Fiat Topolino 6kW 5kWh 2dr Auto

Ten Second Review

Fiat joins the quadricycle market with its third EV, this little Topolino model. This Italian urban runabout shares its Stellantis design with the Citroen Ami but many city folk will find its looks more appealing. This is the sort of car Fiat ought to be very good at.

Background

Traditionally, Fiat has built its brand on cheap, tiny urban cars. Well here's one that really fits that brief, the Topolino. To be strictly accurate, it's not really a 'car'; this all-electric model is classified as a quadricycle. And, continuing on the theme of being strictly accurate, it's not really a Fiat either, produced by Stellantis as a re-branded version of the Citroen Ami and that model's lesser-known stablemate the Opel Rocks-e. But the Italian maker wants you to think of this model as archetypally Fiat, an indoctrination process that starts with the name, 'Topolino' being borrowed from the commonly known branding applied to the original Fiat 500 produced from 1936 to 1955. The looks are very 'Fiat' too, designed to appeal to a wide audience 'including younger customers, families and city lovers'. Let's take a closer look.

Engines and Tech Spec

You wouldn't expect the Topolino to feature any mechanical changes over its Ami design counterpart - and it doesn't. So there's the same feeble 8.2hp electric motor and an equally restricted 47 mile range from the little 5.4kWh battery. So you won't be tempted to leave the city limits. If you did, there'd rapidly be a long queue behind because the top speed is just 28mph. On the plus side, there's great all-round visibility. As with an Ami, you can drive this Fiat on a moped licence - and at an age as young as 16 (in France and Italy, it's 14). As you'd expect from the diminutive size, the turning circle is outstanding - just 7.2m. To give you a point of comparison, that of a typical supermini is over 10m. A London taxi is rated at 7.6m. The elevated driving position and superb all-round visibility also help in the city and though there's no power steering to ease you into spaces, the vehicle is so light (a typical supermini weighs around 600kgs more) that it isn't really an issue. Still, you might well feel intimidated by trucks and buses, particularly as quadricycles like this don't get rigorously crash tested and don't have to have airbags and camera safety aids.

Design and Build

Fiat has done a good job of visually differentiating the Topolino within the restrictions of the basic Ami-derived Stellantis design. The bluff front end is clearly modelled on that of the brand's post-war 500 model, with cute round headlights and a vertical front screen. There are silver bumper strips front and rear and the back looks different from the Ami too, with very Fiat-like vertical tail lights. White wheel rims are finishing touch. As with the equivalent Citroen, the dimensions are tiny - just 2.41m long and 1.39m wide. And there's the body style choice of a conventional hard top model or (available in much smaller numbers) an open-roofed, open-sided beach buggy convertible version. The latter does without doors, with nothing but a thick rope across the opening. The Italian maker hasn't bothered so much about product differentiation inside. Apart from Fiat branding on the steering wheel and differently-coloured fascia top fabrics, the minimalistic cabin vibe is just as in an Ami. So there are two very firm seats separated by a conventional handbrake and you view a small digital instrument pod. As with the Citroen, the windscreen is placed a way away from you, the steering wheel doesn't adjust and sprouting from it is a single column stalk that works the indicators and the single wiper that creaks across the plastic screen. There's a noisy single speed fan with a heat option. The doors provided on the hard top version are open by pull straps and only the bottom part of the side windows open. There's no conventional boot, but Fiat claims 63-litres of luggage space and an extra rack can be fitted at the back for a suitcase, though this will almost completely obscure your rear view.

Market and Model

Don't expect pricing to be that much different from the Citroen Ami, which means figures probably starting from around £8,000. Which looks very good value compared to the two most obvious non-Stellantis rivals; a Silence S04 starts from about £16,000, while a Microlino Lite starts from around £17,000. There's only one way you can buy any sort of Topolino and that's online. You can go to a dealer, try and test the car - and they can order it for you if necessary, but they'll do so in your name online. Fiat is also using the launch of this model as a chance to test customer interest in subscribing to a car rather than actually owning it. In Europe, the Topolino is available from €39 a week if you don't want to purchase it outright. However you decide to purchase it, there's only one specification available - and only one colour - which online means customers can buy this Fiat in just three clicks. Fiat is considering changing the colour every year or two to give the car a fresh look. You might want to add some bespoke Topolino accessories. The brand offers a rack bag, Bluetooth speaker and a pair of seat covers that can double up as beach towels. What about safety? Well, quadricyles aren't required to feature any safety equipment, so, rather disappointingly, like the Ami, the Topolino can't be fitted with any - even as an option. No airbags, no camera safety aids - nothing. Are you likely to need them travelling at no more than 28mph? Well that's up to you. There's no Hill Start Assist feature either, which will be rather disconcerting when you park on a slope or set off from an uphill junction. What we're rather less understanding about is the fact that Fiat hasn't fitted an ISOFIX child seat attachment to the passenger seat: in fact the brand strongly suggests that you don't fit any kind of child seat into your Topolino.

Cost of Ownership

UK models come with a rather natty built-in European two-pin plug which feeds awkwardly through a recess behind the passenger door. That plug comes with a Type 2 connector adaptor you can fit onto it for use with a garage wallbox or a public charging point. With this EV, there are no decisions to be made about fast or rapid chargers and different networks. Wherever you charge, expect battery replenishment from empty to full to take around 3 hours. There's currently no road tax to pay - though that might change for quadricycles in future, depending on what the Chancellor decides. What we know for certain is that the quadricycle classification means that Benefit-in-Kind taxation doesn't apply here. Servicing intervals are every two years or 12,500 miles, whichever comes first. Bear in mind that you don't get as comprehensive a warranty package as you would with an ordinary Fiat - the one provided covers you for two years with unlimited mileage, plus there's separate three year/25,000 mile cover for the battery. You get three years or 25,000 miles of cover for roadside assistance, but there's no paintwork warranty as there is no paintwork. There are no insurance groups for the Topolino because it's not a car. Insurers apparently take their own view on quadricycles, so you'll have to ask yours what they think about this one.

Summary

'Topolino' literally translates from the Italian as 'baby mouse'. Not everyone likes mice. Not everyone will like this one. But those that do will probably love it. Those people won't be viewing this as a car but a stylish urban mobility pod and they might agree with Fiat that this model 'brings a new notion of la dolce vita to the city streets'. It's certainly easier on the eye than the Citroen Ami it's based on. And probably has more in common with the ethos of the original post-war Fiat 500 than the current Fiat 500 does - in terms of size, affordability and Italian charm. The result is a model selling well to European city folk. Whether it will appeal as much here will be interesting to see.