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Dacia Spring Proves Colin Chapman Right on Green NCAP Ratings: Adding Lightness Rules

Green NCAP released a new batch of evaluations. This time, it put the Toyota Aygo X and the Dacia Spring to the test. Predictably, the tiny EV from the Romanian brand did much better than the Japanese vehicle with a combustion engine. However, the Dacia Spring almost aced the Green NCAP, confirming Colin Chapman’s motto for his cars: “Simplify, then add lightness.” If it works for sports cars, it also works for EVs.
Dacia Spring almost aces the Green NCAP tests, proving that lightness is an asset 9 photos
Photo: Green NCAP/edited by autoevolution
Toyota Aygo X did pretty well in Green NCAP for a vehicle with a combustion engineDacia Spring almost aces the Green NCAP tests, proving that lightness is an assetHyundai Bayon Green NCAP resultsVolkswagen Caddy Green NCAP resultsPeugeot 308 Green NCAP resultsRenault Kangoo Green NCAP resultsGenesis GV70 Green NCAP resultsAudi Q4 e-tron Green NCAP results
Being derived from the Renault Kwid is just part of the trick for the Dacia Spring to do so well. The A-segment hatchback is already a very light car, but the battery pack should make its weight much higher than that of the combustion-engined version. While the Brazilian Renault Kwid weighs up to 786 kilograms (1,733 pounds), the Spring tips the scale at 970 kg (2,139 lb). That’s less than 184 kg (406 lb).

The explanation for that is that the Spring has a relatively small battery pack, with only 26.8 kWh. On top of that, it is also air-cooled, which makes it lighter but less robust in the long term. Anyway, Dacia manages to sell an electric vehicle that weighs a bit less than one metric ton. That directly impacts how green the Spring is (no pun intended).

According to Green NCAP, it only loses points on the highway, where it got 9.6 out of a maximum of 10. Its top speed is 125 kph (78 mph), which may be an issue on highways anyway. The Spring is focused on urban environments, where it can get a range of up to 180 kilometers (112 miles).

Curiously, the Dacia Spring did not lose a single point due to greenhouse gas emissions. That happened with the Audi Q4 e-tron – the only other EV Green NCAP tested in 2022. As the entity only considers the electricity matrix in this evaluation, it said that the Dacia Spring’s low energy consumption is why it did so well. Green NCAP said the same about the Audi. The difference is that the Q4 e-tron did much worse than the Dacia on the highway and cold ambient assessments.

Regarding the Toyota Aygo X, it got three stars. Compared to what other ICE vehicles present, that is an excellent rating, comparable to what Honda obtained with the HR-V in 2022. Again, that confirms that adding lightness rules in the automotive world.
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 Download: Dacia Spring Green NCAP results (PDF)

About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
Gustavo Henrique Ruffo profile photo

Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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