YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME
New electric Citroen Ami is the perfect city runaround and offers lots of fun on the road
We pointed the Citroen Ami at Buckingham Palace and, no sooner had we stopped, we were surrounded by French people who recognised a car from their homeland.
Except this is not a car. The Ami is actually an all-electric quadricycle and so unusual in the UK that the DVLA had to find a whole new category for it.
But what that means is that anyone aged 16 or over can drive it if they have a moped AM licence. It is basically a motorcycle on four wheels but with a car-like shell around it.
Anxious to make it feel welcome as it arrived in this country, my co- driver and I opted to greet it in traditional dress, specifically as Onion Johnnies – those intrepid men on bikes who used to come to Britain to sell onions and garlic to the natives.
And the Ami in the Cargo one-seat version would have been perfect for them. The other seat space is cleared to make way for packages.
The Pop version, which we were driving, has two seats, a 6kW electric motor which can be fully charged in just three hours, a top speed of 28mph and an electric range of 46 miles.
It is not the car you want if you hanker after a Ferrari but it is perfect for getting around town, as we discovered when we tested it in London.
At 2.4m long and 1.4m wide, it f its the tightest parking space and has a turning circle of 7.2m.
Inside, it is minimal, befitting its price tag, which starts at just £7965.
There are three gear buttons and a handbrake, l ights, indicators, a heater and washers , with two side mirrors. It comes only as left-hand drive, even in the UK – it is, after all, a motorcycle – and the driver’s door opens out like a suicide door. Quirkily, it looks almost the same at the front as the rear.
Having manoeuvred it for several hours around London (the city is its natural habitat), I can safely say it is a hoot to drive, with pedestr ians smiling fondly at it.
It comes in a variety of funky finishes, like the orange Pop we were driving, the Vibe and the Cargo. There is also a buggy version with no doors – definitely not for Scotland. The decals are orange, blue or grey, to suit the Ami’s eccentric character.
Visibility is fantastic and sat nav can be accessed via your smartphone with a pod on the dash for it.
It is ideal for last- mi le deliveries, small businesses, seniors not wanting the trouble of a big car and youngsters where it is safer than a motorbike or scooter.
The Ami is a remarkable, entertaining and practical electric car which will provide hours of fun on the road.