Fait 500: Class-beating safety

The Fiat 500 does not only offer styling with plenty of personality, modern, reliable engineering, lavish equipment and outstanding comfort. It is also an extremely safe car. More than individual devices it is a combination of various systems that make it one of the safest cars in its segment.
The new model is the first car in this category to offer up to 7 airbags (front, side, curtain- and knee-bags are all standard throughout the range, except for the Naked version). And the new 500 also proposes a number of sophisticated technical solutions to control the car’s dynamic behaviour. They include ABS complete with EBD, the sophisticated ESP (Electronic Stability Program), ASR (Anti Slip Regulation), HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assistance) and a Hill Holder device. And to guarantee the safety of the occupants, the bodyshell of the new model is designed to respect all the latest impact resistance criteria (it is the first super-mini with a front structure designed specifically to improve compatibility between vehicles in a head-on impact), and is rigid around the passenger compartment to protect occupants with high-absorption areas on the outside.

Seat-belts with double pretensioners and load limiters are standard on the front seats, with three-point belts at the rear. The front and rear seats are fitted with antisubmarining devices that prevent the occupant from sliding forward, under the seat-belt. Isofix attachments for child seats are standard throughout the range.
The Fiat 500 is fitted with all the dynamic and comfort features that ensure occupants can tackle any type of road comfortably and safely. The credit also goes to the suspension: an independent MacPherson system at the front, and semi-independent interconnected wheels with a torsion axle at the rear. The two layouts have evolved from a Magneti Marelli design and have been used on other Fiat models in the past; they have now been revised and modified for the new car, to guarantee outstanding handling and the highest possible level of comfort.