Photo: Dacia
Back in March 2021, the Dacia Spring was listed at 18,100 euros on the Romanian automaker’s website. That’s $20,985 at current exchange rates, and the Romanian government chips in 10,000 euros ($11,595) just because you purchased an electric vehicle. Fast forward to the present day, and the Renault-owned company has just increased the MSRP.
The Spring now costs at least 19,100 euros or $22,145, which still is crazy value for the money. For the sake of reference, the Renault Zoe and Nissan Leaf are now listed at 30,620 euros ($35,503) and 36,700 euros ($42,553).
What’s more, the aforementioned sticker price applies to the range-topping Comfort Plus trim level. The base Comfort grade is nowhere to be seen on the Romanian automaker's website, even though we know that the March 2021 retail price was 16,800 euros ($19,480) before the government's incentive.
What do you actually get for your money? Well, the Spring Comfort Plus is rocking a full-size spare wheel, a speed limiter, rearview camera, power windows for everyone, power side mirrors, six airbags, touchscreen infotainment, manual air conditioning, and a Type 2 charging cable.
The Spring features a 27.4-kWh battery with Li-Ion chemistry, which offers up to 230 kilometers (143 miles) on the WLTP combined test cycle and up to 305 kilometers (190 miles) in the urban jungle. This little hatchback is obviously meant for city driving, and so is the permanent-magnet electric motor.
Officially rated at 33 kW (44 horsepower) and 125 Nm (92 pound-feet) of torque, the front-mounted motor can maximize the driving range if you press the ECO button. Press it, and power drops to 23 kW (31 horsepower) while maximum speed is reduced from 125 to 100 kph (78 to 62 mph).
The biggest problem of the Spring is that it’s manufactured in China rather than Europe. Back in October 2020, the French labor groups weren’t happy with this decision because European production simply cannot pose a threat to China’s much cheaper labor and material costs. BMW also makes the iX3 exclusively in the Middle Kingdom, and so does Polestar with the 2.
What’s more, the aforementioned sticker price applies to the range-topping Comfort Plus trim level. The base Comfort grade is nowhere to be seen on the Romanian automaker's website, even though we know that the March 2021 retail price was 16,800 euros ($19,480) before the government's incentive.
What do you actually get for your money? Well, the Spring Comfort Plus is rocking a full-size spare wheel, a speed limiter, rearview camera, power windows for everyone, power side mirrors, six airbags, touchscreen infotainment, manual air conditioning, and a Type 2 charging cable.
The Spring features a 27.4-kWh battery with Li-Ion chemistry, which offers up to 230 kilometers (143 miles) on the WLTP combined test cycle and up to 305 kilometers (190 miles) in the urban jungle. This little hatchback is obviously meant for city driving, and so is the permanent-magnet electric motor.
Officially rated at 33 kW (44 horsepower) and 125 Nm (92 pound-feet) of torque, the front-mounted motor can maximize the driving range if you press the ECO button. Press it, and power drops to 23 kW (31 horsepower) while maximum speed is reduced from 125 to 100 kph (78 to 62 mph).
The biggest problem of the Spring is that it’s manufactured in China rather than Europe. Back in October 2020, the French labor groups weren’t happy with this decision because European production simply cannot pose a threat to China’s much cheaper labor and material costs. BMW also makes the iX3 exclusively in the Middle Kingdom, and so does Polestar with the 2.
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