Fiat is bringing the Topolino to the US with a $13,995 price tag, a 19 mph top speed, and a clear message hiding in plain sight: this is not a normal car, no matter how much the marketing department wants a halo from the word EV.
The Stellantis-owned brand described the Topolino this week as part of the “micromobility space,” which is the more accurate bucket. The two-seat electric vehicle is a restyled version of the Citroën Ami, built for short urban trips rather than commuting on highways or pretending to be a shrunken crossover.
The specs make the category problem obvious. Fiat says the Topolino has a 5.4 kWh battery, about 46 miles of electric range, and can recharge in roughly five hours on a 2.3 kW AC charger. Its wheelbase is barely longer than one and a half king mattresses, and the vehicle is smaller than a ping-pong table, according to The Verge’s description of the model.
A cheap EV with golf-cart physics
The Topolino currently is not legal for highway driving. Fiat plans to offer a complimentary Low Speed Vehicle conversion kit later this summer, which will raise the top speed from 19 mph to 25 mph. That may make it more useful in some neighborhoods and campuses, but it still leaves the Topolino in golf-cart-adjacent territory rather than the world of freeway-capable electric cars.
Fiat appears comfortable with that comparison. The company has pointed to the way many golf carts already get used beyond golf courses, suggesting demand for small electric vehicles that are enclosed enough for casual errands but less burdensome than full-size cars. Some Topolino versions do not have a conventional door, using a rope-style barrier instead, which should keep expectations firmly bolted to the floor.
The Topolino arrives amid more noise around small, slow, lower-cost EVs in the US. Recent examples include the Slate Truck and the Amble One electric buggy, both aimed at buyers who do not need, or cannot justify, another large vehicle. High gas prices have also made some drivers reconsider trucks and SUVs, though reconsidering is not the same thing as buying a 19 mph Fiat.
Small cars still have a US problem
Fiat has reason to be careful about its expectations. CNBC reported that Fiat sold more than 43,000 vehicles in 2012, its first full year back in the US market. By 2025, the brand recorded only 1,300 sales. The slightly larger Fiat 500e also struggled: Car and Driver reported that it was available in Colorado a few years ago with $0 down and $0 monthly lease payments.
There are signs of curiosity around small vehicles, including the recent American fascination with Japanese kei trucks. President Donald Trump called kei trucks “really cute” and said he wanted to see them built in the US. Fiat announced the Topolino for the US a week later, though the automaker denied that Trump’s comments influenced the decision.
The Topolino’s best fit may be places where low speeds are a feature rather than a dealbreaker: resorts, amusement parks, dense neighborhoods, and campuses. For buyers looking for the cheapest new electric thing with four wheels, Fiat now has an answer. For buyers looking for a car, the answer is more complicated.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.
