A fairly limited optimal range.
The Citroën AMI is the most peculiar vehicle in the entire catalog of the French brand. It is one of the cheapest gateways to the world of electric cars, but due to its characteristics it is not suitable for all types of uses. We tell you where it is better to use it and where it is better to drive another car.
In fact, the selection is not based on appreciation, but on facts, since the Citroën model is not a car to use, but rather a light quadricycle, one of those popularly known as “cars without a license”. , which greatly limits its use.
To begin with, it should be noted that “without a license” is not completely true, since although the B license is not necessary, to drive it if it is necessary to have the AM license, which in Spain can be obtained from the age of 15 and which also enables its owner to drive mopeds.
Now, entering this category directly limits where it can be used and where not: it is only enabled to drive in the city and on interurban roads, but it cannot use highways or expressways.
Where is it better to use the Citroën AMI
As a light quadricycle, the two options that the AMI has are to ride in the city or on interurban roads. Although both are legal, our recommendation is to do it exclusively by city, if possible.
The motives? A conception that makes it a very valid vehicle in urban driving, but that makes it fall short when leaving the city.
It measures 2.41 meters long, 1.39 m wide and 1.52 meters high. It is a size that allows two people to be transported, but it is very small. It is designed to move with agility between traffic (its turning radius is 7.2 meters) and to park very easily (the brand says that two enter a standard space).
However, its mechanical section is also designed mainly for this area. It has a motor of only 8 CV that allows it to reach a maximum speed of 45 km/h, but, although it only weighs 471 kilos, its acceleration is not brilliant either.
In addition, such a limited speed means that in intercity traffic it can hinder traffic more than anything else and it will usually be that other cars pounce on it and/or overtake it to leave it behind.
Another aspect that preferentially circumscribes the urban environment is its battery and autonomy. To maintain lightness, in addition to the fact that its objective is to cover daily journeys without further pretensions, a 5.5 kWh battery has been chosen which, in the best of cases, gives it a range of action of up to 75 kilometers.
And it must be taken into account that this is in a favorable environment, such as the city, where the speeds reached are lower, there are numerous brakes that help to regenerate the battery, etc. Going out on a road that connects two towns, going at 45 km/h, the most likely thing is that the energy will drop at a high rate and that the actual range will be much less.
Finally, at the chassis level, the Citroën is focused on short journeys in the city, it is not a vehicle that is designed to make curves or to filter large irregularities in the terrain.
Where is it better to drive another car
With all this in mind, it is clear that the optimal place for the Citroën AMI is the city. Outside of this, its use is not very convenient.
On highways and highways, directly because it is not approved for it and it would be illegal, but even for secondary roads it is better to opt for an electric car per se, which has a larger size, power, autonomy and presents dynamic qualities more in line with said use. .
Without leaving Citroën itself, an example like the electric Citroën C4 would be a much more balanced alternative for mixed use between urban and out-of-town trips, including short or medium trips.
