The Citroen My Ami Tonic Tops the Range for the Cheapest Car in the UK

Previously this tiny city car was billed as just that – a small car able to find a parking space in a cramped city like London; but with the recent dramatic economic slide, the city car concept now offers a potentially big saving on the standard automobile. It always has of course, but now it seems more important than ever.

Citroen’s oddly attractive Ami offers weatherproof transportation at the cheapest point for a new car in the UK, at a starting point of just £8,095 (the Kia Picanto comes in at just under £12,000 for comparison) and the Citroen Ami could potentially cost you just £19 per month.

Citroen has now introduced the My Ami Tonic, which will replace the outgoing Vibe as the Ami range-topping model – pricewise, it will still only set you back £8,695. It’s a quirky little car I will grant you that, and there will always be a place for a more exotic sports car in the world, but there will also always be horses for courses and if your course is a city with limited parking, then the Ami is worth looking at.

Citroen get that it’s quirky, and Mathieu Wandon, Citroen’s head of Graphic Design, describes the Tonic as ‘a toy for grown-ups aged 16 and up’ with a ‘playful edge’. Though I actually think this might be doing the little wonder a slight disservice. Cosmetically, the My Ami Tonic gets a yellow and khaki interior which can be mated to the more sombre grey and black exterior we see here. Inside, the Ami is given all sorts of fast storage options, like a bag hook, 3 storage boxes, and door nets. More crucially, it also gets the ability to connect a smartphone to the My Citroen app.

If you think the exterior might need an extra pop of colour, then Citroen gives buyers the option of configuring in the Orange Pack, which provides – among other things – orange decorative wheel trims, black and orange rear window decals and replaces the storage boxes with orange versions. It’s subtle and will certainly bring the Ami Tonic to life on a dull grey day.

As for the tech spec, if you’re not already aware by now the Citroen Ami is not going to get you down to the coast on holiday, but that’s not what it’s for. The Ami has a range of around 46 miles and a top speed limited to 27.9mph from its 6kW electric motor and charging time for the Ami is 3 hours. Do please note that car’s limitations mean that it is not legally permitted to traverse our motorways.

But for town and city driving, at just 1.39m wide and 2.41m in length, it is almost certain to relieve some of the stress associated with that practice. Visibility is good too, with what seems to be a logic defying percentage of glass, and the small size allows you to ‘place’ your four corners relatively easily. The Citroen My Ami Tonic is available to order right now.

Images: citroen.co.uk