Fiat's $13,995 Topolino Is Now Street-Legal in the U.S., and Owners Get the Upgrade Free
Fiat's tiny EV becomes a low-speed vehicle for 2027, adds a roll-back-roof Open Air version, and current owners get a free conversion kit.
The Fiat Topolino can finally leave the beach parking lot. For the 2027 model year, Fiat is turning its tiny two-seat EV into a street-legal low-speed vehicle (LSV) in the U.S., and people who already bought a 2026 car get the conversion kit for free, according to Stellantis.
That fixes the Topolino's biggest American catch. When it went on sale in July, the car was capped at 19 mph and couldn't legally use public roads at all. In Europe, the same car is a light quadricycle good for 28 mph (45 km/h), as we noted in our story on Fiat's four-seat Multiplina quadricycle concept.
What changes for 2027
Fiat says 2027 cars shipped to dealers from here on will arrive already street-legal. Current owners get a complimentary LSV kit instead. The company hasn't said when the kits will reach dealers or how long installation takes.
The lineup also grows. A new Topolino Open Air body style adds a soft roof that rolls back, sitting alongside the existing Topolino and the doorless Dolce Vita. Two new paint colors, Corallo Orange and Luna Greige, join the palette, and a full-color digital instrument cluster is new for 2027.
Stellantis lists the 2027 Topolino at $13,995, before destination, the same starting price it announced in July. It hasn't published prices for the Open Air or Dolce Vita versions. Fiat still offers free home delivery within 50 miles of the selling dealer.
What street-legal means here
LSV status is not the same as full car status. Federal safety standard FMVSS No. 500 caps low-speed vehicles at 25 mph and requires a short list of equipment, including headlamps, turn signals, mirrors, a windshield, seat belts, and a pedestrian alert sound. Stellantis defined LSVs in July as vehicles capable of 20 to 25 mph that can use roads posted at 35 mph or less.
The details are set state by state, though, and some states and cities are stricter. Fiat hasn't said what top speed converted cars will have. Buyers should check local rules before planning a commute.
Why Fiat is pushing it
Demand is the stated reason. Andrew Waterhouse, head of Fiat North America, says many dealers have already sold through their first 2026 allocations, and that response "exceeded our expectations." Stellantis didn't give sales numbers.
Price is the other draw. The Topolino costs well under half as much as the 2026 Fiat 500e Pop, which starts at $35,700 and is one of the cheapest new EVs in America. The trade-off is scale: at launch, Fiat quoted up to 46 miles of range and roughly five hours to charge on a 2.3-kW AC connection.
The car has also picked up awards. TIME named it one of its Best Inventions of 2026 in design, and Green Car Journal called it the 2027 Neighborhood Green Car of the Year. Fiat marked the update with a one-off Topolino built with Italian yacht maker Sanlorenzo, shown at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show with leather accents and wood flooring modeled on the teak decks of its yachts.
What's still missing is pricing for the new body style and a firm date for the owner kits. Fiat hasn't given a date for either.
