All versions of the Fiat 500 have front disc brakes.

The rear brakes on the Fiat 500 equiped with the 1.2L gas and 1.3L multiJet diesel engine are drum style brakes.

Fiat 500s equiped with the 1.4L 16V gas engine have rear disc brakes.

The front discs have a diameter of 240 mm; they are solid for versions with the 1.2 8v engine and ventilated for the 1.3 Multijet, with a diameter of 257 mm for versions with the 100 bhp 1.4 16v.

The rear brakes mount drums (180 mm) on the 1.2 8v and 1.3 Multijet, and discs (240 mm) on the 1.4 16v. The 9” brake servo makes braking easier and more effective, decreasing the effort needed on the pedal.

The two independent hydraulic brake circuits are of the cross over type and they are power assisted with a servo.

Yes, ABS is standard on all versions of the Fiat 500. The Fiat 500 also comes with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD).

The system can guarantee the best possible braking effort even with each wheel close to locking, which means it is possible to control the direction of the car fully in emergency situations using the steering wheel.

EBD distributes the braking force between the front and rear wheels to prevent the rear wheels from locking, guaranteeing a balanced response from the car in all conditions. The system also adapts to the grip conditions of the wheels and the efficiency of the brake pads, and it reduces the temperature of the front brakes and the effort demanded from the brake servo.

you can read more about EBD here.,/p>

The 500 has a McPherson strut front suspension and a torsion beam rear axle.

Notable on the front suspension is the way the anti roll bar end link is attached to the strut with ball jointed sockets. This type of end link is usually reserved to high end cars and boasts a greater ability to filter out vibrations when driving over rough roads.

Also featured in the front suspension are:

New designed coil springs designed to increase the absorption of minor surface roughness

Newly designed control arm bushings that improve ride and handling

A suspension subframe that is attached to the body of the car without the use of rubber isolators

In the rear, the compact, torsion beam axle functions both as wheel locating arm and as an anti-roll bar to resist lateral motion of the wheels as the body leans in turns.

Other characteristics of the rear suspension are:

Greater comfort because the level of noise and vibration entering the passenger compartment is lower due to single (metal and rubber) bushings attaching the rear axle to the body

An optimized underfloor shock absorber angle that locates the shock beneath the floor to improve comfort without detracting from trunk space

Greater driving stability due to the bushings attaching the rear axle to the body. While cornering, they generate a wheel toe-in effect that ensures excellent driving stability even under difficult conditions. They also display great longitudinal flexibility when hitting bumps.

Handling is improved because the folded sheet steel torsion beams torsional rigidity has been tuned to provide balance between front and rear.

From December 2009, in response to customer comments, all Fiat 500s have a rear anti-roll bar installed. With this addition, Fiat has been able to soften the spring rates and improve the ride quality of the 500.

Previous 500s rode well, but under certain road conditions, the firm suspension could get bouncy. With the anti-roll/spring update, the ride has been described as supple with no loss in handling.

It should be noted that the rear anti-roll bar has been standard equipment on all Fiat 500Cs and 500 Abarths since their introductions.

Here's a letter to English Fiat dealers describing the rear anti-roll bar update, dated 11/25/2009:

...Starting with the production of the new MultiJet engine, all Fiat 500’s will be fitted with the stabilizer bar which was already introduced with the Fiat 500C. The anti-roll bar is a 21mm diameter solid steel bar, fixed to the cross member using brackets made from a single piece of steel and part in rubber. It is connected to the dampers using tie-rods with ball joints at each end. This represents a quality intervention designed to improve the comfort and the handling of the car with a far more absorbent ride quality as you’ve experience in the Fiat 500Cs...

The ABS on the Fiat 500 has four active sensors, four channels, a hydraulic control unit with eight solenoids and comes complete with EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution).

The strong points of the system are the active sensors, which process the wheel speed data themselves (without having to send them to the control unit); they can read values very close to naught (most cars use passive sensors which do not register speeds below 2.5 km/h) and are less sensitive to disturbance caused by electromagnetic fields.

The Fiat 500 adopts a device that assists in emergency braking. On cars fitted with ESP this function is performed electronically by the ABS control unit and it is called HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assistance).

During ‘panic’ braking, most drivers recognize an emergency situation and put their feet down very rapidly on the brake pedal, but not with the necessary additional effort. Because, unless he is a professional driver, the motorist is accustomed to braking by applying a certain ‘load’ to the pedal, and like all automatic gestures repeated over and over again, he tends to use the same effort in all circumstances.

On the new model, at this point the Brake Assist devices are triggered, and although the pressure on the pedal remains the same, they ensure the same deceleration that you would achieve by braking with every possible force.

The panic braking assist is also useful for more expert drivers who do brake rapidly, and with the right amount of energy when necessary. Because in any case the system reduces braking implementation time, i.e. the time between the moment he applies the force on the pedal and the moment that the circuit reaches maximum pressure and can give its best performance.

You can read about this and other safety systems equipping the Fiat 500 here.

The 500 offers the sophisticated Electronic Stability Program to guarantee complete control over the car; this program cuts in when conditions are close to the limit, and the car’s stability is at risk, to help the driver to control the vehicle (the device is standard with the 1.4 engine and an option with the other two).

To do so, ESP constantly verifies how the tires grip the ground, longitudinally and laterally, and if the car does skid, it cuts in to recover the trajectory and trim stability. It incorporates sensors that measure the wheel speed, the vehicle’s rotation around its vertical axis (yaw speed), the lateral acceleration and the steering angle set by the driver (which indicates his chosen direction). It then compares these data with the parameters processed by a computer and uses a complex mathematical model to establish whether the car is taking a bend within the grip limits, or whether the front or rear is about to veer (understeer or oversteer).

To bring it back to the correct trajectory, the system generates a yaw moment opposite to the one that caused the instability, singly braking the appropriate wheel (nearside or offside), and reducing the engine power by adjusting the throttle valve.

This is where the device developed for the Fiat 500 differs from other systems. Its intervention on the brakes is modulated to be as gentle as possible (therefore without disturbing the driving), and the reduction in engine power is limited, to guarantee excellent performance and enjoyable driving at all times. ESP is always engaged.

You can read about this and other safety systems equipping the Fiat 500 here.

To limit any slipping of the driving wheels when grip on the road is poor, the new Fiat 500 is equipped with a sophisticated device that controls traction automatically. It is known as ASR (Anti Slip Regulation), and is standard equipment on all versions that mount the ESP system. ASR functions at all speeds and adjusts torque on the basis of the grip detected.

You can read more about ASR and other safety systems equipping the Fiat 500 here.

The Hill Holder is a system that helps the driver on hill starts. It cuts in when the ESP control unit perceives a difference in the inclination of the car through a longitudinal acceleration sensor on the floor under the front passenger seat.

During a hill start, the control unit prepares to intervene when first speed is engaged and the brake and clutch pedals are depressed. The pressure on the front brake calipers is maintained for about 2 seconds after the driver releases the brake pedal, allowing him to set off without difficulty.

You can read more about the Hill Holder system and other safety systems equipping the Fiat 500 here.