the base price of the electric city car drops to €16,900

Dacia reverses. To make the Spring more accessible, and boost its sales, the manufacturer is relaunching in France the small 45 hp engine and the Essential basic finish.

Although greatly improved, the Spring saw its sales collapse. The cause of course is the loss of the ecological bonus, the car being made in China. To make matters worse, Dacia had made the curious choice of limiting the French range to the most expensive versions, with the 65 hp unit.

So no more small 45 hp engine and the Essential access finish, although available in other European countries. Which seems to have been a mistake, because Dacia is reversing course. We have noticed that the manufacturer is launching these cheaper variants here.

We therefore find the 45 hp unit, a modest power but which is suitable for a city car for essentially urban and peri-urban use. The battery still has the capacity of 26.8 kWh, which gives a range of 225 km in the WLTP mixed cycle.

With the 45 hp, the Spring makes do with 14-inch wheels (the 65 hp is associated with 15-inch wheels). The Essential model necessarily has lighter equipment, although reinforced compared to the past due to the new GSR2 safety standard.

There is therefore automatic emergency braking as standard with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane keeping, reversing radar, driver attention monitoring, sign recognition.

We also have cruise control, electric front windows and the holder for attaching your smartphone, which becomes the radio, controllable from the steering wheel controls.

With this version, the base price drops to €16,900, compared to €18,900 previously with the 65 hp Expression. The car thus distances itself from its formidable new competitor, the Citroën ë-C3, which starts at €23,300 but can have a bonus of up to €4,000.

Its performance still remains better (320 km range, 100 kW DC charging, more equipment, etc.). But the Dacia is interesting for those looking for a new model at a low price. Especially since €16,900 is also aggressive compared to small thermal city cars, with here the advantage of a low cost of use.

The 45 hp engine is also offered in Expression for €17,900. We gain air conditioning and a more careful presentation.