Overview
The Dacia Spring holds a unique position in the market as the UK's most affordable new EV. Stripping away unnecessary weight, massive battery packs, and complex luxury additions, it addresses the entry-level gap. Serving as a dedicated urban commuter or a highly economical second car, this compact five-door hatchback intentionally prioritizes value over long-distance capabilities, undercutting mainstream supermini rivals like the Citroën ë-C3 and Fiat Grande Panda by thousands of pounds.
Design
Embracing a rugged, crossover-inspired design, the Spring has a raised ride height, black plastic wheel-arch cladding, and chunky front and rear bumpers. The front fascia adopts the brand's latest design language, incorporating a sleek grille layout paired with modern Y-shaped LED daytime running lights. Higher trim levels introduce distinct Copper Brown accents on the door mirrors, and bumper graphics, whilst the entry-level options opt for a cleaner, entirely utilitarian look. Despite the SUV looks, its footprint remains incredibly compact and narrow, making it perfect for navigating tight city streets.
Interior
The cabin is unashamedly minimalist and constructed with hard-wearing, budget-friendly plastics designed for longevity. Standard variants feature a basic dashboard that contains a central smartphone mount and a 7-inch digital driver information display rather than a built-in infotainment screen. Moving up to the top-tier specification introduces a 10-inch central touchscreen complete with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, physical climate control toggles, and vibrant copper highlighting across the air vents.
Performance & Powertrains
The FWD platform uses a single motor paired with a highly efficient 24kWh lithium-ion battery pack. There's a choice between two main power outputs: a city-focused 70 hp unit or a more versatile 100 hp variant. The vehicle achieves an energy consumption rating of 5 miles/kWh, translating to a range of 140 miles, which expands to a useful 195 miles in purely city environments. Charging performance reflects the small scale of the battery pack, accommodating up to 7 kW AC home charging overnight, while standard 40 kW DC charging replenishes the battery from 20% to 80% capacity in around 29 minutes. The top-tier package also introduces innovative Vehicle-to-Load capability, allowing the car to supply 3.7 kW of electrical power to external devices.
Practicality
Despite occupying a very small footprint, the interior maximizes available space to deliver impressive accommodation for up to four adults, offering competitive headroom and legroom in the rear row alongside 32.7 litres of cabin storage bins. Cargo capacity is highly competitive for a city car, providing a deep 308-litre boot area under the parcel shelf. When extra space is required, the single-piece folding rear bench seat collapses flat to expand the maximum available cargo volume to 1,004 litres.
Buying
Pricing serves as the primary headline for the vehicle, positioning it comfortably as the lowest-priced electric car on sale across the UK. The range begins at an very accessible £15,990 for the entry-level Expression 70 trim and moves up to £16,990 for the fully-equipped Extreme 100 variant. Base Expression models come standard with cruise control, manual air conditioning, rear parking sensors, and essential radar-guided safety assistance systems. Upgrading to the Extreme grade brings the larger 10-inch navigation screen, a reversing camera, contrasting exterior styling elements, and the bidirectional charging. The EV Hub recommended configuration is the Extreme 100. Selecting this secures the much more capable 100hp motor, and the dedicated 10-inch touchscreen, providing the best possible balance of low-cost ownership and modern driving usability.