A Tiny Car for No One

[This little mouse is no Speedy Gonzalez.]
In America, car bloat continues to kill us. Unfortunately, few manufacturers seem inclined to offer smaller vehicles, which means few consumers can purchase them. As the average vehicle gets bigger and bigger, we all suffer from reduced safety, increased road wear and tear, and even crunches in parking availability.

So I was excited when Fiat recently introduced the Topolino to America. It’s a tiny electric vehicle that could be perfect for cities. At just 99.6 inches long, it’s far shorter than almost anything you’ll find on the road. Though the Smart Fortwo is no longer sold in America, I still see them frequently around Boston. Those are 106.1 inches long, close to the Topolino. As far as new cars go, the smallest right now seems to be the 2026 Mini Cooper. At 152.6 inches long, that’s more than four feet longer than the Topolino.

When I first heard about the Topolino, I hoped it might be a solid Fortwo replacement. Alas, at least in Boston, the vehicle is a non-starter. Here’s why, right from the Topolino FAQ:

When properly equipped with the Street Legal Conversion Kit, the FIAT® Topolino has an estimated top speed of 25 mph. Without the conversion kit, the Topolino cruises at a top speed of 19 mph.

Boston’s default speed limit is 25 MPH, but multiple arterial roads (including the infamous Storrow Drive) require higher speeds. A car that maxes out at 25 miles per hour is just not viable for use around Boston, nor most anywhere in the country.

Given that reality, it seems to me that this USA Today story about the Topolino drastically undersells how impractical this vehicle is for most people. The article states “it may not be appealing for every driver” and “Fiat’s new electric vehicle is cheap, but its performance specs could deter some potential buyers”. I would say that it may not be appealing for any driver, and its specs could deter nearly all potential buyers. As alluded to in the title of this post, this seems like a car for approximately no one.

Thanks to advances in batteries, micromobility options have proliferated in recent years. Every day, I see countless e-bikes, electric cargo bikes, scooters, and more. Those options can cost as little as a few hundred dollars, though. Perhaps there’s a market for this vehicle, but to me, it’s just a very disappointing $15,000 golf cart.

Link: https://www.usatoday.com/story/cars/research/2026/07/08/fiat-topolino-electric-car-review/90844811007/