They are not selling this in the UK, will they sell it here ?
From €17,890 in Europe ( assume it would qualify for the €5K EV grant here if it was sold here ? )
Its just hit Italian markets and is the forth best seller this month, apparently its price could be halved by Italian incentives according to this article:
https://cleantechnica.com/2021/07/29/italys-ev-sales-keep-growing-in-june-as-dacia-spring-hits-the-market/
I'm sure you've all seen the Carwow review.
shock horror, cheap car feels cheap to drive. that's the old model btw, the new model addresses some of carwows concerns/comments.
International Press Drives are usually a few months after but no dates or whether I'll be asked confirmed yet
https://cartourismo.ie/cars/news/dacia-spring-ireland/
Prediction: It will be much more expensive here than anywhere else.
20k?
I would prefer a used Leaf, eGolf, Zoe, etc.
That range would break your melt.
For a car that does 99% short local journeys the range isn't an issue.
The range wouldn't be an issue for me. TBH I could live with how basic it was. But I wouldn't choose it over a used eGolf, Leaf Zoe etc, for essentially the same price. Assuming that where it's priced at. But if it comes in a lot cheaper then perhaps it might make sense.
I think for the like of GoCar should be an interesting proposition. It is not a fancy car and people would rightly say I buy new a car that feels old but as a runaround makes sense. I imagine the insurance to be cheaper for these yokes so a young driver might see it as a good entry car. On PCP might be around 100 a month which is quite affordable.
And a perfect 1st car for many rural people I know, who never go further than the local town..
In the UK, pre-orders are open, entry level version is £14,995
https://preorder.dacia.co.uk/spring?_gl=1*ds0mo6*_gcl_au*MjA1NjQ1Nzg3OC4xNzA4NTI1NzY2*FPAU*MjA1NjQ1Nzg3OC4xNzA4NTI1NzY2
@fafy - was coming on here to post the same. Now we're talking, that is cheap! Only a bit over a grand cheaper than the Dacia Sandero, which for years was the cheapest car money could buy in Ireland. Not sure if it is still the case.
Precisely, there is a place for bargain brands like Dacia, BYD, MG but they need to be retailing around 15-20k max.
And best part is it has a normal handbrake 🤔 .
I wonder could you do a handbrake turn in it?
UK configurator is now up, £16.995 for the higher power version.
https://www.dacia.co.uk/hybrid-and-electric-range/spring-city-car/configurator.html
£14,995 for the basic model. For comparison the sandero starts at £13,795. The sandero here starts at €16,190 so this is shaping up to be a sub-€20k car
The cheapest Sandero in the UK is the TCe 90 which is 17,090 here. Also, the basic model Spring EV has 45 bhp and does 0-100 km/h in 19 seconds, I personally wouldn't buy a new car that was that slow. The "high" power version for £16,995 in the UK is much better.
If someone is in the market for a cheap new electric car, the Nissan Leaf 40 kWh is now down to 22.5k here with "trade in booster" and even with it being an old design and with some well known limitations and Chademo DC charging, it is surely a far superior car than a Spring.
Good point, and the Leaf is a 5 seater, Spring is a 4 seater, with a way smaller cabin, a much smaller boot, and much lower tech, but if it is say 19.5k for the higher power Spring version here, there is still a small market for that for some customers.
@BrianD3 - " the basic model Spring EV has 45 bhp and does 0-100 km/h in 19 seconds, I personally wouldn't buy a new car that was that slow"
On the face of it that seems slow, but most likely the 0-50km/h time is quite acceptable. That would be typical for low power EVs. I agree with the price though. Cheap Chinese electric cars should start at not an awful lot more than €15k on the road here. And this should further come down over the coming decade.
The cheap Chinese cars here are about twice the price they are in China. The lower power and slower 0-60 time will suit Sunday mass drivers. They could also be a lot cheaper to insure than a leaf etc because of the lower powered motor
The majority of people buying this car won't be worried about the bhp or how quickly it gets from 0-100 and matters naught if they did as the majority wouldn't go outside a 50 or 80kph zone. An ideal urban or semi rural car.
If priced right this could sell like hot cakes.
It won't compare well to the BYD Seagull though
Perhaps all round the seagull is better but price wise the spring might have the edge after the EU whacks BYD with tariffs.
Exactly. Just like the Dacia Sandero sold like hotcakes all over Europe, even in Ireland. That was a rotten car, horrible yoke. But I'd have no issues driving the Spring EV
I take it you are talking about the first generation. It was not a bad car for what it was cheap and honest about it. It did not pretend to be anything else and drove decent too.
Ah for sure. I actually liked cheap and cheerful manual petrol cars a few decades ago. But that time has now long gone. The only thing petrol manual I now enjoy is a classic car or a sports car for an occasional enjoyable drive. Not for day to day driving. That makes it a horrible chore compared to more modern but equally cheap EVs
The old Sandero was ok, the current one is a major step up and is leagues ahead of the Kwid/Spring. The Sandero is much more spacious, comfortable, stable and is built on the same modern platform as the current Clio. As useful on an autobahn as it is in a city. It's a great blend of simplicity and modernity.
In contrast, the Spring is a 2015 design intended for developing markets and it shows. Safety was initially appalling (Rover 100 level) and Renault had to be shamed into modifying the car. It's a lot stronger now but even so, is less safe than the Sandero. 49% NCAP adult occupant score for Spring, 70% for Sandero.
WLTP range of the Sandero is over 900 km, WLTP of the Spring is 230 km and it can barely do the Irish mway limit flat out. Given its limitations and clear inferiority in so many areas versus a petrol Sandero for 17k, a fair price for the Spring would be no more than about 12k. The addition of an electric drivetrain to the Renault Kwid to turn it into the Dacia Spring, increasing the price and decreasing the range doesn't get it close to being better than the Sandero even if those besotted with EV drivetrains over all else seem to think it does.
@BrianD3 - "WLTP range of the Sandero is over 900 km, WLTP of the Spring is 230 km"
I doubt anyone in this country has ever driven 900km in a Sandero in a day 😂 and if they have, the poor fecker 😂😂
