Green NCAP announced that the overall winner of 2022 – the car with the lowest impact on the environment – is the Dacia Spring.
Equipped with an electric powertrain, the Spring achieved an overall five-star rating and outperformed other electric vehicles such as the Tesla Model 3 and the Cupra Born. Also, Green NCAP released its latest set of results that include three petrol-fuelled cars: the Kia Picanto (a 3-star rating), the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer (2½-star rating) and the VW Touran (a 2-star rating) as well as the diesel-fuelled car the Opel/Vauxhall Mokka (a 3-star rating).
The Dacia Spring, like other electric vehicles, scored maximum results in the Clean Air Index, but also achieved Green NCAP’s highest result in the Greenhouse Gas Index and a never-before-seen 9.8 in the Energy Efficiency Index. Due to its pure electric powertrain and light weight, Dacia’s compact city car receives full points in three out of four tests, with energy consumption lower than Green NCAP’s maximum-points threshold. 89% of the energy withdrawn from the electrical grid is available at the output side of the battery, indicating an efficient charging and discharging process. The test results prove the Spring to be an environmentally friendly car, not only due to the absence of local pollutant emissions but also because of its low energy consumption.
The Dacia Spring received an overall score of 9.9, followed by Tesla Model 3 (overall score 9.8). The NIO eT7, the Renault Megane E-Tech and Cupra Born achieved overall scores of 9.6. The Audi Q4 e-Tron and the Hyundai IONIQ 5 were also five-star performers.
However, it was the cars’ energy efficiency results which made the critical difference to a vehicle’s overall score. In contrast to the Dacia Spring, these cars did not present consumption values low enough in this Index to receive top results. The IONIQ 5, for example, received a 9.1 in the Energy Efficiency Index, which in consequence lowered the overall score of the car.
With this outstanding result, Dacia’s supermini sets a standard for industry. Dacia has set out to create a supermini that responds to the needs of consumer in its design, but also to the sustainability challenges of our planet. The result is a ‘green and eco-friendly’ vehicle. With this model, the company is ahead of many other manufacturers in terms of impact on the environment. says Dr. Aleksandar Damyanov, Green NCAP’s Technical Manager
Green NCAP’s mother organisation, Euro NCAP, that rates vehicles on their safety performance, would like to see the company make the same long-term commitment to safety.
The results potentially could be even more outstanding and offer consumers an ideal purchase choice delivering performance on both sustainability and safety, says Dr. Aled Williams, Euro NCAP’s Programme Director
