Fiat isn’t done with cute.
They’ve already given us the Topolino, which is basically a Citroën Ami in Italian dress shoes. Now? Two more. One is the Multiplina, a four-seater variant. The other is the Tris. And that’s the one that actually makes sense for someone hauling stuff.
It’s a three-wheeler. All electric. A w little pick-up.
The End Of An Era
We know the Reliant Robin here in the UK. We’ve seen the Morgan 3-Wheeler on posh country roads. But over in Italy, the street was owned by the Piaggio Ape. Decades of them. Motorbike-based. Noisy. Essential.
Then the regulators arrived.
European laws changed. The Ape got the boot from EU sale lists. Now it’s off to India and Africa.
So Fiat stepped in.
They showed the Tris off in those new markets last year. It worked. People liked it. Now they want to bring it back to the UK.
“It will be very competitive.”
That’s Gaetano Thorel head of Fiat and Abarth for Europe. He promises pricing will track close to the Grande Panda. In Italy the floor price is €6,950. That’s roughly £6,000. It would be the cheapest truck you could buy. Well, technically.
Classified As A Tricycle
The Tris shares DNA with the Fiat Topolino. Under the skin it’s the same thing. Which means the government doesn’t classify it as a car or even a truck. It’s a motorised tricycle.
Why does that matter?
Insurance. Taxes. Regulations.
It doesn’t matter.
Fiat says the UK appetite is massive. In fact a major corporate customer asked for a preview before it was officially announced. They are hungry for this little box.
But let’s get real about what it does.
Last Mile Madness
Don’t expect the Tris to hit the motorway. It isn’t designed to replace the Sprinter. Or the Transito. It’s for the last mile.
Fruit? Sand? A couch?
Its payload is 540kg. You can swap the rear end. Flatbed. Chassis-cab. A truck-bed that holds two standard pallets. If you’re cold enough you can even fit refrigerated goods powered directly from the battery.
For Europe they have the Dolcevita version. Extra seating in the back. For when your delivery needs a nap.
The Numbers Game
Batteries matter.
The Tris gets a 6.9 kWh battery. That’s bigger than the Ami’s 5.5 kWh. The result? 55 miles range. Nine more than its sibling. Not much more. But some more.
The top speed? 28 mph.
12 bhp. It’s electric so it’s quiet. Too quiet.
Charging takes a standard domestic plug. Three and a half hours for 0 to 80 percent. Nearly five for a full charge. You plug it in at night. Between shifts. No rush. Just uptime.
Safety First, Style Second
The original Tris design had no doors. None. Fiat claimed it helped drivers hop in and out constantly. Efficient? Yes. Safe? Debatable.
Regulators said no.
Customers agreed.
So the UK version gets doors. Good for us.
Inside? It’s not spartan. There’s storage cubbies. A glovebox. USB-C ports. A 12v socket. Even a 5.7 inch digital dashboard. Who needs analog in a three-wheeled micro-truck?
It’s strange. It’s niche. It might sell like hotcakes to delivery companies who need something small to weave through traffic.
Or maybe not.
Will it work? We’ll see.
