Is this the cheapest electric car in France?

Of Chinese design but imported to Lithuania, the FreZe Nikrob enters the European market and France at a price lower than the Dacia Spring.

At the beginning of the year, we introduced you to the Hongguang Mini EV, China’s top-selling electric car and star of the Wuling brand. Now, it is finally on European soil, but without its original logo. Behind this importation is FreZe, a sister company of the armored vehicle manufacturer DartZ. It was in Lithuania that the small Chinese car received a new identity as early as April 2021, taking the name Nikrob. And since Lithuania is part of the EU, the homologation of the FreZe Nikrob also applies in other countries, including France.

Barely larger than a Smart, but with 4 seats!

We confirmed with FreZe that the Nikrob is indeed available in France. But what exactly is this car? The Nikrob is identical to the Mini EV, with two doors measuring 2.92 meters in length, 1.49 meters in width, and 1.62 meters in height. It’s larger than the Smart fortwo (2.70 m), but far from a Fiat 500e (3.63 m).

Despite its small size, the interior offers 4 seats. Performance is also better than a Dacia Spring, with a 29 kW (39 hp) motor sending power to the rear wheels, for just 700 kg.

The FreZe Nikrob up to 300 km range

The Sino-Lithuanian version, however, limits top speed (105 versus 130 km/h) and range to 200 km, due to a small 13.8 kWh battery. This capacity is quite typical of a plug-in hybrid car. The FreZe Nikrob isn’t finished yet, as there is a “Long Range” version with a 26.5 kWh battery allowing for 300 km on a charge. The motor is upgraded to 32 kW (43 hp), and the weight increases to 750 kg.

No miracle for charging, as the small battery only works with a domestic outlet (or 1.8 kW), while the larger version supports fast charging at 3.7 kW. It takes approximately 7 hours to fully charge.

Finally, the equipment is fairly complete for this mini-car. Standard features include a reversing camera, air conditioning, central locking, power windows, digital instrumentation, and Bluetooth connectivity. An “Comfort” trim adds a multimedia central screen, more comfortable seats, UV-protected windows, and… better soundproofing via 13-inch wheels (versus 12).

A stunning price, but there’s a “but”

We managed to contact FreZe, which specified the terms of purchase and pricing. The Nikrob range starts at €13,000 for the Standard version, while the Comfort version costs €15,500, and the 32 kW “Long Range” version is €15,000. But beware, these figures are excluding tax, as the Lithuanian company warns. VAT of 20% applies, making the total between approximately €15,600 and €18,600. Additionally, the company charges a delivery fee of €350 per vehicle.

The basic price of the FreZe Nikrob is therefore €15,950. This is still €4,850 less than the Dacia Spring, which today starts at €20,800. Ultimately, after applying the 27% bonus, the Nikrob costs €11,388, not including the €350 delivery fee.

Note that, similar to a certain Chinese website, the price decreases for importers of this electric car. If you buy more than 10 FreZe Nikrob units, you save €1,000 per vehicle, before taxes.