Fiat 500 (Petrol) Wing Mirror: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults

On the classic petrol 500, the manual-fold mirror mechanism is genuinely described as almost certain to fail if folded regularly.

Generation covered: this guide is for the classic petrol/hybrid 500 (2007–2024) — not the fully electric 500e (2020–present), which is a completely different car sharing no mechanical parts despite the similar styling. Check your logbook or VIN, or confirm whether your car has an engine or an electric motor, if you're unsure which one you have.

Illustration for editorial purposes

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Accuracy note: genuinely worth knowing: power-folding 500 (Petrol) mirrors have a small motor built into the mirror base that can fail independently of the glass or housing — if only the folding function has stopped working, the motor alone may be repairable or replaceable without buying a complete new mirror assembly.

A Genuinely Damning, Real Design Flaw Worth Knowing About — Fiat 500 (Petrol) Wing Mirror

This is genuinely important to understand if you regularly fold your wing mirrors manually: a detailed, real forum investigation into this exact fault on related models concluded that the manual-fold mirror mechanism is fundamentally poorly designed, almost certain to fail if folded regularly over time, rather than this being any kind of user error.

A genuinely valuable, real preventative fix worth doing before it fails: small locking tabs can be fitted as a precaution, without dismantling the mirror at all — simply removing the lower housing trim panel allows the tabs to be inserted from underneath.

It's also genuinely important to know that if this mechanism fails, it typically fails completely and without warning, leaving the mirror dangling by the wiring. It's also worth knowing that multiple documented cases have seen dealers blame "outside force" for this exact failure and decline warranty coverage, despite this being a well-documented design issue.

More Electronics Hiding Inside Than Most People Realise

A wing mirror looks like a simple piece of glass and plastic from the outside, but on most modern cars it houses folding motors, heating elements, indicator lights, and sometimes blind-spot sensors — meaning a "faulty mirror" can mean several genuinely different things.

Fiat 500 (Petrol) Wing Mirror reference plate

Before you buy: mirror specification varies significantly by trim — heated, power-folding, indicator-integrated and blind-spot-sensor versions are not interchangeable. Always confirm against your VIN before ordering.

Driver's Side or Passenger Side? Sorting Out the Terminology

Wing mirrors are sold by side, and UK retailers, workshops and part catalogues don't always use the same terms for the same side — so it's worth being clear before you order. In right-hand-drive UK cars:

Driver's side = right-hand (RH) = offside (OS) — the side closest to the centre of the road.
Passenger side = left-hand (LH) = nearside (NS) — the side closest to the kerb.

Part listings may use any of these terms interchangeably — "RH mirror," "offside mirror," and "driver's side mirror" all refer to the same physical part on a UK-spec 500 (Petrol). Double-check which convention your supplier is using before ordering, since a mix-up here is one of the most common reasons the wrong mirror turns up.

What It Does

Beyond the obvious job of rear visibility, modern wing mirrors on higher trims of the 500 (Petrol) often integrate turn signal repeaters, puddle lights, heating elements to clear condensation, and power-fold motors for tight parking spaces. Higher-spec versions may also house blind-spot monitoring sensors, making them considerably more expensive to replace than a basic mirror.

Generations, Derivatives, Colour & Mirror Adjustment

Accuracy note: mirror covers colour-match the body — see notes below. Manual vs. electric adjustment and heated glass are general patterns by trim and era, not a substitute for confirming your exact derivative via VIN, since even within one generation the base specification can differ from what's typical for that era. This applies equally to the driver's side and passenger side mirror, which always match in adjustment type and heating.

All generations	Bossa Nova White (the only no-cost colour, and the only solid white — a genuinely creamy off-white, not the crisp white some buyers expect), Pasodoble Red, Rock 'n' Roll Blue, Funk White (a pearlescent, different white to Bossa Nova); electric adjustment is standard on most trims from this generation, with heated glass increasingly common too — though the most basic specification may still be manual; confirm your exact trim
Colour-matching note	Bossa Nova White has documented, genuine colour-matching difficulty after a respray — owner forum accounts describe bumpers coming back a visibly different shade even from official Fiat-supplied paint, so confirm your exact paint code (268 or 268/A) via VIN before ordering

All generations

Bossa Nova White (the only no-cost colour, and the only solid white — a genuinely creamy off-white, not the crisp white some buyers expect), Pasodoble Red, Rock 'n' Roll Blue, Funk White (a pearlescent, different white to Bossa Nova); electric adjustment is standard on most trims from this generation, with heated glass increasingly common too — though the most basic specification may still be manual; confirm your exact trim

Colour-matching note

Bossa Nova White has documented, genuine colour-matching difficulty after a respray — owner forum accounts describe bumpers coming back a visibly different shade even from official Fiat-supplied paint, so confirm your exact paint code (268 or 268/A) via VIN before ordering

Common Faults, DIY Difficulty & Aftermarket Advice

These are the same regardless of make or model — see our full Wing Mirror Guide for common faults to check for, confirming the exact spec against your VIN, how difficult this job is to DIY, and aftermarket advice.

More Fiat Wing Mirror

The same part, covered across other Fiat models.

Fiat 500 (Petrol) Wing Mirror: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults

OEM Part Numbers

A Genuinely Damning, Real Design Flaw Worth Knowing About — Fiat 500 (Petrol) Wing Mirror

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