New Dacia Spring revealed ahead of UK launch
Dacia's electric car is coming to the UK this year. But not before it's received a timely update...
There’s a common refrain when it comes to new EVs. A lot of new cars, in fact. Essentially it’s hard to argue that they all seem way too heavy, much too fast and stupidly expensive. Plenty of people need affordable, simple, dependable new cars, and there doesn’t seem to be an awful lot of them. Dacia to the rescue, then, as this is the updated Spring: a sub-1,000kg electric car that’s already the cheapest new EV in Europe and is set (we hope) to claim the same accolade in the UK. Prices will follow in March, though there’s plenty to be encouraged by already for those weary of mega, mammoth electric cars.
When more than two tonnes is the going rate for anything battery-powered, the Spring’s 984kg kerbweight is extremely impressive. Of course, it won’t be as plush or as rangey as the super duper stuff, but that’s not the point - it’s a city runaround. And to weigh less than a VW Up doing so is laudable. That’s for the top-of-the-range Extreme model, too, crammed with active safety tech, and is actually six kilos heavier than the outgoing Spring - of which 140,000 have been sold in Europe since its original launch in 2021. The key to its lightness is keeping the Spring small and simple. The battery is only 26.8kWh in capacity (or just a single kWh more than that used in a plug-in Porsche Panamera) for a start; a smaller battery obviously doesn’t need as long to charge, doesn’t require as much cooling, doesn’t take up as much space and so on. It’s all to the Spring’s benefit.
The important numbers are 65hp (there’s 45hp for those that really want it), 0-62mph in less than 14 seconds and a WLTP range of ‘more than 137 miles’, with certification pending. Dacia claims consumption of ‘below 14.6kWh/62 miles’, or 4.25 miles per kilowatt hour. The battery can be charged from 20 per cent to 100 per cent on a 7kW wallbox in four hours, or a 30kW charger can do 20 per cent to 80 per cent in 45 minutes. That 7kW figure will likely be important as an urban runaround, being plugged in at supermarket chargers and so on. Nobody is going to be doing mega miles looking for the next Ionity; Dacia’s data from existing owners suggest an average of 23 miles a day. It offers vehicle-to-load charging and regenerative braking for the first time, too.
A significant part of this Spring update is about giving the 3.7m-long EV a more recognisable Dacia look. So it gets the new brand grille, the Y-shaped light signatures and some smart new colours like the Brick Red seen here. As with all new Dacias, there’s no chrome anymore, and the door protectors can be removed for those who like to live parking life dangerously. The interior, too, has been refreshed, with all models getting a seven-inch digital dash and the plusher models that people will actually buy (like the Extreme seen here) adding a 10-inch central display also.
Elsewhere, the YouClip points recently announced for the Duster are also in the Spring. It’s back to basics but it’s not boring, as we’ve come to expect from Dacia of late. Additional goodies for UK Spring buyers include a bigger boot than the original car, now with up to 1,004 litres (308 with the seats up), an optional 35-litre frunk and a 3D-printed cupholder. There’s a five-star Euro NCAP rating, too, for anyone who needs convincing about precious cargo in the bargain basement EV.
In the UK, there will be Essential, Expression and Extreme trims - just like the rest of the Dacia range. It’ll be interesting to see if buyers follow existing ICE and hybrid buyers by going for the top-of-the-range Extreme (which tends to be the most popular spec) or fully lean into the - hopefully - cheap-as-chips appeal. An Essential will have a USB port, cruise control, remote central locking, electric front windows and rear parking sensors - almost like the old days of kit lists. The Expression gets air con and 15-inch wheels, so that’s probably a bare minimum for most, then Extreme adds the copper accents, rear electric windows, central screen, V2L charging and phone mirroring. It’s easy to imagine many not considering anything but Extreme. The Spring currently starts at just under £15k in Europe. Less than £20,000 and some good lease deals might see that 140,000 total added to quite quickly…
It's the endless short journeys that cause her cars issues, exactly the journeys these cars are good at.
One thing I've noticed as well, PCP often works in my experience for these types of drivers, because of the low mileage the cost is quite reasonable while their capital can stay in the bank.
I bet this is interesting/scary when you're joining a dual carriageway/motorway on a short slip road for sure!
I bet this is interesting/scary when you're joining a dual carriageway/motorway on a short slip road for sure!
I bet this is interesting/scary when you're joining a dual carriageway/motorway on a short slip road for sure!
I bet this is interesting/scary when you're joining a dual carriageway/motorway on a short slip road for sure!
To put things into perspective the 0-60MPH time of a Lotus Cortina was 9 seconds. and a Dacia Duster Diesel 0-60 is the same as a Spring. It's also relatively light pretty cheap.
Manufacturers have got caught up in an endless battle for power and range, adding gadgets and gismos and ending up with too powerful, too heavy, to expensive EVs as a result.
The top selling ICE cars in Europe have been small hatchbacks, Corsa, Clio, Fiesta for years, this is a car that might be realistic for those customers.
The pedals are slightly off to the side, or the seat is, or something odd is going on, which means you sit at maybe five degrees off straight. It doesn't sound like much, but I find it's the difference between having to concentrate and constantly correct your course and just driving normally like you would in a normal car. I'd put the problem down to me, but when I got back in my B5 yesterday after a month of Sandero, the difference in driving position is really noticeable. Glad I'm not making the journey home in the Dacia.
The longer I live with our Dacia (up to 6000km now) the less I like it.
A city EV is absolutely the best EV use case, I just hope it's better implemented than our Sandero.
In seriousness though, this looks to be a pretty great runaround / station car etc. and appeals in the way all basic Dacias do. Hits the mark of actually being a useful car, rather than the kind of useless Citroën Ami.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202311284...
If this is £18/19k in the UK for a decent specification its still too much imo for the range/performance and I suspect on PCP it will be expensive due to the depreciation.
When its 1 year old and about £10/11k maybe I can se it being decent value.
P.S. EV owner so nothing against them!
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