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Dubbed “the most affordable new electric car in the UK” by its manufacturer, the long-awaited Dacia Spring crossover has reached the UK market, with two trim grades now available.
Posing a direct sales challenge to budget EVs like the BYD Dolphin and Citroën ë-C3, we last reported on the Spring in 2020 when it was a concept model. Back then, Dacia promised an electric range of 124 miles on a single charge, and the crossover has been on sale in other countries since 2021.
Dacia decided to wait until the model’s 2023 facelift to plan the car’s UK launch – an update that introduced an exterior styling refresh and the brand’s latest logo. Dacia affirms that its electric crossover is “comfortably inside the UK’s top ten most affordable new cars”, including pint-sized petrol runarounds.
Indeed, only the Fiat Panda, Kia Picanto and Dacia Sandero can be purchased new from a dealership for less than the Spring, which is available to pre-order now by placing a £99 deposit via Dacia’s website.
The brand says it has listened to its customers, providing a budget alternative to the “traditionally high purchase price that many UK drivers say stops them from making the switch to an EV”, and expects the car to be one of its best sellers.
Looking at the specs, the Spring can also muster a few more miles than what was initially promised too. The entry-level ’45’ model can reportedly travel up to 137 miles on a single charge, while the top-spec ’65’ is able to handle distances of up to 186 miles on a single charge.
The EV is certainly one of the most affordable battery-powered cars to ever go on sale in the UK, but it is also one of the slowest. For the lead-in price of £15k, you get a 45hp powertrain – the same amount of power you would get from a Smart car from the early noughties.
Considering that its Citroën ë-C3 rival offers 83hp as standard – for around £8k more – its clear to see how Dacia has managed to undercut other brands on price, and why the manufacturer hasn’t led this announcement with the crossover’s 0-62mph sprint time, which is a pretty slow 19 seconds.
The ’65’ powertrain option – which costs just under £16k cheapest – cuts this sprint time to 13.7 seconds thanks to its more powerful 65hp electric motor. Both make use of a 27kWh battery (which is smaller than the battery fitted to some plug-in hybrid SUVs) and can be charged from 20% to 100% in four hours using a 7kW charging station.
Two trims are available, starting with the lead-in ‘Expression’ model. This spec includes a seven-inch digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, cruise control, rear parking sensors, electric front windows and remote central locking.
As standard, the car comes with a ‘media control system’ instead of an infotainment screen – a phone holder and USB port combo that allows the owner to use an app on their smartphone to run the car’s infotainment. To get the ten-inch infotainment screen shown above, you will need to opt for the ‘Extreme’ trim, which also adds electric rear windows and some copper-coloured accents on the dashboard.
Dacia also stresses that the budget crossover meets Europe’s strict safety standards. In its quest to provide value-for-money motoring options, the brand doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to Euro NCAP safety testing – its compact Sandero hatchback holds a poor two-star safety rating, while the larger Jogger people carrier was awarded a one-star safety rating by the crash testers in 2022.
Nevertheless, the Spring comes with an emergency braking system that can detect vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, traffic sign recognition with speed alerts, rear parking assistance, and lane keeping assistance, as well as driver attention warning that alerts the driver when it detects drowsiness.
Dacia hasn’t yet specified how much boot space the vehicle offers, but says that the car has 1,004 litres of luggage space with the rear seats folded. Beyond the purchase price, the manufacturer also gives the buyer an extra £250 to put towards accessories on the options list, or towards a home charger from the brand’s chosen provider.
That sums up what we know about the Dacia Spring’s UK arrival. The first customer orders are expected to be delivered in October. As more British reviewers get their hands on the budget crossover in the near future, keep an eye out for the model’s Expert Rating which will be published here on The Car Expert in the coming months!
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