Has Citroën delivered with the Ami Cargo?

Two years on from its UK release, is the Citroën Ami Cargo set to become a tour de force in the last mile delivery game, or simply an objet d’art?

The Citroën Ami has been around for a while now; a lovable plasticky box with matching front and back panels to let it leave as gracefully as it arrives. Known for going head-to-head with even the shiniest Ferrari in terms of turning heads on the high street, Citroën have slowly been building up the Ami range. Alongside the colourful My Ami Pop and the rapid-selling Ami Buggy, sits perhaps the most functional edition of little EV, the Ami Cargo.

But what sets the commercial Ami apart from the rest of its miniature friends? Well, the clue is in the name — it’s the cargo area. 

Citroën has pulled out the second seat, and installed a neat storage module in its place, capable of storing 260 litres, or 140kg of goods. This section, partitioned from the driver’s seat, has a nifty adjustable floor system which in the lowered position becomes capable of tucking away horizontal objects up to 1.2m long. There’s even a separate closed storage hatch at the back — a bit of a glorified glovebox, but we still like it. All together the Ami boasts a total load capacity of 400-litres. Not exactly a haulage hero like the new Renault Master E-Tech, but that’s not really the point.

On its UK release back in 2022, a few eyebrows were raised around the Ami Cargo’s functional use and niche, but since then a couple of things have happened that we think may be working in its favour. 

First of all, UK city centres have become increasingly accommodating for the petit Citroen, with Low Emission Zones popping up across the map, and tightening urban speed limits ever more prevalent. As a fully electric “zero emissions vehicle”, using the same 5.5kwh lithium battery and 6kw motor found the standard Ami to achieve with a top speed of 28mph, this is an environment where the Cargo can thrive without restriction. 

That’s not all though. As ecommerce and delivery numbers continue to rise within these city environments, the market demand for small electric haulage vehicles is set to follow. With last mile delivery becoming a business buzzword, could it be that everything’s coming up Cargo? 

However, despite the ability to charge fully from a domestic socket in only three hours, we cannot ignore the incredibly limited 47-mile range, which coupled with the capped top speed, means that Ami may not be a comfortable experience beyond the city limits.

What we can envisage though, is the Ami Cargo’s attention-grabbing abilities being put to use by businesses looking to set themselves apart. We’re thinking local goods drop-offs, food deliveries, even professionals hopping site-to site with tools or tech who want to give their brand a little boost. The question is, would you trade in the ability to scythe through traffic on e-bike or electric moped, for the additional protection and mobile-billboard potential the Cargo provides?

That said, although it may not be able to sneak down cycle lanes, the Ami Cargo’s city manoeuvring capabilities are well documented at this point — it even made our top five! As with the standard Ami, the Cargo is only 2.41m long and 1.39m wide, allowing for a tiny turning circle of just 7.20m which could tie the average small van in knots. 

Parking and city navigation are easier than ever, as removing the passenger seat has improved the Ami’s already impressive visibility through the Citroen 2CV-esque fold out windows, a guilty pleasure of ours. Whilst looking like a plastic box from the outside, the Cargo feels like a glass box from the inside, with an almost unobstructed panoramic view (depending on what you load it with of course, as the top of the storage module can be popped off for taller items). 

Taking this all into account, we reckon the Ami Cargo’s storage and range limitations will hold it back from being a one-man-band in your average commercial fleet. But going for as little as £8,000 these days, would you consider taking the last mile in style?

Hero image credit: Stellantis