The Dacia Spring on interim report

The Dacia Spring has a long run-up. AutoWeek was already able to drive the Spring in March 2021 and in that first test we were positive about what the Spring offers. For just under 18,000 euros, the Spring has a reasonable range for an electric car, about 180 to 190 kilometers on a battery charge. These are values ​​that new electric cars such as the Hyundai iOniq Electric achieved six years ago. And we immediately made a comment: if you manage to temper your expectations, the Spring is an excellent no-nonsense electric means of transport for urban use.

Is the Dacia Spring an alternative to an electric occasion?

We asked ourselves that question last week during a comparative test of the Dacia Spring and a Volkswagen e-Golf. In the double test in AutoWeek 48, we put a new Dacia Spring Comfort Plus Orange Pack with a price tag of 19,250 euros next to a 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf with almost 78,000 kilometers on the clock, which can be taken from the used car showroom for an amount of 19,900 euros. We also achieve the practical consumption that we mentioned in March 2021 in the test that was done in November: 190 kilometers on a battery charge. With the e-Golf we reach 240 kilometers. It is mainly the performance that the Spring points cost. It still goes up to 80 kilometers per hour, but for the 0-100 sprint, it takes 20.8 seconds! That is much slower than the manufacturer’s specification of 19.2 seconds.

The conclusion of the test is:

If you want to drive new and as cheaply as possible electrically, you cannot ignore the Dacia Spring. And to be honest, the cart pleasantly surprised us. If you need more luxury and comfort, then the Volkswagen eGolf undeniably has the better cards. Apart from its small range, this is a very nice car that is more pleasant to drive than a conventional Golf. And in this case it is even slightly cheaper than the Spring. Road tax is not an issue here and consumption is almost the same. You should at most have to reserve a little more money for maintenance, since it is no longer a new car.

Is the Dacia Spring a safe car?

That is a question many may be asking themselves after the results of the EuroNCAP crash tests. Due to the absence of electronic aids, except for ABS and ESP, we already knew that he would not score high in a safety test. On the braking distance, part of every AutoWeek comparative test, the Spring needs 41 meters to come to a stop from 100 km/h as quickly as possible. The four year old Golf 38.3 meters. EuroNCAP’s verdict on the Spring is harsh, the institute called the result ‘downright problematic’, with a ‘high risk of life-threatening injuries to the driver’s chest and the head of the rear passengers in a frontal collision’. The protection according to NCAP is also not adequate in the event of a side impact. Finally, substandard safety systems also contribute to the poor score.

How do used electric occasions with which you can compare the Dacia Spring in terms of price? In each case scored the Hyundai iOniq Electric in 2016 a decent score, and the opponent that AutoWeek called in, the previous generation Volkswagen Golf, had no significant safety issues according to EuroNCAP. Although the test method has since changed and the two models mentioned have not been tested in the new way by EuroNCAP. That applies to the Renault Zoe. It came out worse than the Dacia Spring with 0 stars in the recent crash tests.

Enough

As an affordable electric car, the Dacia Spring still scores a sufficient score, even though the Spring only gets 2 stars from us in the safety section in the comparison test against the VW eGolf. What we already noted in March: if you manage to temper your expectations, the Spring is an excellent no-nonsense electric means of transport for urban use. Fortunately, the speeds are lower there.