Safer than scooters, allowing shelter from bad weather, avoiding the crowding of public transport, microcars are starting to find a new urban or peri-urban audience in a post-Covid world where individual transport is particularly valued. Even if, in traffic, they do not constitute a miracle solution, by remaining stuck just as much as “real” cars in traffic jams, they are more agile and their tiny size allows them to find a parking space more easily.
Long confined to an elderly rural clientele and drivers without their license, “cars” are finding a new audience with young people, but also with adults who have never taken their license. They fall into the category of light motorized quadricycles (L6 e), limited to 4 kW of power and 45 km/h, 3 meters in length and 425 kilos, and accessible like a moped to those over 14 years old with a license. a BSR (simple 8-hour training called “AM license”). There is also another category, heavy motor quadricycles (L7 e), limited to 15 kW and 90 km/h, more suitable for the road. These are accessible from the age of 16 with a specific B1 license and, of course, to B license holders.
Success. Registrations of cars without a license have exceeded the mark of 22,000 units sold in France in 2022, while they peaked at 13,415 in 2019, according to figures from the firm AAA Data. The evolution of the offer is one of the vectors of this success, started with the arrival of the Renault Twizy and, above all, the Citroën Ami in 2020. Cheap (€7,090 once the €900 ecological bonus is deducted ), friendly and electric, the French microcar is certainly very rustic and limited to 45 km/h, but this is sufficient for strictly urban use, or at a vacation spot, particularly in its amusing Buggy limited edition. Made in Morocco, it shares its very basic structure and cheap to produce with other brands in the Stellantis group. The latest is certainly the one whose face will stand out the most since it is signed Fiat and plays on its name (Topolino) and its retro front reminiscent of the legendary Fiat 500.
The appearance of electric models has also helped boost sales of these vehicles, although the subject of autonomy is not crucial in any case: there is no question of long journeys on board. This is excellent news for driving comfort, with electric advantageously replacing the noisy and vibrating diesels which equip most cars, due to regulations authorizing them to have 500 cm3 of displacement instead of just 50 cm3 in petrol. Strangely, models produced since 2018 with such engines are also entitled to a Crit’Air 1 sticker giving them access to the centers of large metropolises.
New competitors. The heavyweights of these featherweight carts remain the historic French brands Aixam and Ligier/Microcar, market leaders. Faced with the arrival of new competitors from automobile brands or specialized start-ups, they had to react. Thus, Ligier is experiencing a radical transformation with a new electric proposition called Myli, which clearly targets a very young audience in its communication. Pleasant to drive in town with its 48-volt Valeo engine identical to that of the Ami, nicely designed, the Myli nevertheless retains two faults of old-fashioned carts: a very basic quality of manufacturing and finishing, far from automobile standards , and a price equivalent to a “real” entry-level car, starting at €12,499. However, cars without a license or heavy quadricycles do not have the safety constraints imposed on their big sisters: no crash test, no ABS, no ESP, no airbag on the program.
Among the new electric microcars, one model stands out with its friendly appearance and unique concept: the Microlino. The Swiss brand reinvents the little Isetta from the 1950s, with its front door and narrow rear tracks offering a unique and cute look. Well built, pleasant in the city, it falls into the category of heavy quadricycles and travels at 90 km/h. Its careful design and quality of finish come at a high price, starting at €17,990. Let’s also mention the Italian-Chinese brand XEV with its little Yoyo (€16,990), which is reminiscent of the first Smart. Also classified in category L7 e, it reaches 80 km/h and offers 150 kilometers of autonomy. The very small Birò (only 1.74 m in length!) from the Italians of Estrima is a particularly compact proposition starting at €10,776. The City Transformer (Israel) presents an interesting architecture with its variable geometry depending on use: narrower in the city, this quadricycle gains stability on the road, once its wheels are in a wide position. Finally, Kate’s French offer an electric L7 e version of the beach car in a style close to the Mini Moke, with incredible charm (€25,490).
Sharing. If sales are doing well, the future also lies in shared mobility with vehicles created in a dedicated manner, such as the future Mobilize Duo developed by Renault, announced for implementation in 2024. Another French initiative, Circle is developing a microcar designed solely to offer a free floating sharing service (without fixed stations) and allowing the exchange of its batteries by maintenance teams, as for shared electric scooters. For its part, Seat has also been working on the subject in Spain for a long time. Enough to redraw the landscape tomorrow in the streets of our big cities §
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