Fiat is not unfamiliar with making small cars, but this latest offering is not just small, it’s tiny. And the company believes it’s perfect for those short trips around the city, and might just make young people fall in love with “car” again.
While Fiat already has a small city car, the Fiat 500 Electric, which we found to be one of the cutest EVs on the market — plus, delivering a fun, comfortable and safe driving experience, the new Topolino (Fiat’s calling it 500’s “little sister”) might just dethrone it for that title.
The Fiat Topolino has all the basics for sustainable freedom in the city: reduced carbon footprint, reduced space footprint, reduced sound footprint, as FIAT continues its mission to develop sustainable mobility for cities and turn them into relaxing playgrounds where driving becomes an easy and sustainable experience accessible to all.
Fiat says, “Topolino is an ideal solution for urban and short-range mobility, able to access anywhere thanks to its electric nature. A homage to the brand’s history and its ability to innovate with likability and coolness, it perfectly embodies the New Dolce Vita style and pure Italian beauty.”
It does embody the classic, chic Italian car, reimagined as a modern all-electric drive. So much so, it comes with one of the most bizarre accessory features we’ve seen in a while: a shower, so you can wash after a sunny, sandy day at the Italian, ahem, I mean the British coastline.
Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait till the next summer to take it for a spin on the beach and try out the shower feature (please let us know if you do!), as the Topolino is expected to arrive in the UK in 2024.
It takes its name and design from the original 500, affectionately called ‘Topolino’ because of its small size. Its style, like that of its predecessor, is driven by simplicity: a design that revolves around ‘less is more’ and that heals simplicity as the best companion to its beauty.
Fiat sees it as the modern, space-efficient, more practical, spacious version of a scooter. “Freedom is the key word: share it with your loved ones, drive it everywhere and in any weather conditions and then, park it wherever you want. Compared to a scooter, it represents an infinite range of possibilities. It can be driven despite unfavourable weather conditions, it is safer in its construction, and it allows you to share your journeys with friends or family,” says the Italian carmaker.
The line-up consists of two different bodies, one “closed” and one “open”, both consistent in their structural characteristics: one colour, Verde Vita, one wheel design and one aesthetic approach for the interior.
Thanks to its extremely small size compared to a normal car (2.53 meters in length), its ease of handling and a safe top speed of 28mph, Topolino reignites the desire to travel the roads stress-free. Versatile, the two models feature great electric capability thanks to a 5.5 kWh battery that offers up to 47 miles of range and less than four-hour time for a full charge. We hope that’s surely enough for your seaside days or daily rush in the city centres.
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With small dimensions, with impressive space habitability, thanks to the two misaligned seats, the extensive glass surface considerably expands the perception of space. Thanks to strategic storage spaces, such as the one between the driver and passenger where one suitcase can be placed, a total of 63 litres of interior storage space is available.
The “closed” version can be customised with wooden effect stickers on the doors, while in the “open” version, stickers – with stripes as a summer tent – can be added to the roof giving an extra touch of Dolce Vita. Both versions are equipped with vintage chrome effect mirrors and Rear Carriage Dolce Vita Box, which is an elegant and functional band of fabric inside which personal items can be stored. What differentiates them is the addition of both the Dolcevita Door Sills and Door Rope in the “open” version and the Roof Sunblind in the closed version.
Moreover, optional accessories will be found on the FIAT Accessories webpage or at FIAT dealerships to satisfy all customers’ needs. Here, five different items will be available, which are perfectly in line with the Topolino style: a spacious rack bag, a USB fan, a Bluetooth speaker, a thermal water bottle for both hot and cold drinks, and two seat covers that convert into comfortable and soft beach towels when required. All of them, obviously, realised in Verde Vita.
The single colour Verde Vita does seem to be promising a low starting price. Despite its cute looks, it goes up against the Citroën Ami, another tiny and similar-spec city car, which is already available to buy in the UK and starts at just £8,095.
