Buying a cheap electric vehicle (EV) usually means you have to accept some problems. The new Fiat Topolino is a good example of this. It is the cheapest new EV in the United States, costing only $13,995.
But the Topolino is not a normal car. It is very small and slow. Its top speed is only 19 miles per hour (mph). The battery is small, and you can only drive 46 miles before you need to charge it. Charging takes about five hours with a simple charger. The vehicle is so small that it is shorter than a ping-pong table.
Fiat says this is a "micromobility" vehicle. It is more like a golf cart than a real car. You cannot drive it on the highway because it is too slow. It is only for short trips in cities, resorts, or amusement parks. One version does not even have doors, only a rope. If 19 mph is too slow, you can get a special kit later this summer to make it go 25 mph.
Small cars are not very popular in the U.S. Fiat sold only 1,300 cars in the country in 2025. However, some people are becoming interested in small vehicles, like Japanese "kei" trucks. Fiat hopes the cute look of the Topolino will help it find a group of happy buyers.