Microcars

A microcar is the smallest automobile classification, usually applied to very small cars (smaller than city cars). Such small cars were generally referred to as cyclecars until the 1940s. More recent models are also called bubble cars due to their bubble-shaped appearance.

The definition of a microcar has varied considerably in different countries. Since there are usually tax and/or licensing advantages to the classification, multiple restrictions are often imposed, starting with engine size. The Register of Unusual Microcars in the UK says: "economy vehicles with either three or four wheels, powered by petrol engines of no more than 700cc or battery electric propulsion, and manufactured since 1945". The Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum (the world's largest collection of Microcars) says "Engine sizes of 700cc and less and 2 doors or less" and the US-based Vintage Microcar Club simply defines it as 1000 cc or less.

Typical microcars usually have some of the following features:

Many, but not all, microcars are also:

There are also a variety of microcar trucks, usually of the "forward control" or van style to provide more cargo room. These might be used for local deliveries on narrow streets where standard small pickup trucks would be inconvenient, and full-sized delivery trucks would be impossible.

A motorised quadricycle is a four-wheeled vehicle that can be registered as a motorcycle. They are analogous to mopeds or light motorcycles rather than cars. Consequently, they can be driven by underage drivers (14-18-year-olds) or in some cases even without a license, and they are free of car taxes. Their speed is usually limited to ca. 45 km/h either through a speed or power limit.

The economy of operating such a small car (mostly in fuel and tires) has also often been helped by three-wheeled microcars or cars with very small engines being treated as motorcycles for tax and insurance purposes.

In some countries, drivers of microcars (defined for example as having a certain maximum weight) are exempt from licensing conditions. The microcars may have a special category or may be considered motorcycles and therefore no car driving licence is needed (Austria, Belgium and France (where they are known as VSPs, or Voiture Sans Permis), Germany, Spain, Italy). This assures a certain market among older people who do not want to stand for, or who cannot pass an auto driver's licence test, or younger people who are not yet old enough to qualify. More negatively, at least in Austria, Belgium and France, such cars are sometimes derided as a solution for people who have had their licence revoked because of drunk driving. Also, motorized quadricycles may be forbidden from motorways (which is the case in Finland).

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Wikipedia