Is it like a list? Here’s a good story. The cheapest car currently for sale in the US is the Nissan Versa, which costs $16,680. For just $15 more you can get the Mitsubishi Mirage. This Dacia Spring would be third if it was sold in the US, costing around $19,000.
Why mention Dacia? Because the Spring is not an internal combustion engine car, but a fully electric car. Yes, a road-legal five-door EV, not a microcar like the Wulin Mini or Jido Rainbow, but a car that’s about to hit the UK market with a new price of under £15,000.
If the Spring were to be sold in the US, it would be priced more than $9,000 above the Nissan Leaf, making it by far the cheapest EV sold in the US.
Who is Dacia? Good question. Pronounced “Dachia,” it’s a Romanian car manufacturer that’s part of the Renault Group and is known for cheap, fun cars that offer amazing value for money. Plus, they’ve been growing in popularity in Europe for the last few years. As proof, I know several professional car reviewers who have bought (whisper) four-wheel-drive Dacia Dusters with their own money.
Now, with a formidable new duo at the helm of design, Dacia’s new models look better than they cost. Look out for the new Duster, due in the UK in the coming months, and the seven-seater Bigster, due next year, which could make a serious dent in the European SUV market. The arrival of the all-electric Springs is an intriguing glimpse of what’s to come for Dacia, and if it carries on like this we might see a brand renaissance similar to the ones Hyundai and Kia have enjoyed.
Cute, talented
The city-focused Spring embodies Dacia’s approach to car-making. No frills, just what’s needed. Power is adequate, because no one needs supercar-like speed between traffic lights. Range is adequate for multiple city trips, not interstate travel.
Courtesy of Dacia
Of course, this is why the springs are so cheap and weigh less than a tonne (984 kilograms), which would be commendable in an internal combustion car, but this is an electric car – it could be much more expensive and heavier, but it’s not.
The weight savings translate into a laughably small figure: from October, UK customers will be able to choose between a 44hp or 64hp model. The battery is just 26.8kWh, but the weight savings means either model will have a range of 140 miles. You don’t even need an EV wallbox to charge the car; just plug it into a normal socket and it will be fully charged overnight (or in under 11 hours).
Plugged into a domestic 7kW wall box, charging is said to take around four hours – the higher-powered Spring is capable of 30kW, meaning this “modest” battery can charge from 20 to 80 percent in an acceptable 45 minutes.
