This £15,000 British EV might become reality

Warwickshire-based automaker Mika is charging into the spotlight with a bold announcement: an all-new electric microcar priced under £15,000. The pint-sized contender, designed to go head-to-head with the Citroën Ami and the likes, promises performance, handling, and safety features that punch well above its weight class.

Robin Hall, the mastermind behind the featherweight Mika Meon buggy, has outdone himself with this three-seater wonder. Officially classified as an L7 quadricycle, the Mika EV may be small, but it’s mighty. With a top speed of 56 mph, it’s zippy enough for city streets and country lanes, but Hall insists its real superpower lies in its safety.

Photo by: Mika

“Safety is our secret weapon,” Hall declared to Autocar. “Anyone can see the sense in offering a vehicle that’s simpler and lighter than other small cars, but making it more dangerous as a consequence isn’t acceptable.”

Hall isn’t bluffing. The Mika EV’s structure is built around an enveloping frame made from pultrusions – composite materials so advanced they’d make aluminium blush. These high-tech pultrusions provide a rigid survival cell for passengers, paired with crushable crash zones at both ends. Hall boldly claims the quadricycle meets the safety standards of a modern supermini, making it the car equivalent of a pocket-sized fortress.

At 3.4 meters long and weighing a mere 450 kg (minus batteries), this microcar packs some serious engineering wizardry. The EV’s live rear axle houses two tiny 48V electric motors, collectively producing 20 bhp continuously and peaking at 40 bhp. Power flows from a floor-mounted 16 kWh battery pack, offering an 80-mile range. Double that with the optional 32 kWh upgrade.

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As for the interior? Mika has managed to squeeze in seating for three, with a unique layout featuring two passengers upfront and a third slightly behind them. It’s cozy, but not cramped – a social distancing dream from a pandemic perspective.

Hall’s ambitions don’t stop at blueprints. He’s gunning for a prototype by 2025, but admits that funding and finding a manufacturing partner are key hurdles. Mika has already secured a £40,000 grant from the Niche Vehicle Network to fund a feasibility study, with results due by March. The end goal? Rolling out several thousand units a year to meet what Hall believes is a strong demand in the UK market.