Pricing
The Ami is the cheapest four-wheeled electric road vehicle you can buy. It's cheaper than many electric motorbikes and scooters in fact. But it's not what you would call cheap and is more expensive than we hoped it might be.
In France at least, the car is available for less than £20 a month – cheaper than most mobile phone or Sky subscriptions. That's not the case in the UK, where the Ami is sold through traditional dealerships and the finance is a more punchy £99 per month and upwards. Outright purchase prices start from £7,695.
Citroen is not only relying on a low basic price in Europe, but also on unconventional sales methods. Rather than go to a showroom, the Ami is available in department stores, supermarkets and on the Internet. It's delivered free to your house as if it were from Amazon, and those who shy away from the big investments can also lease one.
Running costs
Running and Ami can be laughably cheap, as on a cheap overnight rate it will cost less than a bag of crisps to charge, which will take you 40 miles. Walking can cost more than that. It will also be exempt from ULEZ and most congestion charges too.
But the other savings aren't quite so compelling, as the Ami will cost the same in parking fees as any other electric car, despite only filling half a space. Also bear in the mind the depreciation. It seems a few owners have realised the Ami isn't for them after less than 500 miles and are taking a hit of around £2,000 to sell them on. The insurance is surprisingly high too, at Group 11, which some city cars are in Group 1.