The BMW Isetta has been reborn for the EV generation

By Charlie Calderwood

| 17 Dec 2025

Classic & Sports Car – Future classic: Microlino

The BMW Isetta is probably not troubling many top 10 lists of cars from automotive history we want to see revived.

However, the electric-car revolution has torn up old certainties, leading Micro Mobility Systems to have another attempt at the bubble-car idea, resulting in this: the Microlino.

With bodywork clearly inspired by – although not in any way explicitly mentioning – the most famous of all microcars, the Swiss manufacturer has graduated from scooters to four wheels.

And, yes, it is always four wheels this time.

There is no denying that this is a super-cute addition to the market – and we had to find out more.

Unlike some of its cheaper rivals, the Microlino is quite refined – and it can reach 56mph

The Microlino isn’t alone: Stellantis is in the process of putting almost every badge it owns on the Citroën Ami/Fiat Topolino/Opel Rocks quadricycle, while Renault will shortly launch the Mobilize Duo to succeed the Twizy.

Both are a lot cheaper than the Microlino, but the front-loading microcar goes some way to justifying a price-tag higher than an entry-level Dacia Spring with both design and performance.

Of all the cars you could drive through a city centre, only a novelty such as an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile or Outspan Orange would grab more attention from all ages and genders than the Microlino.

The Microlino is closer in size to a classic Mini than it is to the original BMW Isetta

It’s full of neat, thoughtful detail touches, too, from the combined wing mirror/headlight units to hidden door-release buttons.

Unlike the BMW Isetta, the Microlino also boasts a rear hatch, which reveals a small but not insubstantial boot.

With a 56mph top speed, it is the only one of its ilk that will spare its driver’s blushes on a main road: unlike a Citroën Ami, it can drive you to the next town without being a nuisance in between.

Impressively, it isn’t scary at those speeds. Acceleration is brisk, feeling nippy from traffic lights, it rides decently and the cabin is well insulated.

The Microlino’s headlights are incorporated into the wing mirrors

It offers a perhaps surprisingly high driving position, which means it feels like a ‘proper’ car, in a way an Isetta simply doesn’t, but then the Microlino is a lot larger than its classic inspiration.

In fact, it is nearer the size of a Mini, yet it is still short enough to park end-on in a kerbside bay (and it is fitted with appropriately positioned reflectors to make this legal).

While it doesn’t have the British Motor Corporation baby’s rear seats, it does have a proper crash structure: unlike its rivals it has unibody construction, with a steel-and-aluminium safety cell around its occupants.

Before the Microlino was revealed, Swiss firm Micro was best known for push-along scooters

All of that makes the Microlino a tempting second or third car for an urban household.

It’s just a shame that the model’s interior is a bit on the drab side – like the original BMW Isetta, in fairness – while some trim pieces feel a bit low-rent for the price being asked.

Electric quadricycles have had a rough ride: few things were less cool than a G-Wiz, and the Twizy and Citroën Ami have practical drawbacks. The Microlino cures both ills.

Charming to look at and genuinely usable for all but motorway work, it adds appeal to a sector most enthusiasts would previously have struggled to consider.

Images: Jack Harrison