The tiny two-seat electric Citroen Ami has already clocked up more than 1,000 reservations in the UK in just two weeks.
There was a time, not so long ago, when the only real use for an electric car was as a second car for short urban journeys thanks to the limited real-world range and a lack of charging infrastructure.That has now, to some degree, changed as car makers deliver EVs with a range comparable to equivalent petrol-engined cars, although – and despite advances – the charging network is patchy and, at times, unreliable, leading not so much to range anxiety as not-able-to-charge anxiety.
Of course, the elephant in the room is the bonkers cost of EVs, with even relatively ‘normal’ EVs costing around £50k, and although for businesses and EV is a no-brainer thanks to big tax breaks, for private buyers there’s no way the reduced running costs can mitigate the high entry cost.
But Citroen has turned that on its head by delivering not only the cheapest EV on sale in the UK – the Citroen Ami – but the cheapest car bar none.
Admittedly, the Ami is officially a quadricycle, has a top speed of just 28mph and comes only in left-hand drive, but it offers what early EVs offered – the perfect urban runaround – at a price ordinary folk can afford.
So it’s no surprise that the Ami, having gone on sale in the UK last month, has already racked up more than 1,000 reservations as savvy Brits see it is a great way to get around congested cities where the 28mph top speed is actually twice the average on congested roads, and where the limited range is irrelevant.
So well done Citroen, and now over to the rest of the car industry to drive EV adoption with properly affordable transport’.




Derek Sayce says
Wow. Can’t wait. Had a 2cv ……