Fiat has built an electric runabout so small, so slow, and so outrageously adorable that you half expect it to come with a saucer of milk. It’s the 2027 Fiat Topolino, and it’s irresistibly loveable.

Not because it’s fast. It isn't. Not because it’s luxurious. It isn't that, either. And certainly not because it represents some magnificent triumph of automotive engineering. It’s certainly not. Nope. It’s this. In a world where cars have become enormous, complicated and expensive, Fiat has produced something refreshingly ridiculous.

Topolino is Italian for "little mouse," and its name was first associated with the original Fiat 500, produced from 1936 through 1955, establishing Fiat's reputation for building inexpensive, compact vehicles. The 2027 Fiat Topolino takes the idea to its logical conclusion.

The two-seat Topolino is not a conventional passenger car, nor is it a golf cart. It’s a government-classified low-speed vehicle, or LSV. Built on the same architecture as the Citroen Ami, the Fiat Topolino shares a similar mission. Its job is short hops in places where traffic moves slowly and distances are modest, such as downtown city centers, the beach, luxury resorts or 55+ retirement communities. It’s not meant for highway driving.

Offered in two body styles, the standard Topolino comes with asymmetrical doors, a flip-up windows and a fixed roof. There’s also the Topolino Dolce Vita, which replaces the doors with ropes and fits a roll-up soft top. Sporting rounded headlights, a cheerful face and soft, retro-inspired bodywork, it looks as if it’s escaped from an animated film. It’s difficult to look at it without smiling. Certainly, it makes a refreshing statement about automotive fashion. It doesn't look angry. It doesn't suggest that you’re a venture capitalist with a regrettable personality. And it certainly doesn't wear a grille large enough to accommodate a family of groundhogs. It just needs to look cheerful. Mission accomplished.

Climb aboard and you’ll discover there’s no elaborate dashboard festooned with enormous displays. There’s no radio, just a USB-C port and available magnetic Bluetooth speakers. There are no driving modes, no adjustable suspension settings or menus that require the concentration of a nuclear physicist. There’s no heater, nor air-conditioner. There are no insulated door trim panels or an insulated top. In fact, you can see the welding on the top brace. Nevertheless, all models do come with LED headlights and taillights, turn signals, side mirrors, a horn, a digital instrument cluster, a defroster, parking brake and seat belts. Base models have a fan; Dolce Vita models don’t. There are no airbags, except for the person sitting beside you.

The cabin is basic because the vehicle itself is basic. Think of it as a motorized beach chair with ambitions. Just sit back and enjoy the fact that you’re not pedaling.

The 2027 Fiat Topolino uses a 5.4-kWh battery to power a 6-kilowatt electric motor that produces 8 horsepower, 46 miles of range and a maximum speed of 25 mph when equipped with the complimentary Street Legal Conversion Kit. This makes it legal on public roads with speed limits of up to 35 mph.

Its acceleration is less a physical phenomenon than a philosophical one. Its modest performance becomes a problem only when mixing it with fast-moving traffic. So, you shouldn’t mistake its capabilities and safety equipment for that of a conventional car. The suspension is as sophisticated as the rest of the car, which is to say it’s basic. At 99 inches long, 55 inches wide and 61 inches tall, the Topolino is wonderfully easy to maneuver and park, either parallel or perpendicular to the curb. Steering is light, braking is aggressive and acceleration happens. Eventually. And let’s talk about the artificial noise created for accelerating and decelerating. It’s deafening and not adjustable because its decibel level is dictated by law.

Yet, in the right environment, the 2027 Fiat Topolino offers something that increasingly sophisticated automobiles have managed to lose: simplicity. There’s something liberating about a vehicle that makes no pretensions to sporting greatness.

Nobody buys a Fiat Topolino because they want to dominate a traffic-light grand prix. Nobody will install racing stripes, lower the suspension and announce that they have the ultimate track weapon. No, the Fiat is happiest covering short distances at low speeds. After all, you don't need 400 horsepower to drive to the swimming pool. You don't need adaptive dampers to visit the supermarket. And you certainly don't need a vehicle capable of 155 mph to go to Starbucks.

No. You need the 2027 Fiat Topolino because it’s cheerful, electric and gloriously unconcerned with the conventions of the modern car industry. It doesn't need to be fast because speed isn't its purpose. It doesn't need to be enormous because it isn't hauling a family of seven. And it doesn't need to look intimidating because it has apparently never had an intimidating thought in its life.

It’s a little mouse in a world of overfed automotive elephants.

No, it won't win any drag races … unless its competitors are stationary. So, while it may take a while to get where you’re going, at least you’ll arrive smiling. Certainly, the Topolino will be.

2027 Fiat Topolino

Base price: $14,990

Powertrain: Front-wheel-drive electric

Horsepower: 25

Range: 46 miles

Recharge time (Level 1): 5 hours

Length/Width/Height: 100/56/61 inches

Cargo capacity: 2.2 cubic feet

Payload capacity: 330 pounds

Curb weight: 1,073 pounds

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