Citroën Ami: the affordable electric city car

A year after first appearing as a prototype, we have now seen the Citroën Ami in production form. Designed with urban areas in mind, Citroën’s new all-electric model aims to make electrification more accessible through a low-cost product/service for city travel, and we saw it in person in Paris.

To begin with, anyone wanting to drive this compact two-seat electric city car will not even need a driving licence. Type-approved as a quadricycle, like the Renault Twizy, the Citroën Ami can be driven by young people from the age of 16.

Unlike its fellow French model from the diamond-badged marque, the Citroën Ami has its two seats positioned side by side. Its main advantage is that it comes with doors and windows - with the latter, intriguingly, using the same opening arrangement as the 2CV.

Citroën Ami dimensions and technical figures

The Citroën Ami is exceptionally compact, measuring just 2.41 m long, 1.39 m wide and 1.52 m tall. That makes it smaller than the original Smart fortwo, which measured 2.5 m in length, 1.51 m in width and 1.53 m in height.

Its turning circle is 7.20 m, while the French city car weighs 485 kg, including its 5.5 kWh lithium-ion battery. The battery can be fully recharged in only three hours using a 220 V domestic socket. The Ami may also be charged at public charging points or via a Wallbox.

With a range of around 70 km, the Citroën Ami uses a small electric motor producing 6 kW (around 8.2 hp). As it is a quadricycle, performance is restricted, with top speed limited to 45 km/h.

Citroën Ami purchase, long-term rental and car-sharing

The way the Ami will be marketed is another means by which Citroën intends to make electrification more widely available.

In total, the Citroën Ami will be offered in three different ways: a conventional purchase, completed entirely online and with the vehicle delivered to the customer’s home; a 48-month long-term rental agreement; and through car-sharing services.

For outright purchase, the Citroën Ami will cost €6900 in France. The 48-month long-term rental option will be available there for €19.99/month, with an initial payment of €2644. Through car-sharing, the Citroën Ami will be offered on the Free2Move platform, a brand owned by the PSA Group, for €0.26/min.

Citroën Ami ordering and arrival dates

Orders in France are due to open on 30 March. Its price in Portugal has not yet been confirmed, while its arrival in the Portuguese market is expected towards the end of the year.