On a dull and overcast day in Commercial Drive’s Little Italy, a bright-red little city car is like a ray of Mediterranean sunshine. It whirrs away from the curb without the clatter of internal combustion you might expect, scampering on past the cafés and pizzerias, the friendly look on its face something Richard Scarry might have drawn.

Cinquecento! The nickname simply means “five hundred,” but some words just sound better in Italian. This tiny Fiat is a hero car in its home country, with a lengthy heritage similar to the VW Beetle or the Mini Cooper. This one’s the new 500e, that lowercase e denoting the electric drivetrain that allows for silent whooshing around town Italian-style.