“How Much Car Do You Really Need?” Microlino’s Big Bet on Going Small

On a side street in Zurich, a tiny electric vehicle noses into a gap no ordinary car could dream of. It pulls in headfirst, bumper nearly touching the curb, its slim LED strip glowing like a smile. It’s not a scooter, and it’s not quite a car either.

This is the Microlino. Part throwback, part rethink, and fully committed to fitting where most vehicles don’t.

Its shape is unmistakable. It’s a nod to the 1950s BMW Isetta, but sharper, cleaner, and stripped of nostalgia. What looks at first like retro styling turns out to be something a solution to a modern problem. The average urban trip in Europe is short, slow, and mostly solo. Yet we still use machines designed to carry five people at 130 km/h.

The Microlino doesn’t try to keep up with that logic. It asks a better question – What if we only used the car we actually needed?

That question belongs to Wim Ouboter, the same Swiss inventor who turned the kick scooter into a global phenomenon. With his sons, he’s aiming at a different kind of micromobility revolution. Their vehicle redraws the whole outline and dares to call it enough.

The Microlino is a product of real frustration with bloated design and urban gridlock. And as cities get tighter, emissions rules stricter, and parking more scarce, its odd little silhouette is starting to look more like a blueprint than an outlier.

From scooters to microcars – the origins of Microlino

Wim Ouboter has spent decades rethinking how people move through cities. In the late 1990s, while the world still saw scooters as children’s toys, he reimagined them as serious urban tools. His company, Micro Mobility Systems, helped define what we now call micromobility. At the peak of the boom, the company was shipping tens of thousands a day. Most entrepreneurs might have stopped there, content with having reshaped city transport once. But Wim didn’t.

The Microlino began with a single question gnawing at him. Why were we using huge, heavy vehicles to run five-minute errands? He kept coming back to a shape resembling the Isetta. That tiny, front-door bubble car from the 1950s had charm, but also enough space, enough speed, and nothing more. Could that idea be reborn for the electric age?

In 2016, he unveiled a modern version at the Geneva Motor Show. It had the same playful silhouette, but sharper lines and a cleaner powertrain. And it instantly went viral. Within two days, Microlino had more than 500 reservations and thousands more followed.

But attention came with turbulence. The company’s original partner, Tazzari, soon sold its EV division to Artega, a German firm that launched a suspiciously similar vehicle. A legal fight loomed. Rather than get dragged into a branding war, Wim and his sons walked away and started over. From scratch, they built Microlino 2.0, a steel unibody, improved suspension, better safety, and an all-new production setup they controlled themselves.

That car is now real. It’s built in Turin by Cecomp, a respected Italian auto manufacturer. Over 35,000 people have put their names down to own one. Thousands already have. What began as a nostalgic nod became a modern rethink of how much car a city really needs and a refusal to wait for the industry to catch up.

Microlino explained – Specs, size, and what sets it apart

The Microlino looks like it rolled out of a concept studio. Teardrop silhouette. Round headlights perched on the fenders. A single front door that swings open like a fridge. It’s charming, sure. But this isn’t design for design’s sake. Every curve, cut, and compromise has a job to do.

At just 2.52 meters long and 1.47 meters wide, the Microlino is about a third the size of a conventional car. It parks nose-in to the curb. It fits into gaps most hatchbacks can’t. It seats two on a bench and carries 230 liters of cargo in the back, enough for a grocery run or a weekend away. With a top speed of 90 km/h, it fits into the L7e category of “heavy quadricycles” in Europe. But that label doesn’t tell the full story.

Unlike many L7e vehicles, often built from plastic panels or tube frames, the Microlino is solid. Its steel-aluminum unibody gives it the structural confidence of a real car. There are crumple zones front and rear, and side impact protections baked into the design.

Underneath, a 12.5 kW motor drives the rear wheels. There are three battery options, ranging from 6 to 14 kWh. Range stretches from about 90 to over 200 kilometers, depending on which one you choose. It charges using a standard household outlet and it’s fully topped up in a few hours.

The interior follows the same philosophy. There’s a simple digital display. Sliding windows. A Bluetooth speaker instead of a built-in system. No regenerative brake settings. No touchscreen interface. No lane assist. Optional extras include a sunroof, climate control, and some nicer upholstery. But even fully loaded, the Microlino stays focused on what matters and that’s clean movement, not comfort.

It’s not trying to be a little car. It’s trying to be just enough car – for the short, low-speed, low-fuss trips most of us actually take.

Why Microlino makes sense in today’s cities

Most car commercials sell a fantasy. Open highways, sweeping turns, the hum of speed in the countryside. But most car trips don’t look like that. They’re short and slow. And more often than not, they’re solo. In Europe, the average journey is around 30 kilometers, taken at a little over 35 km/h, with just one person inside. That reality is what shaped the Microlino.

Its size is a practical decision. The Microlino weighs around 500 kilograms and measures just over 2.5 meters long. That makes it light enough to tread gently on roads, nimble enough to park almost anywhere, and small enough to slip through tight urban spaces. But it’s no featherweight toy. A steel and aluminum unibody gives it the kind of structural backbone most vehicles in its class don’t have.

That compactness pays off. It can nose in toward the curb instead of taking up a full parallel spot. It can weave through narrow alleys and coexist with bikes and buses. And it uses a fraction of the energy per kilometer that larger EVs do. Microlino estimates its carbon footprint is up to 60% smaller than a standard electric car’s. That’s not just because it sips power – it also needs far less battery material, one of the dirtiest parts of the supply chain.

And then there’s tire dust, the hidden pollutant no one talks about. The heavier the car, the more rubber it sheds onto roads and into the air.

The Microlino isn’t trying to solve everything. But it does one thing well – it matches the scale of the vehicle to the scale of the trip. And in crowded cities where space and time are at a premium, that’s a smart place to start.

The Microlino experience

The Microlino doesn’t shout for attention, but it gets it anyway. Owners rarely talk about kilowatts or 0–100 times. They talk about how it makes them feel. The most common word for Microlino? Fun, the type that shows up when a daily errand feels oddly satisfying.

Thanks to its rear-wheel drive and low weight, the Microlino handles with a snap you don’t expect. It’s not fast, but it’s quick, especially off the line, where it often beats bigger, heavier cars through intersections simply because it doesn’t have to work so hard. One driver described it as “go-karting on public roads.” That about covers it.

Parking is where it flips the script. The footprint is tiny. The turning radius is tight. And the front-opening door means you can pull straight in to the curb without worrying about swinging space. That changes how city errands feel. Not “I hope I find parking.” More like “Yeah, there’s room.”

But the real surprise might be social. Microlino drivers say the car draws waves, smiles, and spontaneous questions – not just from EV nerds, but from people who would never look twice at a Tesla. InsideEVs called it “flawed but lovable.” The Autopian said, “It may be the strangest thing I’ve driven – and I kind of want one.”

Of course, lovable doesn’t mean perfect. The ride can be stiff, especially over rough roads. The motor has a high-pitched whine that’s more noticeable than in most EVs. The interior is minimal with no power steering, no touchscreen, no backup camera, not even a real stereo (just a Bluetooth speaker). Some drivers won’t mind. Others might bounce off it.

And yet, many owners say it’s the car they reach for most, even when they have a bigger, flashier one in the garage. Because it’s simple, efficient, and it feels human-scale in a way few cars do anymore. That, more than anything, is what the Microlino delivers.

Small car, but with a big challenge

The Microlino is built to be small. But the biggest thing standing in its way is the European law.

It doesn’t qualify as a car or a motorcycle. It sits in a category that’s neither and both – the L7e “heavy quadricycle.” In Europe, that means it can weigh less, skip full crash tests required for standard cars, and move through development at a pace standard cars can’t match. That loophole helped the Microlino exist at all. But it’s also the reason it can’t fully thrive.

Across much of Europe, quadricycles are locked out of the benefits larger EVs enjoy. This means no tax breaks, subsidies, or incentives. In Germany, plug-in hybrid 3-ton SUVs get thousands of euros in support, but the Microlino gets nothing. Even though it uses a fraction of the resources. Even though it was built to reduce waste, and not just wrap it in chrome. Founder Wim Ouboter has called this out plainly – governments are rewarding bulk, not efficiency.

And it’s not just the subsidies. Who’s allowed to drive a Microlino changes depending on the map. In France or Italy, a 16-year-old with a B1 license can take the wheel. In Germany, you’ll need a full car license, effectively raising the entry age to 18. Some highways permit it. Others don’t. It can keep up at 90 km/h, but that doesn’t mean it’s welcome in every lane.

Then there’s the price. The Microlino starts around €17,990. With upgrades like a bigger battery and a nicer trim it can push past €22,000. That’s well above entry-level EVs like the Citroën Ami or Silence S04, which aim for half that price. To some, it’s too much for too little. But to others, it’s one of the few vehicles in its class that feels like it was built with real suspension, solid materials, and design that’s more than skin deep.

The team stands by the price. They say it reflects what you’re really getting – quality, safety, identity. Still, they know scale matters. That’s why they’re working on Microlino 3.0, a new version built with Chinese partners. It swaps the signature front door for more conventional side doors, adds airbags, and is designed for CKD (completely knocked-down) shipping. That means easier local assembly in places like India, or the U.S., where import duties run high.

But the bigger ambition goes beyond volume. The real aim is to challenge the rules and to force a rethink of what counts as a car in cities already running out of space. Until that shift happens, the Microlino will keep riding the edge of definition, proving that smart design doesn’t need a category to make sense.

Microlino’s growth plans, production strategy, and global ambitions

Microlino doesn’t have a demand problem. With more than 35,000 reservations across Europe and customer waitlists stretching back years, interest is strong. The challenge is scale, building and delivering vehicles fast enough to meet demand, entering new markets, and keeping prices competitive without compromising design or quality.

So far, around 5,000 units have been built at the company’s Turin facility, run in partnership with Italian coachbuilder Cecomp. And the production is picking up speed. In 2024 alone, Microlino delivered approximately 3,700 cars. The next milestone is 10,000 units per year, a volume that would place it among Europe’s top-selling micro-EVs.

The sales network is expanding in parallel. Microlino has partnered with D’Ieteren in France and Belgium, Koelliker in Italy, Louwman in the Netherlands, and Krazy Horse in the UK. Broader rollouts are planned for Spain, the Nordics, and the UK, following initial launches in Switzerland, Germany, and Italy.

To widen appeal, the company is branching out with new variants. The Microlino Lite, limited to 45 km/h, is designed for younger urban drivers, particularly in markets like France and Italy, where 14- to 16-year-olds can legally drive L6e-category vehicles. It looks nearly identical to the standard model but comes with a smaller motor and restricted top speed.

Further ahead is the Microlino 3.0, a strategic redesign for mass production and global growth. It will feature side doors instead of the current front hatch, add airbags and better insulation, and be built from the ground up for CKD (completely knocked down) assembly, making it easier to ship and produce locally in cost-sensitive markets like India and the U.S.

This shift also marks a turning point in the company’s manufacturing approach. Initially committed to sourcing parts within Europe, Microlino encountered high costs and limited flexibility, particularly around components like batteries.

According to founder Wim Ouboter, customers weren’t willing to pay thousands more just to have a “Made in Europe” supply chain. After visiting China post-pandemic and seeing the scale, efficiency, and quality of its EV ecosystem, Microlino began sourcing from Chinese suppliers and started laying the groundwork for Chinese production of the 3.0 model.

The result will be a tiered product strategy. Italian-made Microlinos will remain the premium, design-forward versions, what Ouboter calls “like a baby Ferrari.” The China-produced 3.0 models, by contrast, are meant for scale. They will be more affordable, regulation-ready, and optimized for broader international reach.

The company is also exploring niche models like the Microlino Spiaggina, a roofless convertible tailored for warm, coastal cities. It’s a playful addition, but one that shows how flexible the platform can be.

Still, the path to global growth won’t be easy. Many countries continue to exclude quadricycles from EV subsidies, putting Microlino at a disadvantage compared to full-size electric cars. And high European manufacturing costs leave little margin for error. The company’s bet is that by combining Italian craftsmanship with Chinese scale and building cars sized for how people actually move, it can unlock a broader future for urban mobility.

What Microlino says about the future of driving

The Microlino doesn’t try to be everything. It won’t take you across the Alps or haul five passengers and a golden retriever. It’s not chasing horsepower or screen inches. What it offers instead is far more specific. And for the right kind of driver, far more satisfying.

That clarity of purpose is no accident. The Microlino is about intent. Like a Brompton or a Freitag bag, it does one job well and says something about the person who chose it. It reflects a shift in priorities to less mass and more meaning.

Because the problem in most cities is both traffic – and scale. Streets are jammed not only with too many vehicles, but with vehicles that are too big, too fast, and just too much. The Microlino offers a counterexample with a vehicle that makes space rather than takes it.

No one’s pretending this is the answer to every transport problem. But it’s a useful response to a real one – how do we right-size personal mobility for the way people actually live? Not in theory or marketing, but in the cramped, contested, everyday space of the modern city.

In that sense, the Microlino is a proposition that enough can be better. That lighter can mean smarter. That driving less doesn’t mean giving up pleasure, just the excess that got layered on top of it.

You can find out all about Microlino and its future steps by watching our interview with Wim Ouboter! You’re in for 50 minutes full of behind-the-scenes stories and deep insights into the micro-EV market. ⚡️

The power of “Enough”

Modern car culture thrives on escalation – bigger engines, wider screens, longer wheelbases. Every new model promises more. But in the tight weave of the city, more often means too much. We’ve stretched the idea of a car until it no longer fits the place we use it most.

The Microlino offers a different value – proportion. Enough speed to keep up. Enough space to get through. Enough power to get where you’re going. No more, no less.

It’s a conscious reset that matches the scale of the machine to the scale of the moment. In a world obsessed with upgrades, it reframes the question: What if smaller isn’t a sacrifice, but an improvement?

Picture three Microlinos parked where one SUV would be. Doors swung open. The sidewalk uncluttered. No engine noise. No struggle for space. It’s already on the road. Just not enough of it, yet.

In that sense, the Microlino is about building smarter instead of bigger. And about rediscovering how good just enough can actually feel.