The Citroën Ami is a brilliant little micro‑car we’ll never get in the UK

While it may well prove to be the disruptive force that Citroën expects, it turns out there’s not really much revolutionary about it. The new Ami is trés cool, trés connected and trés cheap, but really it’s a more traditional, and practical, take on the Renault Twizy and a contemporary interpretation of the French light quadricycle that companies like Aixam and Ligier have been selling for ever.

Light quadricycles, a vehicle class in France but not the UK, come with certain advantages, the main one being you don’t need a driving licence (only a safety certificate) and children from age 14 can drive them in France (and 16 other European countries).

The diminutive four-wheel quadricycles are banned from motorways and dual carriageways and restricted to a top speed of 28mph. That is what the modern-day Citroën Ami offers, despite a suggestion of speed from the spoiler mounted on the roof at the back of the push-me-pull-you style body. Twenty-eight miles per hour is even slower than the original Ami, the rebodied 2CV from the ‘60s famous for its challenging looks if not its sparkling acceleration.

With traffic congestion and proliferating emissions-free and 20mph zones, it’s easy however to follow Citroën’s logic that a top whack of 28mph is sufficient these days for short-hop urban mobility. The Ami offers a maximum range of 43 miles and its 5.5kWh lithium-ion battery can be charged up from a domestic plug in three hours.

Trips Ami-style may be leisurely but they also promise to be electric-car quiet, warm and dry (a heater is included), and comfortable for two big adults, says Citroën, with access to the car via two large and identical doors – meaning they open in opposite ways, one hinged at the back, the other at the front. Each door also has a flip-up glass window, 2CV style. Compared to a Twizy all this is the height of luxury.

Citroën also asserts that the Ami is, relatively speaking, safe. “Relative” is Citroën’s way of saying safer than alternative forms of urban transport with fewer than four wheels and less or no bodywork around you, such as scooters and bikes. The Ami comes with seatbelts but no airbags.

Driving the Ami also promises to be undemanding. It is just 2.4m long – 300mm shorter than a Smart ForTwo. With a 14-inch wheel at each corner and big areas of glass all around, parking the Ami should be a cinch, with a turning circle of just 7.2m (24ft). A width of 1.39m should allow it to negotiate the narrowest  of lanes. The body panels are bump proof, too.

All of which would count for nothing if it came across as something the council issued to the less fortunate. That is certainly not the case here. The box-like symmetry may mean you don’t know whether it is coming or going (perhaps that is the point of the roof spoiler…) but few boxes are as funky as this, inside and out. It is highly customisable too, with seven versions and six coloured accessory packs available. The main colours for the body are grey, blue, orange or khaki.

Citroën’s pledge of micro-mobility for everyone extends to how you get hold of the Ami. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and you can either buy one (from €6,000, about £5,200), lease one (€20 a month) or, like a cross between a Zip car and a Boris bike, rent one by the minute (€0.26/min), hour or day. Managing all that is done online via your smartphone, and once booked you can pick up the car at a special depot or have it delivered to your door.

Well you can if you live in France, where orders are being taken from the end of March, or in the next countries to be befriended by Ami: Spain, Italy, Belgium, Portugal and then Germany.

“For 100 years, Citroën has always been innovative and creative in democratising freedom of movement. This year, Citroën has come up with a new urban mobility solution accessible to everyone,” says Vincent Cobée, Citroën Brand CEO.

Everyone that is apart from those who live in the UK. At this stage it’s doubtful we will ever see the new Ami over here.