Name: Fiat Punto Review
Item: Fiat Punto
Author: Gumtree.com

First launched in 1994 and produced until 2018, the Fiat Punto is a budget-friendly supermini that’s a staple of UK roads. It was rebadged as the Fiat Grande Punto in 2005, as the Fiat Punto Evo in 2009 and again as the regular Fiat Punto in 2012, but has remained essentially the same car throughout. With five seats and a decent amount of boot space, it’s a good option for a small family. Low insurance and running costs make the Punto a great contender for a first car too.

Ready to find out whether the Fiat Punto is right for you?

What we think about the Fiat Punto

Since the ’90s, the Fiat Punto has offered easy driving in an affordable, supermini-sized package.

Pros

Easy to park

Choice of petrol and diesel engines

Cheap to buy and run Cons:

Cons

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Very poor safety scores

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Low reliability rating

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Dated look

Available with three or five doors, the Fiat Punto is a super-affordable supermini with seats for five. There are plenty of manual and automatic options on the road, and pre-2012 models are available with both petrol and diesel engines. More modern Puntos are petrol-only models.

Driving performance of the Fiat Punto

Our Driving Rating6 / 10

A small turning circle, light steering and great visibility out the rear windscreen mean that the Fiat Punto is very easy to park. On the move, it’s fairly simple to drive, too. On the down side, keen drivers won’t find the Punto very fun or engaging, and passengers may notice that it’s quite loud and the ride quality is bumpy. This improves as you speed up, although the models with the smallest engines do take a while to get up to speed and may struggle with motorway overtakes.

Safety and reliability of the Fiat Punto

Our Safety Rating4 / 10

Euro NCAP gave the Fiat Punto four out of five stars when it was first tested back in 2005. Unfortunately, much of the safety kit has not been updated since then and it was the first car to receive zero stars when it was re-tested in 2017. All models have a full set of airbags, but even the newest ones aren’t especially safe in a crash and lack modern safety kit such as lane-keeping assistance. The backseat does include Isofix points for safely securing child seats, at least.

Reliability ratings are also low for the Punto, as many models suffer from small faults like issues with the door closing mechanism. Fiat has issued several recalls throughout production, so be sure to check the service history of any model you’re considering and make sure relevant issues have been fixed.

Under the bonnet of the Fiat Punto

Our Engine Rating6 / 10

Pre-2012, the Punto was available with a choice of petrol and diesel engines. These include a super-economical but very underpowered 0.9-litre petrol TwinAir or a sprightly 1.4-litre petrol capable of 120 bhp. Three MultiJet diesel engines were offered: a 1.3-litre with 75 or 90 bhp and a speedy 1.9-litre boasting 130 bhp. Newer models are petrol-only, and you get a choice of a spluttery 1.2-litre model that does 68 bhp or a fairly smooth 1.4-litre capable of 76 bhp, which can get from 0-60 in a fairly leisurely 13.2 seconds. There are plenty of Puntos with both manual and automatic transmissions out there.

What you'll find in the Fiat Punto

Our Design Rating6 / 10

To look at, the Punto appears a little bit bland and dated, as its design hasn’t really changed since its launch in the mid ’90s. Modern ones come with 15-inch alloy wheels on the standard Pop+ trim. Upgrading to Easy+ adds 16-inch wheels as well as tinted windows and headlamps that give it a slightly more modern feel. Both three-door and five-door versions stand at 4.1m long, 1.5m tall and 1.7m wide, making it slightly larger than a five-door Ford Fiesta. Colour will depend on production year, but there are over ten different options out there.

Comfort and interiors in the Fiat Punto

Our Comfort Rating7 / 10

Just like the outside, the interior of the Fiat Punto feels cheap and a little bit dated. The backseat has plenty of headroom and legroom for two, but three adults is a squeeze. A good driving position allows for decent all-round visibility. The boot is midsize for cars of this class – big enough for shopping but tight for a camping trip – though the rear seats fold flat to increase this considerably. Annoyingly, the loading lip is quite high, making getting large items in tricky. Inside the cabin, you’ll find plenty of storage for smaller bits and bobs in the door bins and glove box. Both three-door and five-door versions are easy to get in and out of.

What features you'll find in the Fiat Punto

Our Features Rating5 / 10

Most Puntos built after 2006 come with a CD player and remote central locking. Before that, you can expect a tape deck. Even on the most modern models you’ll struggle to find one with Bluetooth connectivity or any kind of reverse parking sensors. The base-level Pop+ trim includes a CD player and AUX port that can be controlled from the steering wheel, air conditioning and electric front windows. Spring for Easy+ trim and you’ll get satellite navigation and two-zone temperature control, too.

What fuel efficiency to expect from the Fiat Punto

Our Fuel Consumption Rating6 / 10

There’s surprisingly little difference between the fuel economy stats for Puntos built throughout the 21st century. The most efficient pre-2012 model is the 0.9-litre TwinAir petrol, rated at doing 67.3 mpg and emitting 98 g/km of carbon dioxide. Next is the 1.3-litre diesel at 62.8 mpg, while the other models all claim to do around 50 mpg. When it comes to the newer versions, the 1.2-litre petrol claims to do 52 mpg and emits 124 g/km, while the 1.4-litre model is capable of just 49.6 mpg and emits a whopping 132 g/km of carbon dioxide. These numbers aren’t bad across the board, but for a car of this size (and this power) they’re not impressive.

Running costs of the Fiat Punto

Our Cost Rating7 / 10

Taking a Punto to be serviced is usually a fairly affordable experience, provided there’s nothing serious wrong with it. It’s mostly made of standard Fiat parts that are pretty common in the UK, meaning repairs tend to be cheap and easy to find for garages, and therefore cheap for you too. Most models are in insurance group 8, though some with bigger engines may be in 9 or 10. Regardless, this means in practice that sorting out cover for your Punto shouldn’t be too expensive.

Our verdict of the Fiat Punto

3.5 / 5 Gumtree rating

Cheap and cheerful, the Fiat Punto is a slightly dated supermini that's nonetheless easy to drive and park. There's plenty of choice around when it comes to used models.

Fiat Punto Review