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When looking for an affordable electric car these days, there are always trade-offs. How much range are you willing to sacrifice, how much legroom and storage space, how many features, in pursuit of the magic sticker price that won’t break the bank?
Fiat Topolino It’s basically the ultimate embodiment of those trade-offs. For a cheap $13,995, you get a top speed of 19 mph, an all-electric range of 46 miles, and a wheelbase barely longer than a rank and a half. In fact, the Topolino is not so much a car as it is a subcompact.
Fiat is not trying to hide this fact. In its announcement this week of the Topolino’s arrival in the United States, the Stellantis-owned automaker refers to the subcompact electric vehicle as part of the “fast-growing micromobility space.” (It also calls the Topolino “a sweet little slice of life,” but that’s neither here nor there.) The 5.4-kilowatt-hour battery can be charged in about five hours when connected to a 2.3-kilowatt AC charger.
In fact, the Topolino is not so much a car as it is a subcompact
In fact, the Topolino shares a lot in common with an electric quad bike or golf cart with a Tesla Model Y. But as we’ve seen with the recent launches of the Slate Truck and Amble One electric truck, there’s a lot of activity swirling around smaller, more compact, and significantly cheaper electric vehicles — especially as rising fuel prices make more people reconsider the trucks and SUVs in their driveways.
Of course, Topolino won’t be for everyone. As a redesigned Citroën Ami, it was designed primarily for short trips in urban areas, as it was not yet legal for motorway driving. And if 19 mph is too slow for you, a free low-speed vehicle conversion kit will be available later this summer to increase the Topolino’s top speed to 25 mph. Fasten your seat belt, my dear. Or in the case of versions without a real door, stay behind the braided cord.
Fiat leans into golf cart companies, noting that many owners take their golf carts beyond the course. For them, this reflects a pent-up desire for bulky personal vehicles that are smaller, slower and less cumbersome, but also not necessarily exposed to the elements like an electric bike.
This does not mean that there will be a stampede at the Fiat dealership to snatch up one of these cars. Small cars have historically not sold well in the United States. Fiat is off to a promising start, selling more than 43,000 vehicles in 2012, its first full year in the United States, according to CNBC. Those sales have all but disappeared, with the brand recording just 1,300 sales in 2025. The Fiat 500e, the company’s only slightly larger two-door electric car, was gone. Renting for $0 and $0 per month in Colorado a few years ago. The demand for these types of cars is not what I consider reliable.
But the buzz around Japanese Kei trucks, for example, has led others to try to determine whether the minivans are waiting to appear in the United States. Even President Donald Trump could not hide his enthusiasm. Their announcement Being “really nice” and wanting to see it built in the USA. A week after these comments Fiat announced That Topolino will arrive in the United States. (The automaker denied a connection to Trump’s statement.)
Topolino certainly has its trade-offs, but its sheer appeal could help it find a loyal audience. I can see this working very well in a resort or theme park. Just don’t try to take it Any tight turns are very fast.
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