Dacia Spring Review & Prices

Electric cars are really expensive, right? Well, Dacia doesn’t think so. The new Dacia Spring EV will cost less than £15,000 when it goes on sale later in 2024, making it the cheapest new electric car on sale by quite a margin.

It’s one of the cheapest cars, full stop - even petrol-powered city cars such as the Toyota Aygo X cost more to buy. But does being the Poundland of EVs mean that you’ll end up with a car that’s actually no use to anyone?

The Dacia Spring is sort of a halfway house between electric cars that aren’t really cars - like the Citroen Ami - and the cheapest versions of proper EVs, such as the Vauxhall Corsa Electric. Its closest alternative is the new Citroen e-C3, which is the second-cheapest EV on sale (if you’re keeping track) but promises to be a more rounded product.

The Spring EV is a tiny car, weighing less than a ton and around 30cm shorter than Dacia’s other small car, the Sandero. That means you only get four seats inside, though they’re surprisingly spacious for such a dinky car. You also get a 308-litre boot, which is bigger than a Vauxhall Corsa Electric’s 267 litres and almost the same size as a Citroen e-C3’s 310-litre space.

Dacia Spring: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 140 miles
Efficiency: 5.1mi/kWh
Battery size: 27kWh
Max charge speed: 30kW
Charge time AC: 3hrs 50 mins, 7kW
Charge time DC: 45 mins, 20-80%
Charge port location: Front centre
Power outputs: 45hp/65hp

You can even tick the right options box to unlock 35 litres of ‘frunk’ space under the bonnet, making a useful spot to store charging cables and other supplies.

The interior of the Spring is very much aiming for ‘cheap and cheerful’, with flashes of colour lifting the ambience and hopefully distracting you from the cheap materials. All models do get a 7.0-inch digital drivers display, and equipment for UK models is going to be surprisingly generous - with cruise control, air-con and remote locking as standard. Top-spec cars will also get a 10.0-inch infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Where you’ll really notice the cost-cutting is on the road. Dacia will offer two versions of the Spring in the UK, named the 45 and the 65. The former has a 45hp electric motor, a top speed of just 78mph and takes a yawning 19.1 seconds to get from 0-62mph.

The 65 model has - you guessed it - 65hp, and manages 0-62mph in a much more palatable 13.7 seconds, which is on par with most petrol city cars.

Being so light, the Spring makes the most out of its tiny 27kWh battery pack, with an official range of 137 miles per charge. That’s a modest amount, especially when you look at larger EVs that can do almost 300 miles - but it’s more than enough for even a fairly chunky daily commute, and for many people it’ll be plenty. Especially if the Spring is playing as a second car for a family that already has a combustion-engined vehicle for longer journeys.

We’ll be getting behind the wheel of the Dacia Spring before it goes on sale to bring you our full verdict of what it’s like to drive and live with. In the meantime, though, you can check out what we think are the best cheap electric cars, or see how much you could save on a Dacia Spring or other Dacia models here. You can also take a look at used Dacias, or trust our network of dealers to help you sell your old car when the time comes.

Pricing is the real headline, coming in at less than £15,000. For that you get the Expression trim with air-conditioning, rear parking sensors, remote central locking and the required suite of safety equipment. Stepping up to Extreme adds a proper infotainment system, a rear camera, and more stylish body and interior trim.

The Spring 45 is available only as Expression trim, and you’ll pay an extra £1,000 for the 65. Another £1,000 on top of that gets you the 65 in Extreme trim.

This is incredibly cheap - the Spring doesn’t just undercut existing electric cars, it’s cheaper than most petrol hatchbacks of a similar size. The closest EV alternative is the new Citroen e-C3, which comes in at just under £22,000 - though that’s a larger car, with a longer range and greater performance.