The Dacia Spring is one of the most chosen electric vehicles of recent times in the French market.
In fact, in historical cumulative sales, it is the second best-selling model after the Renault Zoe, which was the most registered in France in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, and 2021.
Despite its popularity, this year the Renault Zoe experienced a 56% drop in sales, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA). As a result, it has been surpassed by the Dacia Spring, which is more affordable.
While the Dacia Spring has accumulated 18,589 units sold so far in 2023, in August, with 1,379 sales, it dropped to the sixth position, just below the MG MG4.
It’s worth noting that previously, in July, this model managed to take the top spot with 2,127 registered units.
Here’s the sales and ranking fluctuation according to AVERE France:
- August: 1,379 (6th place)
- July: 2,127 (1st place)
- June: 2,490 (5th place)
- May: 1,897 (4th place)
- April: 2,432 (1st place)
- March: 3,481 (2nd place)
- February: 2,872 (1st place)
- January: 1,911 (1st place).
The drop in sales of the Dacia Spring, which has Chinese origins, coincides with the announcement by the French government.
In an effort to “safeguard” the production of zero-emission vehicles in the country and address the trade deficit with China, the government of Emmanuel Macron chose to remove ecological incentives for electrified vehicles coming from the Asian giant.
This decision also has an environmental element: the removal of the fiscal incentive will focus on products that do not have a low carbon footprint even in their production.
It’s worth noting that the ecological bonus amounts to up to seven billion euros, which will be withdrawn from Chinese units starting in January 2024.
On the other hand, the private sector diagnoses that such measures could potentially hinder the growth of the EV fleet in France.
This could also result in a decrease in the electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Currently, there are more than 105,000 charging points across the entire national territory.
To offset the increase in costs of the best-selling vehicles (due to their Oriental origin and emission levels in production), the government introduced measures such as social leasing.
This will involve leasing EVs for €100 per month.
While the promise was to start implementing the measure in this fall, the authorities decided to postpone the plan’s implementation to the first quarter of 2024.
This decision is due to the lack of compact zero-emission cars that meet the program’s requirements, which include having a cost below €25,000 and being manufactured in Europe.
The five EVs that “beat” the Dacia Spring in August
During the last month, 30,482 electric and hybrid vehicles were sold in France.
Among the top five best-selling vehicles, the Tesla Model Y leads the pack with 3,051 sales. This vehicle was the best-seller in the first half of 2023.
As it is also manufactured in China, it can bypass the French disincentive by relocating its production to Germany.
In second place is the Model 3 with 2,258 sales. Although it ranks second, this model experienced the highest year-on-year increase, with a remarkable 785% growth.
In the third position, you’ll find the Peugeot 208 with 1,915 sales, followed by the Fiat 500 with 1,605, and the MG4 with 1,598.
