2024’s cutest automobile has been reprimanded in Italy for breaking the legislation

Fiat’s Topolino is without question the cutest new car of 2024.

The diminutive electric vehicle’s tiny dimensions, retro-inspired styling and unique shower feature (yes, it really has a shower attachment) has unsurprisingly won over plenty of admirers.

But the Italian authorities aren’t a fan.

That’s because it has breached a domestic law, which has seen 134 examples of the dinky EV reprimanded at a port with police seizing the cars until the manufacturer makes a major change to each one.

Fiat isn’t being allowed to deliver the electric city car to customers in its home country, despite the fact the vehicles are ready to be transported to them.

The adorable EV is the sister model to the Citroen Ami, which is has been on sale in Britain since 2022 and costs from £7,695.

At just 2.53 metres long, your bathtub is likely bigger than this Fiat.

The top speed is just 28mph and range between charges is claimed to be ‘up to 47 miles’ – though our real-world test of the Citroen last year suggests the battery charge will likely deplete quicker than the official figures suggest.

It is fitted with a very compact 5.4kWh lithium-ion battery and single 6kW electric motor, which explains why the performance is so pedestrian by car standards. 

But that’s because it’s not a car. Instead, it qualifies as a ‘light quadricycle’.

Due to this categorisation, in some European countries like France, the minimum age to get behind the wheel of one is just 14. In the UK, people as young as 16 can legally drive one if they have an ‘AM’ moped licence. 

But its oddball definition isn’t why the Guardia di Finanza (Italy’s financial police) and customs agency have reprimanded over 100 examples at the Livorno port city in Tuscany.

Instead, it’s because it sports an Italian ‘tricolore’ flag on its doors, which breaches Italian law.

This is because the Topolino is not made in Italy.

The vehicle is instead produced at the Kenitra plant in Morocco, where the Ami and Opel Rocks Electric sister vehicles are also built.

An Italian law introduced in 2003 forbids Fiat – and any other Italian brand – from using the nation’s flag on products made outside the country.

The rule stipulates: ‘The import and export for the purpose of commercialization or the marketing or commission of acts directed unambiguously to the marketing of products bearing false or misleading indications of provenance or origin constitutes a crime and is punishable under Article 517 of the Penal Code.

‘It constitutes a false indication to stamp ‘made in Italy’ on products and goods not originating in Italy within the accordance with European regulations on origin. 

‘It constitutes a fallacious indication, even if the origin and provenance are indicated as foreign origin of the products or goods. 

‘The offender is punished with an administrative fine from €10,000 to €250,000.’

In order to deliver its cars to customers, Fiat has been given no choice but to strip all 134 Topolinos – and those that follow them in the country- of the flags.

A spokesperson for Fiat’s parent company Stellantis told Italian newspaper La Repubblica that it has ‘operated in full compliance with the regulations’ by openly communicating that the car is not made in Italy but has been designed in Turin.

It isn’t the first time in recent weeks that an Italian car maker has found itself in hot water for breaking domestic rules.

Back in April, Alfa Romeo also had a monumental falling out with Italian authorities over the name of its new electric SUV, due to be called the ‘Milano’.

This is because it is built in Poland – the first time any Alfa Romeo has been produced outside its home nation’s border.

Shortly after it was unveiled that month, the Minister for Business quickly pointed out that it legally cannot carry a name linked to an Italian city if it is produced outside the country.

Instead, Alfa has hurriedly been forced to change its name to ‘Junior’, which fortunately also has heritage with the brand.

With Fiat producing the original Topolino between 1936 and 1955, it is surprising that the authorities haven’t also questioned its name – which translates to ‘baby mouse’ – given it has direct links back to Italian history.

Here’s what you need to know about the Fiat Topolino

Good news for Britons is that Topolino will be arriving in the this year, though in left-hand drive only.

Fiat has confirmed there will be two variants sold to customers.

The first is a standard ‘closed’ Topolino, which has a fixed roof and a pair of doors with ‘wooden-effect stickers’ on the inside panels. This will be the cheaper version and will likely start from just under £8,000 when it arrives in the UK later this year.

Meanwhile, the second option called Topolino Dolce Vita has no doors at all – though it does come with ‘door rope’, not that this provides any practical or safety benefits whatsoever.

With no door panels to feature an Italian flag, this variant should – in theory – escape the clutches of the Italian authorities.

The doorless design is a nod to the classic Fiat 500 Jolly, which was aimed at sun-worshiping beach types of the generation.

Both versions are equipped with vintage chrome effect wing mirrors, delightful oval headlamps and dish-style wheel trims.

Among the options list is a ‘rack bag’ – a matching suitcase that slots into a metal carrier fixed below the rear windscreen for more luggage possibilities.

And you will likely need it, as there is just 63 litres of ‘storage space’ inside the Topolino – and by storage space we mean anything inside that’s not occupied by seats and passengers.

Inside, the Topolino EV is relatively sparse with little in terms of creature comforts.

The cabin is primarily easy-to-clean plastic, the seats have very limited cushioning and there is almost nothing in terms of sound-proofing.

That said, Fiat will offer a catalogue of options, which includes a USB-powered dashboard fan for – somewhat limited – cooling and audio speaker you can sync to your smartphone to play music on the go.

And to make sure it ticks all the boxes for a Riviera-friendly vehicle, it even with an optional shower to allow owners and their passenger to rinse off the salty seawater after a long day at the beach.

We imagine this feature won’t be popular among Britons come off beaches in Southend and Cromer, though…