I see so many flash cars parked in crappy areas (Netherlands). 1) advertising works, they want your money. 2) it'll look just as shit as any other 4 year old car in 4 years. 2) it's not your personality.. it's mostly plastic to get you from A to B. 3) 90% of the time it's doing nothing. How many hours of your life are you working to buy a car to get you to work and back? It's a con. People really do have their priorities sold to them.
@@jamesgrover2005 Or perhaps we can accept there are people with different interests and after different experiences. If you only see it as an A-B device then yes, but some people view cars as more, if it makes them happy spending more than they need to on their car who are you to say it's wrong. Let people enjoy things.
@@DimitarStanev The problem with what you're saying is that the massive pickup trucks and SUVs (a.k.a. Child-mowers) are far more dangerous to the rest of the road users (pedestrians, cyclists, drivers etc.) than smaller cars. If you want a great car in which you can enjoy driving on the public roads, buy Mazda Miata, Subaru BRZ or even better Hyundai Ionic 5N or a Tesla Model 3 Performance, because anything more powerful/capable needs a race track to use anywhere near its full potential. If you need to transport cargo or more than 4 people (child seats take as much, or even more space than adults these days), get an appropriately sized van. If you need to go off road, get a proper Off-road vehicle. Vast majority of the massive pickup trucks and SUVs purchased now are more for stroking either owner's ego or their false sense of safety from participation in the "road arms race" than to satisfy an actual need. These vehicles are incredibly inefficient not just in terms of mileage, but also amount of material = eventual waste they're made of and volume (small useful to external volume ratio = they're big, but have as much useful internal volume as much smaller cars/minivans).
@@DimitarStanev because "Trying to be happy by accumulating possessions is like trying to satisfy hunger by taping sandwiches all over your body." George Carlin Rampant consumerism is driving climate change and we are made to want those things, sacrificing the future stability of global food systems because "why not like shiny stuff?" Pretty much encapsulates the shit we are in.
@@turkosicsaba I just thought about that. A friend of mine has a BYD Atto 3 and his job is simply delivering small packages (like clothes and such) to people. He basically uses the car 90% just for work. He actually asked me about this car and I told him it might not fit him too much because of the range because he does indeed drive more than the range on this per day and he doesn't even leave the city. I understand him for not wanting to spend a lot of time each and everyday charging the car (he doesn't have a charging port at home nor will buy one because he is renting the house) but for those who drive less perday like pizza deliveries this thing would be the perfect fit. However most people drive less than him making deliveries anyway so it can fit most people but I would recommend this car for those who can charge it at home easliy and cheaply.
Modern cars have got too complex, and there are too many electronic systems. We need simple, basic models like this. Some of us want to get from A to B. The average daily mileage in the UK is only 20 miles per day. This makes perfect sense as a daily run-around
Ya, and it would be nice if I could type this to you without using any electronics, too. But we are nothing but slaves to the little electrons so I will soldier on.
Tha tiny wheels you made fun of is a big part of why the car is so efficient. There is absolutely no need for wider tyres then 185mm on any standard car, on a sub one ton car 165 is enough. Narrow tires with high pressure is always key to efficiency
People wonder how I went 10000km with my 2002 Golf Variant TDI to Norway and back and paid only around 750 euros for fuel... Meanwhile me running 2.3 bars on the front and 2.5 bars in the rear lol.
<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="515">8:35</a> that's not the parking sensors. You shifted into reverse with the passenger door open hence the alarm.
Yep, I follow the EV scene since a decade ago. And passed years and years till I saw first electric car outside my window. This car was launched recently, and already 3 are living in neighborhood. And it may be cheap compared with the rest, but still it is triple of what should have been.
More like make public despise EVs, once they realize what they bought. Don't get me wrong, car is good for the price. But you need to understand what comes when you buy cheap items as if you don't you're likely to have buyers remorse.
I just really hope the buyers know what compromises they're making, with the slow charging. Once you've used the juice you start with, it's 20 minutes of charging for every additional 50 miles (at its claimed m/kWh). No problem at all day to day, but if you *ever* take it for a weekend away...
For its primary intended audience and use case, the Spring is spot on. Efficient, minimalist and, most importantly, affordable. As Jack says, "Everything you need and nothing you don't." We need more of these types of vehicles...and far fewer of the huge, bloated, inefficient SUVs that manufacturers continue to insist on producing. They'll say that they're producing what consumers want. However, there's an almost complete dearth of efficient, minimalist, affordable vehicles from which to choose. Chicken or egg?
Exactly this point! I want to make myself an example by using an affordable EV in Mombasa Kenya. My median speed is 13-20kmph if you can imagine that, so many braking zones, traffic, small radius to travel etc. This would work an absolute treat here. I would love to work with Fully Charged to promote EVs here
This is the spiritual successor to the Fiat Panda (yes I know Fiat is making a new Panda soon but this car is more like an old Panda than the new Panda will be). Well done Dacia!
Tragically though, Fiat did not design the Panda on top of the new 500e's platform but used the Citroen ëC3's instead. That 500e platform is being squandered
@@toyotaprius79 the eC3, Jeep Avenger, and Alfa Junior all use that platform and all got good reviews so it seems like a decent enough platform. Based on the Italian prices I reckon the electric one will cost £20-23k and the petrol £15-18k.
I bought a slightly secondhand Panda for £4.5k in 1988 and drove to the north of Scotland from the English Midlands (twice). I don't fancy my chances of doing similar in a Spring. How we have progressed😢
@@chillfluencer yeah this basically a assortment of Chinese tech , i hope they have higher quality standards in the batteries than they do for the Chinese market
I'm old enough to remember being perfectly happy driving around in the original Renault 5 and Fiat Panda (ie late 80s early 90s) and I dare to say that the new Dacia Spring is put together as least as well as those were.
Always staggering for me to see what Budget cars have included and Premium Car brands charge extra for (looking at you Audi, with your 500€ Carplay tax)
I've always said that Dacia cars are just enough ! No bells, no whistles, just a car to go from A to B. With this they have put EVs into everyone's buying list. I would await the NCAP tho' - even around town you want it to withstand 30mph impact.
@@lemagnitio72 Yes, but mostly because ncap have subtracted points for it not having some fancy electronic stuff like lane keep assist, rear seatbelt sensor warning, etc.
@@NicMachiavelli The Dacia Spring is based on the Renault City K-ZE platform, which is also used by other manufacturers, including Dongfeng, under different names. Specifically: Dongfeng EV EX1 Pro is a rebranded Renault City K-ZE, and the Dacia Spring is essentially a Chinese-made version of the same platform. The Renault Kwid, a gasoline-powered small SUV, is also a basis for the City K-ZE and, by extension, the Dacia Spring. Production and Engineering The Dacia Spring is produced in China at a factory owned by eGT New Energy Automotive, a joint venture between Dongfeng, Renault, and Nissan. This facility also manufactures the Renault K-ZE SUV model, which shares many similarities with the Dacia Spring. Engineering and Development Renault handled the engineering part of the CMF-EV platform, which is used by the Dacia Spring. The platform’s development and production were outsourced to China, allowing Renault to bring the Spring to Europe quickly. In summary, the Dacia Spring is based on a Chinese car platform (Renault City K-ZE/Dongfeng EV EX1 Pro) and is produced in China, with Renault’s engineering input.
We went from a BMW 3 Series SE to a Toyota Aygo when they first came out yonks ago as we just wanted a car for commuting and short journeys ( although we took it on holiday to Wales once). I remember when we picked it up, we spent a few minutes slamming the doors and laughing how tinny it was and on the journey home the glove box lid come off in my hand ( which itself was a 10 quid optional extra!) but it just snapped back into place. But it was a perfect car for us - auto gearbox, air con, economical etc. and we had no regrets swapping. Basically the car was a tool fit for a certain purpose and we viewed it as a such. This car is the EV equivalent.
tinny is a Toyota trademark. We had a Corolla and it made noises you'd associate with an 80's Ford. The Hyundai i10 and i20 are better screwed together.
@@Henry_Jr_Watsson No - I'm saying I cannot afford an electric car at their current prices. Currently driving a 15 yo Diesel Ford Fusion. Don't have the money to replace it at the moment. We need budget options (that are safe) for people who don't have good public transport options (e.g. if you live in a village).
<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="717">11:57</a> While you were saying stuff I was picturing in my mind all the old Pandas, 500s, Minis, Hyundais, Kias, Daewoos that I've seen go over 130 km/h on their tiny wheels, blistering past me on local roads
I had a Dacia Stepway for a few years. Very nice, practical, zoomy. But now fush with accessories, but it was only £6k. I currently have an MG ZS, very nice, great range. But the Spring, at half the price, and a lot lighter looks fantastic. Nearly as many miles as me for half the battery size.
Good review👍 Dacia have yet again shown that they know exactly what they’re doing and that they can do it very well. For what this model is intended to do they’ve got it just right. Cheap bits n bobs yes but time has shown that those bits will just keep on working. It’s good to have this brand on the road, so well done Renault for getting behind it. Dacia will eventually become their Škoda.
In the 90's I happily ran around in a FIAT Cinquecento Sporting. 1100cc, 55bhp and 0-60 in 13 seconds. All the space was in the front seats, the boot would fit 4 carrier bags and the back seat was only fit for children. With no legs. But it was hilarious. It felt fun and cheeky and like it was TRYING. These days I'd like four doors (because I have dogs) but otherwise a cheeky small car would do me fine. Dacia could do it. Put a bit of effort into handling, slip in a more powerful motor and jazz up the interior a bit. Not much, because basic is charming. I need a real range of 100 miles, so 150 would be perfect. It'd be more expensive than this - but you could do it from the parts bin and charge an extra 5K. C'mon Dacia - you need a halo model. And 20K is still cheap for an EV.
No. The point of a model like this is to have a mass market item that will sell like crazy … with the Dacia logo on it. It’s fine as it is so long as you are driving where you can see houses. Higher speed, further distance, more or bigger people, faster, longer range … no
I'd personally prefer a bigger cabin and a smaller boot because you can fold the rear seats if you need extra space, but otherwise this looks like a great little car.
Personally, I'd prefer a smaller bonnet / 'engine-bay' ('motor-bay'? :p) to increase total interior space... when you see it side-on, that nose takes of a significant chunk of that 3.5m length...
check out telo truck. the front 'engine bonnet' seems like wasted space for EVs, get rid of it, have flexible rearseat/boot, a lot of people who need the once in a blue moon ikea trip or 7 people night out car, all in a mini sized package for easy driving and parking... i want pronto
Love the idea of a pair of Zeros as outriders, clearing the way and making sure all of the junctions are clear to maximise the Dacia's range....😁 Glad you got to drive it Jack, after we briefly enthused about it at the Harrogate show. 😎👍
To put a sub-tonne weight into perspective - the original Nissan Leaf 24 kWh weighed 1.5 tonnes. Battery pack energy density has improved a lot in just over a decade!
The sping even achieves this using the older generation 140kWh/kg batteries. If this had current 195kW/kg or 260kWh/kg batteries it would travel another to 50 to 120 miles with the level of efficiency this car achieves. Although it would cost a few thousand more ... gives room for a long range model (with an uprated charger) to be made available at some future date.
Absolutely what is needed - while we wait for battery developments, this is how to fill the gap with practical, efficient (relatively) cars. This is what the Ford Fiesta was all about surely?
We had a 1979 Ford Fiesta. Stick shift, AM radio, no air conditioning, doors made of tin cans. Cost $3900 new. I beat that car to death for the 5 years I had it. The Dacia Spring looks to be such an improvement over that Ford Fiesta. I wish we could have access in the States to some of the inexpensive EVs coming to the UK. At least we are enjoying our 2016 Nissan Leaf. We hope to drive that car until it won't go no more.
@@redoscar540 Haha I still have a 23 yr old Fiesta that easily cruises through each MOT, has the same emissions as when new (ooh er), and still overtakes new, (huge) modern cars without breaking sweat! Hope the Leaf does the same for you.
@@sroberts605 23 years, that is quite an achievement. In the 5 years we had our Fiesta, the body panels began turning to rust, the fabric seats and foam started turning to dust from the sun, and the front suspension basically started falling apart. Add to that, 2 new baby boys and access to a company car, there was little reason to keep the Fiesta. Sold it to a work mate for a few hundred dollars so his son could drive it. The first summer we had the car, the wife and I drove it 900 miles from Kentucky to Florida and back again. Driving through Georgia in 98°F heat without air conditioning was an experience I never wish to repeat. Glad to hear you are keeping the legend of the Ford Fiesta alive!
@@tubybubi I'm not so sure about that. Comparing my old 1979 Fiesta to a 2024 Dacia Spring I get: 1979 Ford Fiesta: L=140.2", W=61.8", H=53.5", WB=90.2" 2024 Dacia Spring: L=145.7", W=62.32", H=59.8", WB=95.39" I don't know what model year @sroberts605 has, but the Spring is clearly larger than the Fiesta I drove so many years ago.
Now a £15,000 car is blinking cheap even for a brand new ICE car. I use drive around a lot in a city for work and would do about 160 miles a week having a range of about 150 miles that's pretty good, just plug it in to the mains at home at the end of each day and well it makes sense.
Honestly, I love it. Small businesses in cities like food delivery, newspapers, postal services etc, should all have Springs in their electric parking lot.
this is a refreshing review, auto express etc would be using every thing you’ve mentioned about it being cheap and making it negative, whereas this is a genuinely honest, but realistic for the sort of people who are going to drive/afford it
I've never bought new cars. But if you do and want a cheap car and it has to be new for some reason then this is great. I'll just carry on buying used cars for a similar price where you get alot more for your money!
Thanks Jack, nice review. We were waiting for several years, for an affordable EV, and ordered the ë-C3 in May. Waiting for delivery is now early December 🤔 But at least there are more and more cheaper EV's for sale, that's the step in the right direction for wider EV adoption .
I drive an EV but could not part with my iQ and I must say it is so liberating jumping in a small car with no settings to worry about and a great turning circle. I'm very excited to take one of these out for a test drive and hoping they will be at EE South.
Love the simplicity from the old days. Does this mean that when the engine is running crooked, I can just pop the hood and sandpaper the contact points to make it run smooth again? :)
This is the optimal range. Assuming you charge to 80% and don’t go below 20% that’s 60% which is 84 miles. Driving over 50 is going to lose you 10% so practical range is around 75 miles. Great for town driving but not practical for long distances. If you regularly charge over 80% you affect the battery health. If you run it under 20% you affect your mental health 😀. I’ve discovered all this since buying my first EV. Bit of a learning curve.
@@marktyers69 You forgot winter. But it is probably LFP batteries, so can charge to 100% without battery health issues, it just takes 4x longer than to 80%. But yes, I still agree with your conclusion, practical range is 50-75 miles/charge.
The fact that you could close the door during the rear seat test (having enough space if not behind the driver seat than at least between the driver seat and rear door) is not something that is given even in cars that are bigger than this one... Yes, I've encountered such myself.
try fitting 3x in a classic '60s mini (at 6" I was the 'small guy' that had to sit in the middle)... it wasn't ideal, but it beat being 30 mins late to training. In other words, yeah - not the best idea, but sometimes it's the least-worst option, and it's nice to know that it *is* an option if required :)
i am driving the dacia spring 1st gen. for more than 2 years now and i absolutely love it! its a car and nothing more. why spending much money for something you wouldnt need?
@@EVRealFacts - that's a bit strong, the 1 star rating from NCAP reflects the original Spring model that was knocked down points as it didn't have more current electronic safety device expected to meet the revised NCAP standards; rather it met the previous standards that would have given the car 4 rating. NCAP noted they marked the car down saying it needed to provide lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition, driver fatigue detection, more advanced braking assist, parking assistance, extra airbags and ISOFIX badges on the rear seats to indicate mount point locations. The new Spring appears to have taken this on board to address these points.
My son in France has this Dacia EV. Cost him 10k euros - because the French get help to buy an EV... unlike Tory ruled UK (let's see if Labour are any help - don't hold your breath). Basically the French get their Dacia EV's 30-40% cheaper than us. He's got solar PV & basically pays nothing for fuel now. Maintenance is dirt cheap too. Mind you he's thinking of selling it as he needs a van for work. Not many EVans at a reasonable price with a reasonable range.
Plus those vans are ranges unladen. So that 80K 96 mile range merc van gets 50 miles loaded. Those midi vans get 205 miles so 120-140 loaded. From a friend’s experience. They do not cut it.
@@CJMVector321190becasue taxing stuff pays for things like the NHS, Schools etc. EVs are a problem as they need to be taxed same as ICE cars. £28Bn a year in fuel duty on ICE cars, I guess you would be OK with the NHS being cut by 25% then?.
I've ordered one, I wanted one since FC reviewed the European one years ago. Pre-ordered as soon as it went live for the UK. I want something simple that gets me from home to work every day that's it.
Great review of a very clever little car. Only thing that I cant help but wonder is how well it would do in a crash, especially a side on one with those waffer thin doors...
@@L.A.T.E.84hopefully the new government will bring bacj gokd public transport instead of this fake solution looking for customers. Cars are an outdate concept, especially short ranged EVs. All they are is an environmental disaster.
This car definitely won't be for everyone, as it makes quite a few compromises to get to this price. But... It makes me excited to see what can be done for around the £20,000 mark though.
I have a 1995 KIA Pride, I love the plastics that it has. Yes, they are the cheap box standard ones, but they are very thick. Nothing has broken, cracked or scratched due to age, only due to user error.
I have a Dacia Sandero Stepway facelift version 2017 it has everything i need dab+, cruisecontrol, elektric windows, camera, parking sensors, navi. I love the new Dacia line, i think my next car is going to be this EV spring, i just love the look of it!
I would love it if you'd mention whether a car can be equipped with adaptive cruise control, as it not just increases driver's comfort but its smoothness also increases range.
And yet the way more powerful and feature loaded much larger tesla m3 lr got 4.8miles per kwh during recent real world car wow tests and the lucid air rwd pure with 435 hp in a full size luxury 4dr sedan gets 5miles per kwh. So basically this is pathetic outside of it's pricing. 👍🏻😀
@@4literv6 in real life it's probably possible to do less than 10 kWh/100km. Same as old Leafs could do 12. But that's not an average driver in an average trip.
Looks like a good car for the price but the worry for me is they aren't updating their EuroNCAP scores, the previous version got 1 star for safety. If they arent willing to put this through the test then they cant be too confident that it will do much better. Who is willing to risk this?
OTOH NCAP ratings have lost their way a bit by penalising cars that you can steer without having some electronic halfwit wrench the wheel out of your hands on narrow roads
@@markiliff yes agreed on that and i think they have updated some aspects of this - it was more the crash\crumple type test that i was worried about when i looked at the test videos.
hope there isn't much of "computer said no" or roadassist panic attack scenarios in this simple EVcar, way better than Citroen cheap option AMI was it?
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dacia spring for the Croatian market has a totally different interior. there is no automatic air conditioning, and the changer has a different circuit! this looks like luxury than us.
@irdugm the inner door panels are plastic Judi like on every other car. They aren't the crash structure. the doors are steel just like most other cars.
That's more a sign of the current NCAP rating system, it's marks down for not having a lot of active safety assistance gadgets, knee/inner airbargs etc. The old Spring model also lost a mark due to not have ISOFIX badges on the rear seats (the new Spring does). Hence cheaper cars and most 2nd hand cars wouldn't score high at all these days, rather many second hand cars that got NCAP 4 previously might only be NCAP 1 today.
@@GeorgeExplores - That's the thing with NCAP it keeps evolving, which is good for saftey overall. The original Spring got marked down due to not having assistive braking technologies, knee and centre airbags, poor dash design (the new Spring has a revised design) and missing ISOFIX badges on the seats (which the new Spring has), this is similar with other cars at the cheaper end of the market. Most cars built to a budget cannot score high in current NCAP tests without raising costs, hence the buyer has to consider lower cost vs specific safety considerations. It's the same with 2nd hand cars as most score much, much, lower on the NCAP now than they did when they were tested (many would also have a single star if assessed now).
this is an ambitious step in the right direction, but some of us who are fans of small cars also want to drive long distances. if Dacia are able to make a version of this car with a 200 - 300 mile range in the next 5 - 10 years, i would buy this without thinking.
I'm sure the Renualt Group, being a European company, will get an exception in the short term. After all, they're planning to make them in Romania as well. This will be the 'object lesson' model that Europe will use to get Chinese automakers to commit to building in Europe.
Hopeless having no legroom//headroom in back. Toyota Aygo 2007 has masses of room for all passengers ; admittedly the boot mayn’t be the best in class but it has choice of fold down back seats .
You're having a giraffe if you think the Aygo has more legroom (I'm only 6", and the driver seat is touching the rear s seat in my driving position)... Jack would likely have his knees up around his (metaphroical) ears trying to drive an Aygo with someone sat behind him.
I'd be happy to pay more for one with a 52 kWh battery, especially now that battery prices have plummeted. That would make it ideal for driving around and recharging once per week, which would suit most drivers. The cabin noise is of secondary importance to efficiency and utility, and can be reduced easily enough. I would also delete those dreadful 'cobwebs' on the bumpers!
as someone who can bearly get by with a 30kWh leaf...no, sorry, gonna have to upgrade that charging to 50kW before i consider it usable as my only car(which is the only version of it i will accept). but for the sake of everyone who is gonna use even big battery EVs exclusively as commuters, i am glad they are making this.