Between rail strikes and record fuel prices, getting to the office has become one of the most onerous parts of the work day.

Electric cars are cheaper to run, but still carry a hefty upfront price tag, which grew this week as the Government scrapped its £1,500 grants.

For those who don’t fancy braving the elements on their bike, the new Citroen Ami will take you as far as the office and back on a single charge for the price of a mobile phone contract. It just won’t get you there very fast.

Technically a quadricycle rather than a car, because of its tiny 6kW motor and maximum speed of 28mph, the Ami is now available in the UK for just £19.99 a month to lease, with an upfront deposit of £2,369.

There, it is popular among middle-class teenagers who use them to zip to school, as well as older drivers who may not have a full licence for whatever reason (no risk of speeding here).In the UK, you will need to be 16 and have the equivalent of a moped licence to drive the Ami. Among those on the 2,000-person waiting list for the first UK batch is a remote Lake District resident who plans to use the Ami to get to the nearest village.

However, with the rise of congestion charging and low emission zones, the vehicle is being positioned as the perfect alternative to having a car in the city, so long as you’re not running late.

Taking just three hours to fully charge from a regular three-pin socket, the Citroen has a range of 46 miles, plenty for the average three-mile commute at a fraction of the current cost of petrol.

Measuring just 2.4m (7.88ft) long and 1.4m (4.6ft) wide, the boxy two-seater is a left-hand drive with no boot or bonnet, although it has enough space in front of the passenger seat for an airline carry-on. As well as being economical to lease, the Ami is among the cheapest on the market, with an upfront cost of just £7,695.

To save on manufacturing costs the car uses standard fittings all round, meaning the front is the same as the back. The right and left doors are also mirrored, meaning the left-hand driver’s door opens backwards.

And its extra trims come as a £400 DIY set of decals and wheel fixtures that you can add to the car yourself.

Although those vehicles on the waiting list are expected to arrive by August, Citroen said it had no idea when anyone else may be able to get their hands on one, amid a global supply chain shortage.

Eurig Druce, the managing director of Citroen UK, said it was launching the vehicle after “huge demand from the public”. 

Edmund King, the president of the AA, said it was a good solution for driving in the city for those who weren’t keen to brave the elements on bicycles or electric scooters.

“For purely driving in the city, it’s a good solution as it’s small, agile, can be driven by younger drivers and it’s more affordable,” he said.

Cycling levels have doubled and more than a million people have jumped on the bus as the cost of filling a tank reached £100.