First drive: Dacia’s Spring has arrived as the most affordable EV on sale

What is it?

The Spring is Dacia’s smallest model and will be the first EV to be launched by the brand. Arriving as the cheapest new electric car on sale here in the UK, it’s accompanied by an attractive price tag of just under £15,000.

Cars it’s competing against – like the Fiat 500e –  are more expensive and less practical whereas the Spring comes as standard with five-doors alongside that value-focused price tag.

Its predecessor wasn’t available over on our shores, however, this second-generation car is available to order now for British buyers.

What’s new?

All the body panels with the exception of the roof are new and inside, the interior has been updated and now includes more equipment

A host of new standard safety equipment also aims to make the Spring as safe as possible in the event of an accident such as emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, rear park assist, lane change alert, lane keep assist, driver attention warning and Dacia’s eCall emergency service call.

What’s under the bonnet?

The Spring will come with a 26.8kWh battery pack and will be available in two power guises.

The basic powertrain comes with a 45bhp electric motor and 125Nm of torque. It has a top speed of 78mph, does 0-60mph in 19.1 seconds and can do 141 miles on a single charge.

We were driving the more powerful unit, which is standard on the top trim level. It comes with a 65 bhp electric motor, but has less torque at 113Nm, the same top speed as the former, but a quicker 0-60mph of a rather sedate 13.5 seconds. An electric driving range of 135 miles is only slight under that in the lower-powered model.

What’s it like to drive?

Behind the wheel, the Spring feels like a cheap car. There is a lot of road noise at speed and not that much sound insulation.

The driving position itself has limited functions with no height adjustment on the driver’s seat and lack of reach on the steering wheel while the steering itself is vague and you struggle to know where the vehicle is turning.

The suspension is a little bouncy over bigger bumps and the car does pick up on the smaller imperfections on the road. Cornering at higher speeds, meanwhile, makes the car feel nervous and around the tighter bends, there is a lot of body roll – but this is no sports car, after all.

Nevertheless, acceleration is perfectly acceptable and visibility is also decent when manoeuvring.

Also, for an EV, it’s very light with our test car weighing in at 984kg.

The baby Dacia feels most at home in town. The light steering made it very easy to drive down narrow streets and the turning circle is one of the tightest around.

How does it look?

Looking at its exterior, it’s clear that the Spring has taken some design cues from its larger sibling, the Duster. There are coloured protection strips that wrap around the body of the car to help reduce damage in those urban environments, alongside lower-door side protectors.

The front features LED daytime running lights with the brand’s Y-shaped light design, while the roof bars found on the old model has been removed which help reduce weight, improve aerodynamics and help with the car’s electric driving range.

The C-pillars house the Spring logo and the front and back bumpers are made from hard wearing plastics that are less prone to scratching.

What’s it like inside?

The Spring is a budget car, and it feels it inside. There are hard brittle plastics throughout the cabin, however we can’t expect too much at this price point.

In the front, there is plenty of storage with large door bins, a large dashboard cutout and the glovebox is a good size — although its narrow width and lid dripping into the passenger’s knee area is frustrating.

The dashboard itself is logically laid out and everything is easy to navigate and to use on the move. However, the seats don’t give that much support and are not the most comfortable on longer trips.

Step in the back and the room is adequate for a vehicle of this size. Headroom will be fine for averaged sized adults on short trips, but knee room is tight.

Boot space stands at 308 litres with the seats up and extends to 1,004 litres with them folded down, it’s just a shame that the rear seats are a fixed bench with no split folding function to increase its flexibility.

What’s the spec like?

UK specifications are simple. There are two trim levels and two power outputs.

Furthermore, just because it’s a budget car doesn’t mean it comes poorly equipped, in fact, the Spring comes with a lot of standard features.

The entry level Expression is available with either the 45 or 65 powertrain and comes as standard with a seven-inch digital instrument cluster, rear parking sensors, cruise control, manual air-conditioning and electric front windows. It’s priced at £14,995 or £15,995 for the higher powered version.

The vehicle we were testing was the top-of-the-line Extreme. It’s only available with the more powerful 65 powertrain and boasts electric mirrors, electric rear windows, a 10-inch multimedia system with navigation, Apple Carplay and Android Auto as well as two USB ports. Prices come in at £16,995.

Verdict

You’re not going to buy a Dacia Spring because you want the most engaging driving experience or the best in refinement and build quality.

But, if you want a no nonsense, sensible and affordable city car, perfect for navigating the urban streets — the Spring is the ideal car for the job.

The firm has built a reputation in its 11 years on our shores for making simple, affordable and easy to own vehicles, and this new model demonstrates that very well.

The Spring doesn’t pretend to be anything that it’s not. It’s well equipped, offers an acceptable driving range and gives access to EV ownership at an ultra-low price, and for many, will be the dealmaker.