Norwegian customers in Oslo, Stavanger, and Dutch customers in Utrecht are the first in Europe to get their NIO Firefly, a subcompact rear-motor, rear-wheel-drive hatchback with a 105 kW motor and 330 km of WLTP range.
With a price of €29,900, it is to challenge Renault’s 5 e-Tech or the Fiat 500e and the upcoming Volkswagen ID.2 in the €25,000–€30,000 price band of the compact B-segment of finally ‘affordable’ EVs. It has a ‘swappable’ battery like its NIO bigger brothers. But unfortunately, it can’t use the same swapping stations.
Affordable EVs
Firefly is NIO’s new sub-brand, created to make affordable compact EVs for Europe while NIO keeps its leading brand focused on premium cars. Firefly is somewhat to NIO what Dacia is to Renault, or SEAT was to VW Group—a way to cover the affordable mass market with simpler cars while keeping the parent brand upscale.
NIO’s founder and CEO, William Li, stated in an earlier interview that the Firefly brand, which was first launched in China in April of this year, will serve as an entry point in 16 new markets.
In addition to the Netherlands, it will launch in Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, and Poland in Europe, as well as Costa Rica, Nepal, Singapore, Uruguay, Colombia, and New Zealand.
Rear-wheel drive hatch
This first Firefly model is a compact five-door hatchback, just over four meters (length: 4,003 mm, width: 1,781 mm, height: 1,557 mm, wheelbase: 2,615 mm) that weighs 1,492 kg.
It’s a rear-wheel drive with a rear-mounted 105 kW (141 hp) electric motor producing approximately 200 Nm torque and has a 42.1 kWh LFP battery (from Sunwoda), delivering 330 km of WLTP range.
The Renault R5-eTech is a front-motor, front-wheel-drive hatchback (like in Alpine A290 variant) with several power options: 70 kW (95 hp), 90 kW (120 hp), or 110 kW(150 hp), with 40 kWh or 52 kWh NMC batteries offering a range of 312 or 410 km. It’s offered in several trim versions ranging from €24,900 to €36,400.
Standard equipment on the first edition includes a 3–phase 11 kW on–board charger, 100 kW DC charging capacity, automatic air conditioning, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, front and rear LED lights, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, the LUMO voice–assist system, and a premium 7.1 Dolby Atmos sound system with 14 speakers.
The Comfort adds, among others, a one square meter panoramic roof, electrically adjustable front seats with ventilation and massage, both for the driver and the passenger sitting next to him/her, and an integrated scent delivery system to enhance the cabin experience.
Unique but not usable
A unique feature no other competitor can offer is the ‘swappable’ battery. But for the time being, there is no swapping – changing a ‘depleted’ battery in under three minutes for a fully charged one – in Europe, due to a lack of compatible swapping stations.
Firefly was designed for small, modular battery packs and more affordable, urban-friendly swap stations. In China, swapping is already supported. But in Europe, swapping is not yet possible because current NIO stations (60 in Europe, with one in Belgium) are too large for Firefly packs.
Battery swapping via the upcoming 5th-generation stations is planned for 2026. Until that time, you’ll have to settle for DC fast-charging as an alternative, which allows a maximum DC power of 100 kW, charging from 10–80% in approximately 29 minutes. Let’s say you need to achieve an extra 140 to 150 km of range in 15 minutes.
The Renault R5 eTech can charge at up to 80W, officially stating a 15 to 80% charge in 30 minutes, or realistically adding 180–200 km of range in 20 minutes (for the 52 kWh pack).
BaaS is not yet available
Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS), which is offered for the premium NIO brand and allows renting the battery for a monthly fee, is not currently available in Europe for Firefly, so all European buyers will have to purchase battery packs. A pity, as without the full price of the battery to pay, a Firefly EV could be more than 30% cheaper.
Since December 2024, NIO has allowed users in markets including the Netherlands to switch between battery sizes every month—e.g., temporarily upgrading from the standard 75 kWh to the long-range 100 kWh for longer trips.
This flexibility costs the same as the respective BaaS rate: €169/month for 75 kWh, or €289/month for 100 kWh. In the NIO models, these batteries cost €12,000 and €21,000, respectively.
