Selling a dead or junk Fiat

Below: where Fiat comes from, what owners of each model have reported to NHTSA, and the full list of Fiat models in the EPA's fuel economy data.

A Turin carmaker since 1899

Fiat was founded on 11 July 1899 by Giovanni Agnelli, and its headquarters is at Lingotto, in Turin. Its first plant opened in 1900 with 35 staff, who made 24 cars that year. Between 1915 and 1918 Fiat built the five-story Lingotto plant, which at the time was Europe's largest car factory. The Mirafiori plant, also in Turin, came later.

The US connection is old. Wikipedia's Fiat article records a plant in Poughkeepsie, New York, built by the newly founded American FIAT Automobile Company in the brand's early years.

Fiat's home market is still Europe, mainly Italy. The brand has always been strongest in small cars: city cars and superminis made up 84% of its sales in 2011. That focus shows in what reached US showrooms. Every Fiat in the EPA list is a small car, a small crossover or a two-seater.

The parent company has changed twice since 2014. For its first 115 years Fiat sat under the Fiat Group. A merger with Chrysler then put it inside FCA until 2021, the year Stellantis took over.

What owners have reported to NHTSA

Our tally covers the five Fiat models on this site: every complaint an owner sent NHTSA, all model years in the EPA list, on October 10, 2026. Across the make that comes to 1,324.

The 500 stands far ahead, with 811 of the 1,324. Part of that is exposure. The 500 opens the EPA list in 2012 and runs through 2023, twelve model years, which puts far more of them in owners' hands than any other Fiat here. The 500L and 500X sit close together, each around 200, from much shorter runs.

The 500e is the low one, but read that carefully. The 500e is still listed for 2026, and a car built last year has had only months in which an owner could file, against fourteen years for a 2013. A low count on a recent car is partly just a short clock.

None of these numbers is a reliability rating. A complaint is one owner's report to a federal regulator; NHTSA does not confirm a fault behind each one.

What a dead Fiat usually has in common

Four of the five carry the 500 name: the original hatchback, its electric version, the taller 500L and the 500X crossover. Unsure of the exact model? the badge on the tailgate settles it, and it matters, because the complaint counts above differ by model.

The 500e is the odd one out underneath. It has a battery pack and electric motor instead of an engine, so the questions are different. A dead 12-volt battery can make it look worse than it is; a failed pack is a bigger problem. Our EV battery guide covers that choice.

The 124 Spider is the other outlier, the only two-seater Fiat has sold here in the EPA list's years.

Selling yours whole

Leave the Fiat complete. It goes in one piece, on a truck.

1. Note the model, year and mileage. "500" alone is not enough; say if it is a 500L, 500X or 500e.
2. Does the engine (or, on a 500e, the motor) still turn? Do the tires roll? List anything smashed or missing.
3. Say whether you have the title. If you don't, start with selling a junk car with no title.
4. Name the place the Fiat is parked: your street, a garage, or the mechanic who gave up on it.

If it simply won't run and you don't know why, our non-running car guide walks through it. After the sale, take care of the plates and paperwork.

Rather talk to someone? Call (877) 421-6008.

Every Fiat model in the EPA list

These are the five Fiat models in the EPA's fuel economy data, by first model year. A model still listed through 2026 may still be on sale; the newest years fill in over time.