Thinking of buying a used Abarth 124 Spider?
The style of the car
The Abarth 124 Spider is a stylish two-seater convertible with a fast-folding roof. All versions have alloy wheels and four exhaust pipes, while optional upgrades include a contrasting colour for the bonnet and extra decals. Abarth is Fiat’s sporty sub-brand and the 124 Spider shares many parts with the Mazda MX-5 as part of a collaboration between the two brands.
How it drives
The Abarth is so much fun to drive that you’ll look forward to even the shortest journey. It’s more enjoyable than most rivals on twisty roads, while the supportive seats make it comfortable on long journeys. The Abarth’s turbocharged petrol engine gives quick acceleration and the manual gear change feels great. Compact dimensions and standard parking sensors make it easy to drive in traffic and simple to park.
The interior
The 124 Spider is based on Mazda’s MX-5, so it also has just two seats. The interior is cosy, but there’s enough space for even the longest legs to stretch out. There’s lots of handy storage, including a lockable compartment behind the seats. The boot can hold only 140 litres, but that’s enough for a small suitcase and some squashy bags. There are two versions of the Abarth and both are well equipped, with a touchscreen infotainment system, part-leather trim and heated seats as standard. The GT model adds a non-folding hard roof in place of the standard car’s folding fabric roof.
Running costs and reliability
The Abarth 124 is similarly priced to rivals but gets more equipment as standard. Its turbocharged petrol engine achieves official average fuel consumption of 44.1mpg, while road tax and insurance costs are competitive. The Abarth shares many of its parts with the Mazda MX-5, so it should be similarly reliable and robust. The 124 Spider doesn’t have an overall safety rating, but the Mazda MX-5 was awarded four stars out of five by Euro NCAP.
How it compares with similar cars
The 124 Spider is Abarth’s only two-seater sports car. It’s faster than the Abarth 595, which is a hatchback based on the Fiat 500 city car. The 124 Spider has more standard equipment than the Mazda MX-5 and is cheaper to run than Toyota’s GT86.
Check out our guide to the best used convertibles you can buy, the Abarth 124 is one of our favourites.
