My daughter and I saw one of these vehicles at a neighborhood park. Not quite a car, a bit more than a golfcart, the Zenn is striking in its diminutive dimensions next to a standard American SUV. Personally, I don’t know how Canadians live with a car like this in a place even more severe than Minnesota. Equipped with a motorized rag-top and paper-thin doors it makes you wonder how you could survive a Canadian Winter, much less a collision.

According to the company website the vehicle is not for highway use. Apparently it meets or exceeds FMVSS500 standards set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for low speed vehicles. These are vehicles traveling at slower speeds on roadways limited to 35 miles per hour or lower. The same rules apply to mopeds.

It is interesting to note that while a variation of this car is sold in Europe with a diesel engine, vehicles of this type do not undergo collision testing or rating in the United States. There is barely enough metal to stop an errant bicycle, let alone SUV bumpers that are as high as the base of the passenger window.

We have a family of five and would need three of these just to get to church. Fully loaded, for small values of loaded, these vehicles run in the low $20k range. While I’m pleased to see electric options appearing the safety concerns with this offering outweigh potential savings.

At 22-26 MPG and gas at $2.25, I’ll keep my Volvo wagon a bit longer.

(See also: ZennCars of Canada)