Fiat has introduced an important upgrade to its Topolino range just in time for a wet autumn – you too can experience some of the Mediterranean good life thanks to the opening soft top roof on the Italian runabout. 

The new model is called the Topolino Dolcevita – unless you’re Electrifying's deputy editor Mike Askew and you’ve been paying attention in your Italian lessons, you might not know that la dolce vita literally means ‘the good life’ in Italian. Or that topolino means ‘little mouse’.

Otherwise it’s business as usual on the littlest Fiat, which comes with 46 miles of WMTC range from its 5.4kWh battery. That’s not a typo, either (the WMTC range or the battery) – the Topolino is classed as a quadricycle for regulatory purposes, so it’s tested under the world motorcycle test cycle. 

Perhaps it’s better to think of it as a scooter with a roof, then, rather than a tiny useless low range electric car – its top speed is limited to 27.9mph like a 50cc scooter, but you’ll get much less wet on your way to work. 

Charging is a cinch thanks to the tethered Type 2 charge cable that sits inside the driver’s door. It’s a slow 3kW business, though, so it’ll take four hours to fill the battery. 

The Topolino is of course based on the Citroen Ami which we’re long familiar with, but unlike the French car the Fiat trades on nostalgic cutesy looks – we’re quite taken with the pastel colours and retro wheels. 

The Topolino Dolcevita costs from £9,495, which is £500 more than the standard version of the car and it is available to order from Fiat now.