The Birò is the world’s smallest electric car. At 1.79m long and 1.1m wide, it’s almost small enough to fit into the load bay of a single-cab bakkie but big enough to carry two people.
Made by Italian firm Estrima, the Birò was launched in 2008 as a microcar for congested urban environments, and four can fit into one car-sized parking. It’s classified as a quadricycle but is licensed to drive on public roads, and has an enclosed cockpit with doors, a roof and a windscreen for weather protection.
For 2022 the Birò has been updated with a boot which grows from 41l to 122l, and the batteries are positioned lower for better handling stability.
Thanks to the Birò App, a digital key is enabled directly on your smartphone: one click and it's on and ready to go.
It has a range of up to 55km and its lithium ion battery takes two to four hours to charge at a regular wall plug.
Its two rear-mounted electric motors produce a combined 3.3kW output, giving the tiny city car a 45km/h top speed. In Italy it can be driven from the age of 14 with a driver's licence.
The Birò is only available in Europe at a starting price of about R220,000.
