Does every fleet journey really need a car or van?

A Fiat Topolino electric vehicle on a sunny European road.

The expansion of Fiat's tiny electric Topolino range raises an interesting fleet question: are some vehicles substantially larger than the journeys they actually perform?

The Topolino is a compact electric quadricycle designed around short urban journeys and private-site use, with UK prices starting from £8995.

Fiat has now expanded the range with the £9495 Dolcevita version, while describing the vehicle as an alternative to a conventional car for short journeys in towns, cities and private environments.

It is clearly not a replacement for a mainstream company car or commercial van.

But some fleet operations involve extremely short, low-speed journeys carrying little more than one person and a small amount of equipment.

Campuses, large industrial sites, local property-management operations and some urban support services could potentially use much smaller vehicles.

The potential savings go beyond purchase cost. Smaller vehicles use less road and parking space and require substantially less battery capacity than conventional EVs.

Electrification is a useful opportunity to question vehicle size as well as powertrain – some duties may not need a conventional car at all.

Similar Stories

Back to blog