‘Our friend’s electric’ Tiny e-car Ami is a zippy answer to fuel crisis

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Ami will soon be available to rent for a cost-of-living-crisis-busting £20 per month – a Godsend for commuters lacking train services. French carmakers Citroen insist Ami is not a car but a “quadricycle”.

To see if she lives up to the marketing spiel, I put her through her paces in south London – and she passed with flying colours.

The two-seater looks as though it’s been squashed in a vice. Picasso would be proud of the cubic shape.

Ami starts with a conventional car key and down the left side of the driver’s seat are the three crucial buttons – neutral, drive and reverse.

A screen displays a letter after an option is chosen, so I know I’m in the correct “gear” to take my foot off the brake and hit the accelerator.

The seats are above the back axle, which makes a car boot impossible, but there is lots of welcome shelving space in front of the steering wheel.

A USB port and a little plastic platform to place a mobile phone on provide a no-fuss, practical music and navigation system.

Only one long wiper is needed for the large front windscreen.

The best feature of all is the side windows, which open manually and tilt upwards outside, like those on the original Citroen 2CVs.

This design provides a good air flow and is handy for resting your elbow, Gallic farmer style.

I set off from Knockholt, Kent for a 10-mile trip to Bromley.

Country lanes were a joy as she’s 4ft 6ins wide and under 8ft long – so parking, U-turns and moving around other drivers are stress-free.

However, on the main road into Bromley, which has a 40mph limit, the 6kW motor quickly reached its top speed of 28mph and I craved the oomph to hit a more relaxing 35mph.

I also missed a rear view mirror and found it a little irksome relying only on small, round side mirrors.

But with a three-hour charge taking you 46 miles, I am satisfied Ami offers a new, economically sound way of getting about.

Ami can be bought outright for £7,695.00 or leased for £19.99 a month with a deposit of £2,369.

The vehicle won’t arrive in the UK until August but there are more than 2,000 orders already. Anyone 16 or over with an AM motorcycle licence for a 50cc moped can driver her.

Clever, stylish Ami is a trusty shoebox of a car – but don’t tell Citroen I used that word.

Mon amour, mon Ami.

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