Love me Love my Fiat

As a money-savvy female driver I always ensure I get a great deal on my car insurance for women and, as I am well-versed in the best way to get that cheap deal, I always take my own advice and try to opt for a small car.

Cue the most gorgeous little car for the summer - the Fiat 500C - a soft top version of the bellissimo Italian remake of the iconic 60s urban runaround.

Now by the time you've added, amongst other things, your two tone sporty alloys, chrome door mirrors, red leather/ivory ambience interior, and your Italian flag side stripe, your 1.4 16v Pop Convertible is beginning to get a bit pricey for the diminutive city car that it is and at £15,665 the car insurance grouping is creeping up as well because it is such a desirable thing.

If you want to keep things down - price and car cover - try the Panda 1.1 Active Eco in Crossover Black with longitudinal roof bars. Not quite as cool as the 500C, but small, chic and a snip at just over seven and a half grand.

Ok, so a Panda might not impress your friends, but recently Fiat has hit the jackpot with a couple of its models. We've mentioned the 500 which has achieved staggering sales in the UK and before that there was the jaw dropping phenomenon of the Fiat Grande Punto - the model which took the humble Punto to the dizzy heights of being hailed hot hatch of choice for the young and the beautiful.

You'll need a bit of dosh though, because the three door 1.6 16v Multijet Sporting model, with a few little motoring essentials like a subwoofer, dark tinted windows and electric sunroof, will set you back a smidge under £16,500. And the car insurance grouping? Well, it's not too bad at 6 which is the same as the 500.

Fiat – Don't you just love ‘em?
Well, no – not all of them. As my colleagues and I searched the wonderful Fiat site and its fun-filled gadget that configures your choice of Italian motor vehicle styling, we found some distinctly un-stylish offerings and in fact we uncovered the ugliest car on the face of the earth.

Yes, one look at the Doblo – a pale blue chunk of metal motor, that looks more like Second World War ambulance than a piece of 21st Century cutting edge automotive magic - will leave you in no doubt that the Italians do get styling wrong occasionally. And even after we had lovingly configured it into Ambient White, it took standing a long way from the computer screen and a large amount of squinting before my colleague said, "After several pints it could just pass for a Hummer."

So, there you have it – three great Fiats and one almighty howler. And as I sit here contemplating car insurance for women and reminiscing over my beloved Fiat Tipo Brio in Gunge Grey, that was affectionately known as The Brick, I wish I could go out tomorrow and buy another Fiat – or maybe two.