Fiat has signed a 170 vehicle fleet deal with Hertz-owned car-sharing organisation Connect.

The fleet will be made up of Fiat 500 and Alfa Mitos and will launch in London initially before rolling out in other UK locations later this year.

Connect works by making cars available to hire for as little as an hour at a time. A swipe card unlocks the pre-ordered vehicle, allowing the driver to use it for the time booked before returning it to its home point.

Fiat is also developing special terms and offers for Connect members that want to buy one of the cars if they like what they’ve driven.

Paolo Lo Monaco, finance and business development director, Fiat Group Automobiles UK and Ireland, said: “This gives us a significant retail platform as it’s exactly the right audience for our products.

“It puts the Fiat 500 and Alfa MiTo right where we want them to be – in the hands of young, environmentally-conscious individuals who are free-thinking about the car they want to drive.”