by An electric car as the most affordable model on the Dutch car market: it did not look like that a few years ago. Nevertheless, Dacia has managed to implement a significant price reduction at the same time as the facelift of the electric Spring. The cheapest electric car in the Netherlands is therefore – after deduction of the subsidy for electric cars – even the cheapest car in the Netherlands.
The thorough facelift of the Spring includes a new front, a new rear and a completely new interior. The Dacia Spring previously cost 21,750 euros, but has become considerably cheaper in this new form. The starting price has been set at 18,950 euros. That is a difference of 2800 euros. If you deduct the SEPP subsidy for new electric cars (2,950 euros), the car costs a net 16,000 euros.
This makes the Spring the cheapest car in the Netherlands, because in terms of price it beats its brother Dacia Sandero with a petrol engine, which is listed in price lists from 17,200 euros. In terms of purely electric cars, the Spring has hardly any competitors so far. Although there are many affordable electric cars coming in the next two years, they are all around 25,000 euros. The Citroën ë-C3 You with a range of 320 kilometers is the only one that comes close, but that car will cost at least 24,290 euros. After deduction of subsidy, this amounts to € 21,340.
16,000 euros net
For a net 16,000 euros you can buy the 44 hp Spring Electric 45 in Expression trim from Dacia. There are no more choices for the basic model, but the Spring is also available as an Electric 65, which has a lot more power with 65 hp. It does have the same 26.8 kWh battery as the Spring Electric 45. It is available as an Expression from 19,950 euros and as a more fully equipped Extreme from 20,950 euros. The Spring has a 7 kW on-board charger and all versions have a driving range of 220 kilometers. The Spring Electric 65 can optionally charge up to 30 kW DC.
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Poor results in the crash test
De Spring is not without controversy. It is one of the cars that the German ADAC advises against buying because of its limited power, which can make overtaking on a country road dangerous. The car also scored only one star during the EuroNCAP tests in 2021. In a frontal collision, the occupants’ legs appear to be poorly protected against the impact and parts of the dashboard can injure occupants. The driver’s chest and pelvis are also at too high risk of injury.
Furthermore, the cervical vertebra of a passenger in the back seat is seriously at risk. If another car hits the back of the Dacia, it will provide the front occupants with sufficient protection against whiplash, but not the rear ones. Furthermore, it proved to be too difficult to open the doors after a collision.
The fact that the Dacia performed so poorly in the crash test hardly had any consequences for sales. Last year, global sales of the Spring rose to a record high of 61,803 units, an increase of 26.4 percent compared to 2022. In total, Dacia has sold more than 140,000 units in Europe since its introduction in 2021.
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