BETTER PARTSWhy many "cheap" cars suddenly become a few thousand euros more expensive
Really cheap no longer existed, but now they are even more expensive
If we exaggerate a bit, we would call it the death sentence of the cheap car - as far as they still existed. Many smaller cars have recently become a bit more expensive or will suddenly become a few thousand euros more expensive halfway through this year. The cause lies with the new GSR2 requirements, which requires car manufacturers to cram more safety features in cars-and that costs money.
From July 7, 2024, all cars that are sold new to the EU must comply with the renewed General Safety Regulations. Toyota decided that it is not worth the GR86 and deleted this model for Europe. This is what Porsche did with the 718 Cayman, Boxster and Macan with gasoline engine and Renault with the Zoe. Other models received a small freshening up, added the features.
Some examples
Take the Kia Picanto, for example. You still had that in January 2023 for 895 euros, but the renewed version now costs you at least 945 euros. The Toyota Yaris Hybrid cost 995 euros exactly a year ago, but now it has to cost 595 euros. A Ford Puma cost 840 euros in October 2023, for which you now have at least 695 euros for Lappen.
And so there are still plenty of examples of cars that received a facelift last year and became about 000 euros more expensive, for example the Audi A3. Although of course it does not fall into the "cheap car" category. Some cars already had part of the safety functions, and the price increase will be better than expected. If you look back even further, the differences are even greater.
The second prize increase in a short time
If you are going to compare the prices with 2022, the differences are even greater, because at the beginning of 2023 the BPM went up in the Netherlands. From that moment on, every gram CO2 is punished a little heavier than before. For example, the Mazda2 Hybrid was 890 euros in 2022 - it now costs 760 euros. And the Puma was just a little more than 000 euros. The retreat of the affordable car was started a while ago.
Which assistants should be on cars according to GSR2?
New cars that are sold in July must be provided with a data recorder (EDR), an intelligent speed assistant (ISA), a lane assistant, tiredness detection, automatic emergency brake and preparation for an alcohol lock. Cars that were already provided with these functionalities were not updated and the price can in principle remain the same.
Fortunately there is still Dacia
In an English press release, Dacia says that the Jogger and Sandero Stepway now meet the requirements of the GSR2, but that they do not pass these extra costs to the customers. We will soon hear whether these cars in the Netherlands also keep the same price. Dacia tells TopGear Nederland that something can still change in the Netherlands about the emission values, and that the BPM can therefore be slightly higher. We will hear these new prices soon.