Fiat Topolino review - super-cute Italian city car is cheap but niche in appeal

Verdict

Despite the cheap price tag, the Fiat Topolino is likely to appeal only to the very rich - or fleet buyers. Its tiny range, meagre performance and limited practicality mean that it’s difficult to see it replacing the average city car. However, there’s no denying the amount of joy the Topolino will bring both its driver and other road-users, so for that reason alone we’re hoping a few find homes in the UK. 

With no World Cup football to look forward to this summer, the Italians could do with a bit of cheering up - and luckily Fiat has come up with just the thing. 

This is the Topolino, an electric car so small that it’s not technically a car in Europe - it’s a quadricycle. It’s been around for a few years on the continent, but now Fiat is finally bringing it to the UK. The Topolino will be the first of three electric ‘micromobility’ vehicles from the company, with the Tris three-wheeled truck and a four-seat Multiplina on the way too. 

We’ve already had a very brief go in the Topolino on a golf course in the UK – where its golf cart-like approach seemed rather fitting – but for a more detailed experience we’ve tried it in the hustle and bustle of Rome and the tight, twisting streets of the Vatican City. 

Used - available now

2025 Skoda

Karoq

57,540 milesAutomaticDiesel2.0L

Cash £19,697

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2022 Vauxhall

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19,611 milesManualPetrol1.2L

Cash £10,350

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2019 VAUXHALL

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86,547 milesManualDiesel1.6L

Cash £8,995

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2024 FORD

TRANSIT

105,863 milesManualDiesel2.0L

Cash £10,794

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You might notice that the Topolino looks very similar to the Citroen Ami and that’s because it shares all of its technical underpinnings, and most of its body, with the French microcar. The exterior of the Italian car has been reworked, though, with inspiration taken from the original Fiat 500. That car was produced from 1936 to 1955 and commonly known by the name Topolino.

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Its successor is incredibly chic, and especially with the cosmopolitan streets of Rome in the background, the 2026 Topolino looks right at home in an urban environment. That’s just as well, given that you won’t really be able to take it out of the city, because it has the same 46-mile range as the Citroen Ami. Plus its dinky 5.5kWh battery has a maximum 2.3kW charge rate for a laborious four-hour 0-100 per cent recharge time. The electric motor, all 8bhp of it, is also unchanged from the Ami, so the top speed of 28mph remains the same too. 

Unsurprisingly, then, the Topolino drives just like the Ami, which means it’s both a proper laugh and terribly flawed, depending where you dare to venture in it. Our drive started at the Vatican, celebrating Fiat’s new partnership with the world’s smallest nation, which sees the Italian company provide 30 vehicles for “daily mobility needs”.  As potential popemobiles go, the Topolino has to be the cutest yet. 

So what will those various bishops, priests and religious figures have to look forward to behind the wheel of the Topolino? Well it’s not fast, as you’d expect, but it keeps up with city traffic just fine - though we never found ourselves on a road that really required more than its 28mph top speed. And the little Fiat hits that quickly enough, as long as you’re not going up a slight incline. 

Instead of being merely ‘off’ or ‘on’, surprisingly there’s some decent calibration to the throttle pedal, and with the brake pedal travel feeling pretty natural too, the Topolino’s controls are a bit more car-like than you might expect. One thing that unravels this good work, however, is the steering: it’s an unassisted rack, so it has no inclination to self-centre. On the other hand, it’s quite light, so it gives the Topolino a more mature feel. 

There’s not much flex to the Topolino’s suspension and despite the 14-inch wheels with relatively high-profile tyres, the Fiat feels fairly rigid over small bumps and imperfections in the road. Even though there’s a typically silent EV powertrain, there’s also essentially no soundproofing, so the Topolino transmits a lot of exterior noise into the echoey cabin. Passing an HGV or a lorry isn’t a pleasant experience at any speed. 

The incredibly basic seats, which can only slide forward and back, would probably be uncomfortable on a long journey, but this isn’t an issue in the Topolino. With zero side bolstering, you’ll be thankful the thick rope of the original Topolino models has been replaced by an actual door to stop you from falling out. Cornering, or more appropriately, turning is one the Topolino’s biggest strengths because the 1.73-metre wheelbase contributes to a tiny 7.2-metre turning circle. As a result, we found car parks and the tightest of Roman streets were a breeze in the little Fiat. 

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As for the interior, it’s just as pared back as in the Citroen Ami. But the basics are all there: a mount to turn your smartphone into a makeshift infotainment screen (as long as you have the Fiat app), useful storage nets in the doors, and something that really came in handy in 35-degree temperatures with no air-con in the Topolino: a removable dash-mounted fan. 

Instead of the tray found on the Citroen Ami’s dash, the Fiat Topolino has a ‘Dolce Vita’ box, which acts as a glovebox. It’s a really sweet addition to the Fiat’s interior with handbang-style stripes.

There are also a couple of accessories available on the Topolino that we’d certainly have a look at to maximise the car’s limited practicality. The first is an optional roof sunblind, and the second a rear luggage rack – something we’d definitely opt for, because the space behind the seats is only just about large enough for a rucksack.  

As with the Citroen Ami, the use case for the Fiat Topolino is pretty limited, so it’s difficult to picture who this car is for. The sales mix in the UK is likely to lean heavily towards fleet buyers – think hotel chains, theme parks, airports (Luton airport already has a fleet of Amis) and of course, golf courses – although a larger rack to hold golf bags would be helpful. 

At £9,000, the Topolino is only a couple of grand cheaper than the Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03 - which are proper cars. Ultimately, if you’re looking to add the Fiat to your garage, it’ll likely take the position of a very fun, likeable toy.