Fiat Topolino

Tiny two-seat EV finally lands in the UK. Can Italian charm overcome its limitations?

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Fiat boss Oliver François insists the Italian firm “didn’t invent micromobility” – he credits the Romans who laid out the city’s tight, narrow streets with no heed that some 3000 years later big, hefty SUVs would become all the rage – but claims that “we did invent how to make it accessible”.

Alec Issignois would have had something to say about that, but certainly Fiat’s small car heritage through multiple generations of 500 and Panda and numerous other innovative machines that offered more space from less footprint gives some credence to his argument. 

It’s also a fitting argument because Fiat didn’t really invent this Topolino: Citroën did. Be honest, you can’t fail to spot that this is an Ami quadricycle that’s been given a mild makeover after quaffing a few Aperol Spritzes to imbue it with the joys of la dolce vita. 

Does that make it more accessible – and, crucially, a better buy? Well, now is the time to find out because, while the Topolino has been on sale since 2023, it’s only just gone on sale in the UK, priced from £8995. 

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DESIGN & STYLING

Fiat Topolino lead 2

Despite its history of small vehicles, Fiat wasn’t involved in the development of the Citroën Ami; it was the idea of former Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares for the Italian firm to offer its own version.

But while Tavares envisaged a pure badging exercise, as with the Opel Rocks Electric that is sold in Germany, François insisted that any Fiat model have bespoke styling.

As a result, the Topolino features dedicated bodywork, with different front, rear and side panels. The round headlights at the front and vertical units at the back are distinctly retro, placing this firmly in the same family as the classic 500 that inspired it.

The technical aspects and much of the novel engineering hasn’t changed, so this is a 2535mm-long and 1400mm-wide quadricycle that weighs just 487kg.

To save cost, the same modular plastic side panel is used for both sides of the car, so the door opens in standard fashion for the passenger and suicide style for the driver.

The Topolino isn’t technically a car: it’s a two-seat quadricycle built to L6 regulations. It features an 8bhp electric motor that powers the front axles and draws energy from a 5.5kWh lithium ion battery. Top speed is 28mph – you will hit that from a standing start in around 10sec – and the official WLTP range is 46 miles. 

As with the Ami, the Topolino will only be sold in the UK in left-hand drive and with a built-in charging cable featuring a two-pin European plug. UK cars will come with a CCS adaptor, but the maximum charging speed is just 2.3kW, so a full battery charge will take around four hours.

INTERIOR

Fiat Topolino driving

While Fiat invested in sharpening up the outside, the interior of the Topolino is nearly identical to that of its Ami sibling. And, if you’re expected car-like levels of comfort, you will be quickly reminded that quadricycles are somewhere more basic.

There are only two seats, and they are very functional, with little in the way of padding. But given this is a machine for short trips, they’re perfectly fine. The seats are slightly offset, with the driver’s a little further forward to ease elbow room concerns; it can also be moved farther forward. The passenger seat is fixed in place built into the rear bodywork, which means it offers plenty of leg room, although the footwell also doubles as the luggage compartment.

The controls are also incredibly functional. There’s a key for the ignition and no touchscreen, with a mount to hold your smartphone in its place, while controls elsewhere are minimal. There is a heater, for example, but aside from doing a surprisingly good imitation of a jet engine at full load its effectiveness is questionable.

There’s no rear-view mirror as standard, while the round wing mirrors need to be adjusted by hand and are easily knocked. And the windows don’t lower, but the bottom half can be folded up to let some air in.

Fiat has added a couple of nice touches. A small mount on the dashboard holds a battery-powered fan (very useful of our test drive in stifling hot Rome), which can be removed from its holder and used as a handheld device. There’s also a fabric storage area called the dolce vita box that runs the length of the front of the dashboard and serves as a glovebox of sorts.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

With its short wheelbase, positive steering, tight turning circle and instant electric pick-up, driving the Topolino will quickly bring a smile to your face. The bigger issue is how long that smile will stay there.

For short bursts and quick journeys, there’s much to like here. Clearly with just 8bhp the Topolino isn’t the last word in performance, but there’s instant pick-up and its gets up to speed well. As long as you’re in an urban area with tight speed limits, it delivers just what you need. 

It’s also incredibly easy to place on the road, and its small size makes it really effective on tight streets or in heavy traffic. You can positively zip round tight corners and make good progress.

The catch, of course, is that on faster roads it can be quite intimidating when you hit the 28mph top speed and can only sit there nervously as bigger, faster cars barrel past you.

It’s also a bit intimidating in the cut and thrust of traffic; you will be very aware that this is a small quadricycle when you’re driving alongside a full-sized SUV.

And while the Topolino is fun in the way that tiny vehicles tend to be, there is a lack of refinement. The motor is quite whiny and the suspension and short wheelbase make for quite a jostling ride. 

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

Fiat Topolino lead

The Topolino will be priced in the UK from £8995 – compared with £7695 for its French sibling – and will be offered in two trims.

Standard models come in Verde Vita light blue, while the new Corallo limited edition is in an orange hue plucked from Fiat’s back catalogue. It’s worth neither is a paintjob but coloured body panels.

Aside from the colour, both models are essentially identical.

In Italy there’s a new Sport version that’s offered in four colours and features a new black interior designed to appeal to youth, plus a limited-run fabric-roof version.

Our short test drive in Rome wasn't enough to fully test the range, but then you probably wouldn't want to. This is a car for short journeys, and you will want access to a home charger to make the most of it.

VERDICT

As with the Ami, the Topolino is easy to like but hard to recommend. It’s undoubtedly stylish and fun, and zipping around urban areas in it will put a broad smile on your face, but there are clearly limitations.

While in some countries quadricycles can be driven by teenagers, in the UK all drivers must have a full license. That removes a big selling point, especially when the leap from a Topolino to an entry-level electric car such as the Dacia Spring is relatively narrow. And if you are in the market for a quadricycle, the difference in price between Ami and Topolino is quite steep for what amounts to more stylish bodywork. 

The limitations of the Topolino on the road can’t be overlooked either. You won’t feel comfortable taking it on any road with a speed limit above 30mph, and while it’s tiny it doesn’t have the benefits of a moped or even an e-bike of being able to zip through traffic.

The limited range also impacts its usability and it lacks many of the basic comforts of even the cheapest new cars on sale. 

In a small Italian town or even in the chaotic traffic of Rome, the Topolino makes plenty of sense. And there will be people in the UK who need a small vehicle for precisely the sort of limited use case the Topolino is designed for. And there will be more who will desperately want to find such a use case.

But maybe this isn’t entirely a vehicle for the rational. It’s hard to look at or drive the Topolino without being charmed by it and imagining yourself zipping in it through a gloriously sun-drenched Italian seaside town. You can argue if the Topolino offers truly accessible mobility, but you can’t debate that it offers plenty of Italian charm.

James Attwood

James Attwood, digital editor
Title: Associate editor

James is Autocar’s associate editor, and has more than 20 years of experience of working in automotive and motorsport journalism. He has been in his current role since September 2024, and helps lead Autocar's features and new sections, while regularly interviewing some of the biggest names in the industry. Oh, and he once helped make Volkswagen currywurst. Really.

Before first joining Autocar in 2017, James spent more than a decade in motorsport journalist, working on Autosport, autosport.com, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, covering everything from club rallying to top-level international events. He also spent 18 months running Move Electric, Haymarket's e-mobility title, where he developed knowledge of the e-bike and e-scooter markets.