Its name, appropriately enough, is Topolino, or “Little Mouse,” in Italian, and its barely as long as a ping-pong table. Fiat’s newest model is also the most affordable EV in America. Headlight.News checks it out.
In soft-top form, the Topolino replaces doors with ropes.
The “Little Mouse” is coming to America.
The Fiat Topolino is barely as big as a ping-pong table and a convertible version doesn’t even offer doors. It’s slow and offers only limited range, but there just might be a market for this quirky alternative to a golf cart, Fiat’s parent, Stellantis is betting.
All the more so, considering Topolino will start at just $14,985 after factoring in delivery fees.
“A feeling, a lifestyle…”
The Fiat Topolino will be offered as a convertible or hardtop.
“Topolino represents a new chapter for the brand in the U.S. — defined not just by size, but by purpose,” Fiat brand CEO Olivier François said in a news release. “With Topolino, we bring a feeling, a lifestyle, a reminder that mobility can be joyful, expressive and beautifully simple.”
Topolino has a clear genetic link to the “bigger” Fiat 500e, which is also sold only in all-electric form. But it’s big enough for just two passengers and, though quite popular in Europe, isn’t likely to find a mass market here in the States.
For one thing, it delivers just a maximum 46 miles per charge – though it might feel like you’ve been driving a lot longer by the time you draw down its battery pack.
Powertrain
Fiat Topolino defines bare-bones transportation.
The little EV’s single electric motor can muster a maximum 8 horsepower. That gives it a maximum speed of 19 miles per hour – unless you order the conversion kit which will boost top speed to a blistering 25 mph.
That puts it into the quadricycle category in Europe and also limits where it can be used in the U.S. According to Stellantis, that means it’s legally a “Low Speed Vehicle” limited to roads where the speed limit is a maximum 35 mph. Even then, the rest of traffic – and even some e-bikes – will go blasting by.
Buyers will have the choice of either the standard model, with unusual asymmetric doors, hinged and opening in opposite directions, or the convertible, with its soft top and lack of doors. The cloth top rolls up, much like Fiat has done with the 500 over the years.
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Pricing
Topolino recently won the Compasso d’Oro ADI, an international award recognizing excellence in industrial design.
The Little Mouse will start at $13,995 – though there’s a mandatory $990 deliver fee bringing the total to $14,985. The only “option” is the no-charge conversion kit to boost the EV’s speed.
Topolino is assembled in Morocco and then shipped to the U.S. The first of the two-seaters arrived at an East Coast port last week and should soon reach dealerships across the country.
How well the Little Mouse will sell is uncertain. There’s not much market for really small vehicles in the U.S. – even thought Pres. Donald Trump made a fuss over Japan’s unique kei cars during his trip there last autumn. Even the more functional Fiat 500 hasn’t been doing very well, Americans purchasing just 1,100 of them last year.
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