FIAT has announced prices for the eagerly awaited new Fiat Panda, which goes on sale in the UK at the end of this month.

With a starting price of £8,900 on the road, the new five-door Panda represents outstanding value for money, says Fiat, and positions the car among its benchmark rivals.

At the top end of the range, a highly specified version, equipped with Fiat's 1.3 MultiJet 2 turbodiesel engine, costs £12,250 – a price that includes air conditioning, roof rails, Start&Stop and alloy wheels as standard.

Available initially with a choice of three frugal, ultra-low emissions, Euro 5-specification engines – 69bhp 1.2-litre petrol, 85bhp 0.9-litre TwinAir, and 75bhp 1.3-litre MultiJet 2 turbodiesel – the new Fiat Panda can be ordered in three different trim levels – Pop, Easy and Lounge.

With more than six million examples sold, the Fiat Panda has proved its popularity, and this larger, more sophisticated version retains that appeal, extending it with an even stronger, more emotional design which should attract a still broader audience.

Standard equipment in the entry level Pop includes electric windows, central locking, Dualdrive electric power steering, four airbags and body colour bumpers. The extensive options list includes roof rails and black pastel paint.

Easy trim versions add remote central locking, air conditioning, roof rails and a higher grade audio system, while Lounge additionally receives heated electric mirrors, 15-inch alloy wheels, front fog lamps, body coloured mirrors and door handles, and side mouldings.

Safety is, of course, top of the agenda, with up to six airbags, double seat belt pretensioners and an active anti-whiplash head restraint system. In addition, a new Low Speed Collision Mitigation system will become available for the first time. This uses a laser sensor on the windscreen to scan a space a short distance in front of the vehicle to determine the risk of a collision.

It is capable of automatically activating emergency braking at speeds less than 30km/h (18.6mph).

A vast list of options will allow customers to specify a car to suit their own needs and, with a choice of ten exterior colours and six interior/dashboard combinations, everyone will be able to create their own special Panda.