Battery size: 5.4 kWh
Max charge rate: 2.3 kW
WMTC range: 46 miles
Introduction
Okay, here’s a tip for you. If you really want to get noticed, don’t bother blowing six figures on the latest supercar - just take a Fiat Topolino for a drive. But, be warned, not everyone who breaks into a smile is necessarily laughing with you.
Having road tested all manner of oddballs over the years, having people ridicule me on the roads isn’t a new experience. I bought one of the very first Smarts in the country back in 1999 and owned a Renault Twizy – which was a lightning rod for unkind comments.
First shown in 2025, the Topolino is, in simple terms, Fiat’s version of the Citroën Ami. This means there are now three ‘versions’ of the Ami in the Stellantis stable, with the other being the Opel Rocks, which isn’t sold in the UK.
Like the Ami, the Topolino isn’t technically a car. It’s classified as a Heavy Quadricycle, which places it between a motorbike and a car in terms of legislation and regulations. Quadricycles don’t have to undergo the same crash tests as proper cars, which allows them to be built at a cheaper cost. As a trade-off, their performance is electronically limited to ensure that you can’t get into any trouble. And, like the Ami, the Topolino is left-hand drive only. So try and remember to get in on the left - otherwise you look like a bit of a fool.
Range, Battery & Charging
We’re in single-figure territory here. The Topolino comes with a 5.5kWh battery that powers an 8hp motor. However you look at those figures, they are tiny. Even if you factor in the Topolino’s modest 560kg kerb weight, it’s clear that anything above basic forward motion is off the cards. But more about ‘performance’ later…
Charging the battery is simple. There’s no DC charging, just a tethered Type 2 cable that’s stored neatly in a recess behind the passenger door frame. The maximum charge rate is 2.3kW, and a full charge from empty to full will take around four hours.
Because the Topolino’s connector is tethered to the car, which sounds really helpful, but in reality, it’s a pain. Charging via a three-pin domestic socket and a granny charger is off the table because granny chargers come with a male connector that needs to be plugged into a female connector (kids, ask your parents). 99% of EVs have one of those as standard. Yes, you can buy an adaptor, but that’s another £150 to spend and it’s not guaranteed to work. Also, if you have a home charger with a tethered cable connection, you’ll need to faff about with an adaptor.
The official range of the Topolino is 46 miles on the WMTC cycle. The what? Now, because the Topolino isn’t classified as a car, it hasn’t been tested to WLTP standards. WMTC stands for World Motorcycle Test Cycle (WMTC), a regime designed for motorbikes and scooters. After a week with the Topolino, I can confirm that 46 miles seems about right. I ventured a six-mile round trip to parkrun and, sure enough, the available range figure dropped from 37 to 31 miles.
Practicality & Boot Space
This won’t take long. At 2.53 metres long, the Topolino is almost 200mm shorter than the wheelbase of a Škoda Elroq and around half the length of a Volkswagen ID7. You get the idea - this is a very small thing. No surprise then that the Topolino doesn’t score highly for practicality or boot space. It fits two adults - just - and there’s no boot. The two seats are offset, which means that you don’t elbow your passenger in the ribs at every corner, and Fiat has helpfully marked out an area in the passenger footwell where you could store a small, overhead-locker-friendly suitcase. Although which airport you’d be heading to in a Topolino is anyone’s guess.
On the positive side, you do get a long storage area along the top of the dashboard, which is trimmed in a rather fetching striped fabric and comes with two leather-look straps. Fiat calls it the Dolce Vita Box, which makes it sound a lot more glamorous than it actually is. Oh, and there are two storage nets on both doors.
Interior Design & Technology
The design of the interior is said to be inspired by the original Fiat 500 Topolino (which Fiat made between 1936–1955). In a brazen piece of positive PR, the press pack suggests that the Topolino’s rejection of a large touchscreen adds to its retro feel. Nice try.
I’d argue that the design of the interior is based more on the Citroën Ami, which provides 90% of its mouldings and parts. The dashboard (if you can call it that) houses the drive controls and a mobile phone holder, while the digital display ahead of the steering wheel is white and finished with a Topolino word mark.
Motor, Performance & Handling
The Topolino’s 8hp motor generates just 40Nm of torque – figures that even electric moped riders might consider a little on the low side. Fiat quotes a 0-28 mph time of 10 seconds, which feels about right. The limiter kicks in with a soft edge at the legal max, leaving you forever wondering how quick it could actually go. I suspect not a great deal more, but you can always dream.
Driving the Topolino is an experience that will live with me forever. Drive is selected via a row of switches on the ‘dashboard’, and the throttle feels like the accelerator in a dodgem. You’ll find yourself mashing the pedal to the floor on most journeys, silently praying that the electronics might, miraculously, give you a few extra mph for good behaviour. The brakes are fine and feature completely over-engineered discs at the front and drums at the back.
The steering is unassisted but light once the Topolino is moving. However, the gearing is very long, and you find yourself having to do more wheel twirling than expected. The seats offer zero lateral support, so the steering wheel also doubles up as a rotating grab handle when navigating roundabouts.
I should also highlight the mirrors, which Fiat refers to as ‘Vintage style’ in its description. They’re small and round and look lovely… but are largely hopeless. The field of vision is tiny, and if you’re trying to park, you have to open the window to point them downwards.
The Topolino does clearly have some form of suspension (because the wheels aren’t touching the body), but that’s clearly where the chassis brief ended. It’s firm to the point of feeling solid, and even raised white lines crash through the seat and controls. Potholes and speed bumps are best avoided - especially if you have or don’t want to acquire a back condition.
Running Costs & Pricing
A Topolino will currently set you back just under £9,000. You can choose between two colours, Verdevita (a pleasing off-green) and Corallo, a sort of washed-out red-orange. Equipment levels are as you would expect. There’s no heater, just a noisy fan that doesn’t seem to generate any air movement, but you do get a glass roof, which proved somewhat unwelcome during the heatwave. If you really want to max your budget out, Fiat will sell you a bag hoot, centre net, and floor mats as accessories.
Verdict
I’m glad the Topolino exists and pleased that Fiat decided that the UK was worth a punt. For all its charm, the Citroën Ami hasn’t been a huge hit over here, so Fiat’s optimism that a more expensive but just as limited version might do better is to be applauded.
But here’s the reality. The Topolino will require a very special kind of customer. When I first saw one earlier this year in sunny Mallorca, I thought it would make a delightful addition to my fleet. I generally do short distances, I live somewhere where parking is at a premium and I love a novelty. But even with these positives, I found the Topolino to be too limiting. Having to plan routes via 30 mph roads is a pain and the driving experience is so basic that it’s hard to get much enjoyment out of it. It makes you smile the first few times you take it out, but after four days, I preferred to get the e-bike out of the garage.
It’s a shame that Fiat (and Citroën) haven’t found a way to make the Topolino or Ami truly affordable on lease. The cheapest lease deal I could find for the Fiat was just under £228 per month. A Citroën eC3 Aircross - a proper electric car with space for five - can be picked up for £158 per month on the same terms. I know which I’d choose…
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