As with many microcars, it’s the look of the Microlino that grabs people’s attention; retro is an overused term in the design world but the Microlino has an unmistakable 60s vibe about it. It’s not just the super smooth curves of this bubble car inspired electric vehicle that are a real head turner; at only around 2.5m long and 1.5m wide it looks tiny, especially when parked next to modern cars, which are behemoths compared to their vintage equivalents.

I’ll cut to the chase here – as I happened to be passing one of the few locations in the UK where the Microlino is available for test drive (Oakmere Motorcycles in Prestbury, Cheshire) most readers will just want to know what it’s like to drive.

Most of all it’s great fun. It’s zippy, all the way up to it’s max speed – on paper that’s 56mph but I managed around 52 mph on a fairly flat, straight dual carriageway. It was really on the winding country lanes between Prestbury and Alderley Edge that it came into its own. As well as bringing the fun factor out as it zips along and corners remarkably well you don’t fear meeting an oncoming vehicle. Many of these little country roads are one modern car wide. No problem with the Microlino as it will squeeze past even the biggest Chelsea tractor on the narrowest road we could find.

It has a front opening door that’s practical as well as truly eyecatching – it can be parked front on to the kerb as it is barely longer than most modern cars are wide and it would be a piece of cake to park and access in a car park which are often full of cars with barely inches between their doors. Who needs side opening doors?

Simplicity of use is a virtue often overlooked and the Microlino is intuitive and easy to drive as it lacks the befuddling array of controls found in many modern cars. There is a conventional enough steering wheel, brake and accelerator and a dial with forward reverse and neutral gears and of course a handbrake. Despite the simplicity it has the essentials you would want for comfortable driving including heating and demisting. I was surprised at how roomy the boot was for a vehicle that looks so small from the outside.

Would I Buy One?

The short answer is that I’m currently thinking about it. It’s a superb drive for such a small vehicle and climbs hills pretty well, though as I live in an extremely hilly area of Yorkshire it would be good to give a longer test run closer to home.

There are negatives compared to other larger electric cars, outlined below –  and some other microcars win over on price and have removable batteries that can also double as power packs to run other devices from.

But because this is a microcar that plays so well to the typical microcars strengths of small size with a huge fun factor I am very, very tempted to take the plunge…..

Pros and Cons

+ Brilliant fun to drive

+ Will squeeze through gaps most cars won’t and is easy to park in the tightest of spaces

+ High quality manufacture with non-rust aluminium body panels on a steel frame.

+ Plenty of leg room for both passenger and driver

+ 4 hours full charge from domestic socket

+ Low running costs compared most other cars, electric or petrol

+ Ideal for a motorhome runaround

+ Good suspension for a mircocar (but note low ground clearance)

+ Available now (some microcars have suffered from being always ‘coming soon’)

– No ability to fast charge

– Range doesn’t compete with bigger electric cars (Microlino UK say 58 to 114 miles depending on battery size, though as with many e-car stats these may be max figures in easy driving conditions)

– Pricey for a microcar (from £17,990)

– No road tax exemption; as from 2025 this is the same for all electric cars (first year rate of £10, £195 per year thereafter)

– Limited to two passengers (Microlino say ‘A child seat can be attached to a passenger seat using the available seat belt. Isofix is not yet available.’)

– There are not that generous legal payload limits for this class of vehicle; Microlino say 120 kg to 154kg depending on battery size. The vehicle itself weighs around 600kg and the legal gross weight limit (vehicle and payload) is 750kg.

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