Goldfish bowl

So this is how a goldfish feels. I'm getting used to being gawped at. Have been driving the little electric Renault Twizy today, and it has caused more of a stir on local roads than many much more exotic and expensive cars I have had on test. The scissor doors have seen a few double-takes, and one pedestrian's jaw nearly bounced off the pavement when I did a quick U-turn in less space than a London taxi takes!

Talking of space, here is the Twizy in a standard size parking bay. There's enough room left over to fit in another one ...

Driving a Twizy in a British winter is a spartan experience. The doors don't fit very well, and there's a head-size gap between the window's rear edge and the back bodywork. It's draughty, cold and very short of mod cons. There's no radio, no heater (they take too much energy) and although there's no engine noise you drive to an accompaniment of whirring motor. After five miles the remaining range shown on the dashboard had dropped from 41 (very optimistic!) to 25 miles.

For all that, I'm absolutely loving it. The tiny Twizy is huge fun. It makes people smile, and that includes its driver.