Italian automakers are doing their best to bust out of the boring just another SUV EV mold.
This week on EV Rider we’re taking a video look at the Italian EVs that were on display at the 2025 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.
Could The Fiat Topolino Be Coming To A Beach Town Near You?
Let’s start with the most unconventional car and that’s the Fiat Topolino. Here in the states it’s best described as a LSV – or low speed vehicle.
The best direct comparison is golf carts, which have gotten quite popular in beach towns and master planned communities as a second or third vehicle.
A spokeswoman told me Fiat is seriously considering importing the Topolino in the U.S.
It’s hard to know what it would cost, especially with the trade war instigated by the Trump administration, but she told me the target is $10,000, while in Europe it’s expected to be available at a price equivalent to under $12,000.
Given new golf carts can easily top $14,000 if Fiat could import it for $12,000 or less, it could be an attractive new option, although with the trade war, who knows.
The Topolino goes approximately 46 miles on a charge, which given it’s meant to be only a neighborhood runabout is perfectly fine.
It has a top speed of about 28 miles per hour, which also works here in the U.S. where the speed limit for golf carts and other LSVs is 25 miles per hour.
Perhaps the Topolino’s most delightful aspect is its style, which harkens back to the old Fiat 500 Jollys. They were beach-buggy styled cars designed by Ghia that were popular in the 1950s and 1960s at some seaside resorts. You’ll find a few video clips of those in the video at the top of this post.
Fiat Finally Sells Second Generation 500e In U.S.
Next, is Fiat’s latest U.S. entry, the 500e; which recently returned to the states as one of the most affordable EVs currently on sale. It was originally introduced in Europe in 2020 as the model line’s second generation EV.
Now that MINI has stopped importing the Cooper SE EV to the U.S., Fiat has the subcompact EV car market to itself for the moment.
At the time of this posting, Fiat was offering a lease deal on the 500e for as little as $156 a month for 2-years with $2,000 due at signing. MSRP starts at $32,500
That gets you a nice urban car with Apple Car Play, Android Auto, classic 500 styling and handling. It’s achilles heel is range, which is rated at 149 miles per charge from its 42 kWh battery. It has a peak DC charging speed of 85 kW, which adds 31 miles in 5 minutes. It takes 35 minutes to reach 80% of charge.
Next up is Masarati’s 2025 GranTurismo Folgore coupe and convertible. The coupe starts at $192,000 while the cabrio is based priced at $205,000.
Since I didn’t get a chance to spend any time with the Masaratis, we’ll leave the details for another episode at some point down the road, but they are certainly stylish rides. For more on the Fiats, see the video at the top of this post and visit the the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance section page for more coverage from The Amelia.