Fiat Panda, 500 And Abarth 595 Are Finally Dead In The UK

Usually, a car will stay on sale for somewhere between six and eight years before it gets replaced or dropped. Sometimes, if it’s a flop, it’ll be less than that, but it’s very rarely more. The Fiat Panda and 500, and the latter’s sporty Abarth 595 cousin, though, didn’t get that memo. That, or they’ve been consistently successful enough for Fiat to simply keep selling them.

That’s just changed, in the UK at least, as all three cars have been dropped here over the last few days, as confirmed to Autocar.

The 500 was the oldest of the trio, having gone on sale in 2007, which, if you’re not counting, was 17 years ago. That both makes us feel incredibly old and made the 500 easily the oldest new car on sale in the UK, notwithstanding low-volume stuff like the Caterham Seven.

It’s already been sort-of replaced by the electric 500e, and it’s going to get a proper successor next year when that car gets retrofitted with the outgoing car’s 1.0-litre petrol hybrid powertrain.

The Abarth 595, meanwhile, went on sale in 2008 as the Abarth 500. While never a dynamically brilliant hot hatch, it’s always been undeniably charming, and we’re sad to see it go, especially as it’s yet another combustion hot hatch to have bitten the dust in recent months. It looks unlikely to get a petrol-powered successor, with the electric 500e Abarth’s sole offering until it’s joined by the 600e.

Then there’s the third-gen Panda, the relative spring chicken of the trio, which was introduced in 2012. Starting at £14,750, it was the UK’s third-cheapest new car after the Dacia Spring and Sandero, and was always a bit of a cult hit, especially thanks to its remarkably capable 4x4 and Cross versions. It’s getting replaced by the Grande Panda, which will come with both EV and petrol drivetrains.

All three models are set to remain on sale in mainland Europe, with the Panda – still a huge seller on much of the continent – being rebranded as the Pandina and set to stay on sale until the end of the decade alongside the Grande Panda. Existing dealer stock for the 500 and Panda, though, is set to remain until their respective replacements arrive.