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There's nothing quite like Citroen's My Ami Buggy. Essentially, it's just a lifestyle-orientated version of the city-based Ami quadricycle, but it feels so much more unique than that. Both Ami models have pavement presence, but this one makes you smile too.
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Background
Who says EVs have to be boring? This one isn't: Citroen's My Ami Buggy. As the name suggests, it's a lifestyle version of the weird Ami EV city vehicle, this Buggy version previewed by a concept design revealed in 2021. Inspiration apparently comes from a model from Citroen's Riviera back catalogue, the Mehari: but you might think the My Ami Buggy closer in concept something like a Mini Moke. So, great for the surf shack beach crowd: rather less suitable for a wet ring road commute in Blighty.
Nevertheless, Citroen is importing 40 of these My Ami Buggy models here to test the water, announcing them at around the same time as Stellantis Group cousin Fiat unveiled a very similar contender, also Ami-based, the Topolino. All these models aren't really proper cars: they're instead classified as 'quadricycles', which entails plenty of limitations. Still, a life without limits would already include conventional transport: this Citroen is deliberately unconventional.
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Range data
| Min | Max |
| Price | 10495 | 10495 |
| Max Speed (mph) | 28 | 28 |
| Min | Max |
| Electric WLTP-Rated Driving Range (miles) | 46 | 46 |
| Length (mm) | 2410 | 2410 |
| Height (mm) | 1390 | 1390 |
Driving experience
As with the ordinary Ami, it's as well to remember that this is a 'quadricycle' rather than a car. Which means it's limited to 28mph and not subject to the usual safety stipulations governing cars. Presumably if it was, there'd be doors... Road tyres and no ride height increase mean the Baja rally-style looks aren't matched by any real off-road prowess. If things go wrong on the sand, there is at least a full-sized spare wheel: it's on the roof...
You sit high and commandingly, all-round visibility is brilliant and if it were legal, you could park it nose-on to the kerb. Park normally and you'll find this Ami takes up half the space of an ordinary car. On the move, other drivers smile and wave you through, while pavement folk wave and make comments ranging across the complete spectrum from admiration to derision, all of which you'll hear clearly through the open door ways. This might be an EV but it certainly isn't quiet, the little motor whirring like a vacuum cleaner as the stiff ride clunks you over the pot holes and speed humps of the urban landscape, suspension travel being rather limited. The hair dryer-like din of the roaring ventilation fan adds to the commotion, on a rainy winter's day its single-speed struggling to clear the vast glass area ahead.
We'll state the obvious: you can't drive this Ami on a motorway - and we'd think twice about major highways too if you don't want a queue of angry drivers behind you. Accept all of these caveats though and you'll find so much to like about urban life with this little Citroen. The Ami's a supremely table little thing and can dart through the traffic like a Deliveroo scooter. Best of all perhaps, the turning circle is outstanding - just 7.2m.
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Design and build
Well, this Buggy version looks very different to the ordinary Ami - much better actually - mainly because there are no doors, which breaks up the original version's slab-sided profile. Instead, there's metal tubing across the door apertures, which on inclement days you can cover with transparent rain-proof panels. In a nod to the classic Citroen Mehari, there's a detachable soft top, which can be rolled up and packed away behind the seats but is horribly awkward to use.
There's no ride height increase over an ordinary Ami. And unfortunately, the original concept car's chunky off-road tyres haven't made it to the production version - though presumably you could add them to the gold wheels if you were intent on beach use. The concept's front bull bar and protective light grilles are missing too, but you do get black plastic wheel arches, black-tinted front and rear skid plates and a khaki exterior paint job.
All the yellow trimming is fun - the (rather cheap-feeling) detachable steering wheel bag, the door pull strap, the outer stitching on the floor mats and the fascia bag hook - but the yellow plastic panelling below the flat windscreen we could do without because it reflects annoyingly up onto the glass above. The lower gaps in the doors feature detachable bags for stowage (because there's no real boot). There's an optional removable speaker behind the steering wheel; and both a 'phone holder and a usb port are provided near the gear selector.
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Market and model
From launch, Citroen were offering just 40 My Ami Buggy models for sale in the UK, each one priced at around £10,500. A total of 1,000 are on sale across Europe: Citroen says a further production run is likely, but this model will always be a rarity. There's only one way you can buy this model and that's online. You can go to a dealer, try and test the car - and they can order it for you if necessary, but they'll do so in your name online.
It's certainly individual. Yellow flashes are embossed on the front panel, with yellow arrows on the wheel arches. Interior storage bins, door opening straps, bag hooks and the carpet and seat stitching also feature yellow accents. The My Ami Buggy offers lots of other nice little touches too. The instrument cluster boasts a rounded cover for a retro feel. And a yellow bag fits into the centre of the steering wheel and is held in place with clip-on straps: this provides a convenient storage space for personal belongings when on the move. This Citroen is also available with an 'Ultimate Ears Boom lightweight' Bluetooth speaker that fits into a specifically design space on the dashboard. The speaker is waterproof and sturdy with a 15-hour battery life for all your adventures.
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Cost of ownership
As with an ordinary Ami, UK models will come with a Type 2 EV charging adapter in addition to a 3-pin plug. Expect charge to take around 3 hours from a normal domestic plug, which is the only way of charging. With this EV, there are no decisions to be made about fast or rapid chargers with different plugs and different networks. And of course, this Citroen is terribly eco-centric: its small battery means a smaller manufacturing carbon footprint after all. And then there are all those plastic panels...
We gave you the operating range in our driving section - up to 46 miles - and our test here has suggested that achieving this on a regular basis is very possible. We can also expect this vehicle to hold its value very well indeed, so if you're prepared to part with your My Ami Buggy, you should find plenty people who want to take it on for not much less than you paid for it.
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Summary
It's difficult to say why you'd choose a My Ami Buggy. You probably won't be able to anyway, so few are being made for sale. If you happen to live on the English Riviera, then on the right day for your journey into your local seaside town or favourite beach spot, you might just feel this Citroen to be the best car in the world. But even were you to be so appropriately located, there might still be 350 or so days every year where you might be tempted just to leave it in the garage.
For the very few who'll absolutely love the idea of a My Ami Buggy, having to do that probably won't be much of an issue. It's not very expensive, makes an appropriate eco-statement in the driveway and will probably appreciate in value. And they, like us, will probably end up feeling that this is more like the kind of car the original Ami was always intended to be.
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