Yesterday’s outdated, unlicensed cars are making a comeback!

Long mocked for their shapes and performance, microcars are making a strong comeback thanks to electric motors.

It’s hard for microcars to have a positive image when they are synonymous with the withdrawal of a license or an inability to obtain the precious pink paper. There was a small spark at the beginning of the century when residents of upscale Parisian neighborhoods realized that their precious offspring were safer in a microcar than on a scooter, and brands such as Aixam and Chatenet rushed in with models costing over 15,000 euros. But all the money in the world couldn’t erase the lawn mower noise of these little machines and the trend fizzled out, or rather Brrrrrrr. Their salvation ultimately came from the fairy electricity.

Microcars have thus transformed into electric microcars. It’s classier, admit it. These models offer all the advantages one can expect from a small urban car, with a compact size, reduced operating costs, and a positive environmental impact with zero fine particle emissions. And it doesn’t matter that their speed is limited to 45 km/h since you never exceed that mark in the city.

The most beautiful symbol of this emergence, as it is difficult to speak of a renaissance, is of course the Citroën AMI at less than 8,000 euros or 20 euros per month. Given its low price, it offers minimalist yet complete equipment, notably the genius interface “My Ami Play” which transforms the smartphone into a dashboard with quick access to navigation, music, radio, or phone calls. An ultra-smart little mover that costs especially half the price of the latest Ligier and Aixam without the label “microcar.” Citroën’s greatest strength is having made us forget that it is a microcar by presenting it as an affordable urban vehicle. A niche that Microlino has rushed into and in which Nissan has high hopes by partnering with Silence. In short, a market that has bright days ahead.

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