Fiat Tipo - TopCarNews

Fiat Tipo (2016 – present) | Expert Rating [hide]

Summary

The Fiat Tipo is a medium-sized five-door hatchback and estate family car. The current generation model arrived in the UK in the summer of 2016, and was most recently updated in Autumn 2020.

The Tipo has received generally poor reviews from the UK motoring media, which has resulted in an overall Expert Rating of 47% as of December 2021 – that is currently the second-lowest in its class, just one point above its quarky sibling, the Fiat 500L.

Of particular note is a poor three-star safety rating from Euro NCAP, when most of the class leaders have a five-star safety rating.

The Fiat Tipo has been praised for its keen pricing, good equipment levels and spaciousness. However, it has been criticised for its uninspiring driving dynamics, poor interior quality and below-par safety equipment.

Key specifications

Body style: Five-door hatch and estateEngines: petrol, diesel
Price: From £17,690 on-road

Launched: Spring 2016Last updated: Autumn 2020
Replacement due: TBA

Image gallery

Tipo range – 2021 faceift

Media reviews

Reviews, road test and comparisons from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

The Car Expert

Score: 6.2 / 10“If you need a car to ensure you get from A to B with little fuss, the Fiat Tipo could be a good option. But please ensure you pay an extra £500 for the safety pack…”
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Auto Express

Model reviewed: (range review)Score: 6 / 10“The Fiat Tipo comes as a compact hatch or SW estate, and it’s easy to drive, offers decent space and is good value for money.”
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Autocar

Model reviewed: (range review)Score: 5 / 10“Acceptable but a long way removed from the class’s sharp end.”
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Car

Model reviewed: 1.6-litre MultiJet 120 LoungeScore: 6 / 10“The Fiat Tipo pulls the same car-for-the-class-above trick that Dacia applies to its range – this is a Ford Focus for the price of a Fiesta – yet there’s no waft of ‘eau-de-cheapskate’ when you open the door.”
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Carbuyer

Model reviewed: Hatchback rangeScore: 7.2 / 10“If you’re after a small family hatchback that’s strong on value, practicality and standard equipment, then the Fiat Tipo could well be for you.”
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Model reviewed: Estate rangeScore: 7.2 / 10“The Fiat Tipo Station Wagon is a practical, spacious and generously equipped family estate car, let down by an uninspiring engine range and dull driving experience.”
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Carwow

Model reviewed: Station Wagon estate rangeScore: 5 / 10“The Fiat Tipo Station Wagon is an affordable small estate car with a big boot and a decent amount of equipment but it doesn’t drive as well as more upmarket alternatives.”
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Model reviewed: Hatchback rangeScore: 5 / 10“The spacious, relatively economical Fiat Tipo five-door hatchback marks the Italian brand’s return to the small family car market where it faces stiff competition from the likes of the SEAT Ibiza and Kia Ceed.”
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Heycar

Model reviewed: Hatchback rangeScore: 5 / 10“They say that ‘you pays your money and you takes your choice’. The thing is, what if your priority is to pay as little money as possible, and you don’t give a flying Fiat about the quality of what that money gets you? Well, dear friends, that’s where the Tipo comes in.”
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Model reviewed: Station Wagon rangeScore: 6 / 10“There are several things that the Fiat Tipo Station Wagon has going for it, namely its ability to carry passengers and luggage with relative ease, the good specification levels and the competitive pricing. It should be relatively cheap to run too, but it’s not great to drive, particularly comfortable or of high quality.”
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Honest John

Model reviewed: Hatchback rangeScore: 6 / 10“The Fiat Tipo doesn’t stand out as a particularly remarkable family car, but it feels sturdily made, it’s practical and it is very competitively priced.”
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Model reviewed: Estate rangeScore: 6 / 10“There’s nothing outstanding or exciting about the Fiat Tipo Station Wagon, but equally there’s not a lot wrong with it. There is one issue that stands out, though – the active safety tech comes in optional packs instead of as standard, and without it the car only gets a three-star safety rating.”
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Parkers

Model reviewed: SW estate rangeScore: 6 / 10“Practical estate car majoring in value-for-money”
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Model reviewed: Hatchback rangeScore: 6.4 / 10“The Fiat Tipo is a sensible, good-value family hatch”
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The Sunday Times

Model reviewed: 1.6-litre diesel manual Lounge MultiJet 120Score: 6 / 10“Vaguely forgettable hatch but its thriftiness is appealing.”
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The Telegraph

Model reviewed: Hatchback rangeScore: 6 / 10“The Fiat Tipo doesn’t excel in any particular area, and in a lot of ways it falls far behind the market leaders. But the flexibility of the pricing structure and a very low starting figure means that the Tipo could still prove tempting.”
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Top Gear

Model reviewed: Range overview (hatchback and estate)Score: 6 / 10“Probably Fiat’s least interesting car, but that doesn’t mean it’s worth ignoring if you love a bargain.”
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What Car?

Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 4 / 10“The Fiat Tipo is spacious with plenty of safety tech but poor residual values mean it won’t be as good value to own as a SEAT Leon. Many rivals are better to drive with a more compliant ride, plus the interior is on the cheap side compared with similarly priced rivals to our preferred Life spec.”
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Which?

Model reviewed: Estate range“Cheap, cavernous estate car.”
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Model reviewed: Hatchback range“Cheap but unexceptional family transport.”
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Safety rating

Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

Overall rating: 3 stars
Date tested: October 2016

82%

ADULT OCCUPANT

60%

CHILD OCCUPANT

62%

VULNERABLE ROAD USERS

25%

SAFETY ASSIST

Read full Euro NCAP review

Eco rating

Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP

No eco rating

The Ford Focus has not yet been lab tested by Green NCAP. This is a new initiative, launched in 2018 as a sister organisation to Euro NCAP. As yet, very few new cars have been tested for environmental impact by Green NCAP, and the testing programme was halted in early 2020 by the coronavirus pandemic.

If the Focus is put through the Green NCAP lab testing programme, we will publish the results here.

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