.

The upside of this approach is that the ride quality is good, although once again there are rivals that offer a better ride without compromising the handling.

The majority of lumps and bumps are handled with little fuss, although bigger imperfections may cause a more substantial jolt through the wheel and seats. 

For the majority of drivers, the Fiat Tips offers a perfectly acceptable driving experience that is low effort and good for long journeys. But with so many rivals providing a better mix of both comfort and fun, it lags behind on this front.

The most recent Fiat Tipo models are offered with a choice of the 1.0-litre 100PS turbocharged petrol and a five-speed manual gearbox, or a 1.5-litre turbocharged mild hybrid petrol matched to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic as standard.

The 1.0-litre petrol offers respectable performance for its size, and the 0-62mph time of 12.2 seconds is adequate.

On the road it feels a little quicker than this, responding quite eagerly to demands for acceleration. It is reasonably refined too, although becomes a little more raucous if you use all of the available performance.

The 1.5-litre hybrid version has useful extra power, and the 0-62mph acceleration time of 9.3 seconds is a useful improvement over the 1.0-litre version. However, the dual-clutch transmission hampers the performance, often being slow to react and change down when acceleration is demanded, making it feel slower than it is.

Although the mild hybrid system does promise the ability to run on purely electric power, this is only possible at very low speeds such as when parking.

If you can live with the slow automatic gearbox, then the hybrid is the version to go for, but for many buyers the 1.0-litre version is both cheaper and less frustrating to drive, while offering very similar economy and lower insurance costs.

Euro NCAP tested the Fiat Tipo in 2016 and awarded it two separate scores - three stars overall for the standard version and four stars overall for the version with the safety pack. The scores for both versions are broadly identical.

Euro NCAP awarded 82% for adult occupant protection, 60% for child occupant protection and 62% for pedestrian mitigation. The standard model was awarded a lowly 25% for safety assist, while the safety pack version had this increased to 57%.

ESC is fitted as standard, but there is no option for lane assist, an active bonnet or automatic emergency braking activated by a pedestrian.

The optional safety pack added automatic emergency braking that is triggered by another vehicle as well as a speed limiter. Now new vehicles are fitted with AEB as standard.

The 1.0-litre version of the Fiat Tipo offers a maximum unbraked towing capacity of 500kg and 1500kg braked.

The 1.5-litre hybrid model offers the same unbraked capacity of 500kg, but only offers 1200kg braked capacity, making it a less desirable option for those wanting to tow.

Those in the front of the Fiat Tipo will enjoy the most room, and with generous head, leg and elbow room there should be no issues for driver and passenger to get comfortable, even if they are six-foot tall or more.

All versions offer a decent range of adjustment for the steering wheel and driver’s seat, so finding a good driving position should not be an issue.

It’s less impressive in the rear, however, and although legroom is sufficient for adults of most sizes, headroom is restricted by the roof, which slopes downwards towards the tailgate.

In addition, the central seat has a pronounced hump which eats further into headroom, so it is a car for four adults unless they are below average size.

The boot is a good size at 440 litres, and there is a 60/40 split in the rear bench should you wish to carry larger loads, although it doesn’t offer the split floor arrangement found in the Fiat Tipo Station Wagon version.

Fiat’s reputation for quality has improved in recent years, but there is still a gap between its offerings and those at the top of the class.

The interior is almost uniformly grey with only the occasional dash of silvered trim, which does little to raise the perception that this is a value-oriented car. 

The major touchpoints feel decent, but once you start to poke around the rest of the dashboard feels hard to the touch. Many of the switches and buttons feel a little lightweight too, which doesn’t inspire confidence.

With just three trim levels to choose from, there’s little room to up-spec your Fiat Tipo to make it feel a bit more luxurious, with all versions getting black cloth seats and no choice over the black finish to the dashboard.

On earlier versions of the Fiat Tipo, lower-specification models such as the Easy offer a basic audio unit that includes DAB and Bluetooth.

It is easy enough to use, with the absence of a touchscreen meaning larger buttons that are simple to operate on the move.

Higher-specification versions are fitted with a seven-inch touchscreen, and although the specification is good it can be quite fiddly to use on the move.

The overall size of the screen doesn’t help, and many of the buttons are quite small on the screen, making it difficult to tap on the desired area. 

The most recent versions in Garmin and Cross Trim have a new design of touchscreen with a simplified button arrangement. It incorporates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, allowing you to use native apps and bypass the need to go for the top-spec models in order to get navigation in the car.

This system is also better on account of two physical controls on either side, making it a little easier to operate on the move. A standard USB port in the front and the rear makes it easy to connect or charge devices, too.

At the time of writing, the Fiat Tipo Garmin hybrid is priced at £28,745 with a good standard specification, while the better-specified Fiat Tipo Cross version comes in at £29,245.

The additional features of the Fiat Tipo Cross model make the extra cost worthwhile, although the entry-level price is above the basic Ford Focus at £28,490 and the entry-level Volkswagen Golf at £26,705.

However, the 1.0-litre version is significantly cheaper at £22,245 in Garmin trim.

The earliest versions of the Fiat Tipo from 2016 are now quite affordable, with the cheapest examples around the £4000 mark.

There are also quite a few pre-registered and low-mileage newer examples on the market, with prices around £24,000 for the 1.5-litre hybrid model.

All versions of the Fiat Tipo promise low running costs, with the 1.0-litre version claiming 50.4mpg-51.4mpg on the WLTP combined cycle and CO2 emissions of 125-127g/km.

Despite the mild hybrid system, the 1.5-litre version is only slightly better, with 54.3-53.3mpg combined and 119-120g/km of CO2, although in the real world we would expect the hybrid version to perform better than the 1.0-litre model.

As for insurance costs, the hybrid version attracts a group 22 rating compared to groups 11-13 for the 1.0-litre model depending on the trim level, which could mean a significant jump in premiums for the 1.5-litre version.

Fiat Tipo City Life versions are fitted with tinted windows, driver’s seat electric lumbar support, seven-inch touchscreen with DAB, Bluetooth, USB and intelligent speed assist and traffic sign recognition.

There’s also a lane support system, Autonomous Emergency Brake, speed limiter, adaptive cruise control, automatic climate control, electric front and rear windows and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Fiat Tipo Cross versions add ‘Cross’ styling, roof rails, skid plates and wheel arches, rear seat armrest, rear USB port, rear parking camera, automatic high beam and rear LED lights.

Buyers also benefit from an electrochromic dimming rear-view mirror, rain and dusk sensors, full LED headlights, automatic high beam, height adjustable driver and passenger seats and a seven-inch touchscreen with navigation.

Fiat Tipo Garmin models add Garmin exterior and interior styling details, side mouldings and matte finished door mirrors.