Dacia Spring review: Is the UK’s cheapest EV worth considering?

May 2, 2025 Matt Allan

We find out if the UK’s cheapest EV is a genuine real-world option or if the Dacia Spring’s specification, range and performance hold it back.

The debate around the cost of new EVs continues to rage, but there’s no doubt that more and more affordable models are coming to market.

Cars like the Renault 5, Citroen E-C3 and Fiat Grande Panda are bringing EVs close to the £20,000 mark, with models from VW, Skoda and BYD to come. But for sheer wallet-friendly electric motoring in 2025, nothing beats the Dacia Spring, which starts from £14,995 in the UK.

The A-segment hatchback has been on sale in mainland Europe since 2021 and underwent a major facelift in late 2024. That also marked Dacia’s decision to bring its budget EV to the UK for the first time, dropping an electric car into the same price bracket as petrol-powered city cars like the Kia Picanto.

To do so, the Chinese-built Spring makes certain compromises in performance, range and equipment. We already know that there’s a new Spring on the horizon, which will be built in Europe and is expected to bring significant upgrades, but how does Britain’s cheapest EV stack up right now?

Dacia Spring design, interior and technology

The Spring is a true A-segment hatchback, measuring just 3.7m long. But like so many new cars, it has an SUV-inspired look that incorporates a boxy, upright body, raised ride height and some black cladding around the wheel arches. It’s hardly an original approach and from the side or rear, there’s not much individuality to the Spring. At the front, though, there’s Dacia’s bold family identity and higher-specification Extreme models bring a bit more visual interest, with copper trim and map-style graphics on the lower bumpers.

The copper detailing is continued inside and, along with generous splashes of gloss white plastic trim, helps lift the ambience beyond the bargain basement scratchy black plastic we normally associate with budget cars. The Spring’s interior is still clearly built to a price, so don’t expect premium finishes, but go in aware that this is a £15k car and you won’t be disappointed.

The Spring’s simple interior feels built to a budget but does all that’s asked of it (Photo: Matt Allan)

For a small car, Dacia is proud of the storage space in the Spring – there’s a 308-litre boot that’s comparable to cars in the class above, plus 33 litres of storage space in the cabin. The problem here is that spaces including the centre console and dashboard tray are wide open and items slide around. The Spring has two “YouClip” mounting points that allow you to attach optional accessories such as a phone mount, but it’s frustrating that there isn’t even a lone cupholder as standard.

In contrast to the storage space, passenger space is at a premium. That 3.7m footprint translates to a compact cabin and rear space that’s really only suitable for children. The same can be said for most A-segment cars, however, and driver and front passengers are well enough catered for. Just don’t expect fancy things such as lumbar support or lots of seat adjustment.

Being the cheapest electric car on sale, the Spring isn’t some high-tech showcase. All cars have seven-inch digital instruments, but basic models don’t get any form of touchscreen. Instead there’s a phone mount, Bluetooth connection to the two (yes, two) speakers, and some steering wheel controls to manage media and navigation via the Dacia phone app. Higher spec cars get a 10-inch touchscreen with wireless Android and Apple mirroring, live onboard sat nav and a second USB port. The system is simple but does the basics well and is clear and responsive.

Driver assistance is limited pretty much to that mandated by law, so there’s automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition and a driver attention warning. Thankfully, like more expensive Renaults, these can be customised and activated or deactivated with a single button press.

Battery, motor and performance

The Dacia Spring comes with a choice of two motors, each mated to the same 26.8kWh battery.

In its cheapest form, Britain’s cheapest EV uses a 45bhp motor to drive the front wheels, with an official maximum range of 140 miles.

Above that, there is a 65bhp motor which Dacia claims will return the same 140-mile range and bizarrely has less torque. In a world where car makers are close to breaking the 500-mile milestone, 140 miles doesn’t sound like a lot. But the average UK driver does less than 7,500 miles a year, and most daily commutes are less than 20 miles. So even with the Spring’s tiny battery, many drivers will need to charge just once or twice a week.

That’s backed up by Dacia’s in-house data, which shows the average trip in a Spring is 23 miles a day, covered at an average of 23mph.

The Spring’s power and range are low compared with many EVs, but sufficient for a lot of users (Photo: Matt Allan)

That’s very telling as well – the Spring is undoubtedly intended for urban use where short, low-speed runs are the norm. I drove the more powerful version, which with its extra 20bhp offered a still leisurely 0-62mph time of 14 seconds. However, 0-62 times don’t matter that much if you’re sticking to 20mph or 30mph zones, where the Spring feels lively enough.

For all its measly on-paper performance, the Dacia Spring can manage faster roads. A brief diversion onto the M25 showed it has enough shove to keep up with motorway traffic without feeling lost, but also proved that this is a car set up for city driving.

The steering is super-light and very vague, and at high speeds the Spring’s sub-1,000kg kerbweight means it’s vulnerable to crosswinds. On A roads, too, the lack of feel from the steering and softly-sprung suspension mean the Spring never feels completely at home. However, nipping around a town centre, it makes manoeuvring a doddle and the ride is soft enough to soak up most potholes.

Among the measures to keep the Spring’s cost down is a meagre 30kW DC charging rate that will take 45 minutes to provide a 20-80% charge. This is a car intended for home or overnight charging, where a 7kW charger will take it from 20-100% in around four hours.

A little surprisingly, the Spring also offers vehicle-to-load for bidirectional charging, something that is still far from standard in more expensive vehicles.

Dacia Spring price and specification

The Dacia Spring line-up is as simple as every other element of the car. There are two trims — Expression and Extreme. Expression cars can be ordered with the 45bhp motor or the 65bhp one, while Extreme only comes with the more powerful unit.

Realistically, not even Dacia expects to sell many of the £14,995 Expression 45. Most buyers are more likely to go for the £15,995 Expression 65, or find the extra £1,000 for the Extreme. In monthly terms, it makes £13 difference.

The Spring’s equipment levels are about what you would expect given its price and position. Manual air conditioning, cruise control, parking sensors and remote central locking are about as far as the creature comforts go in Expression grade. Like the Citroen E-C3, the front windows are electric but the rears aren’t.

The jump to Extreme adds powered rear windows and mirrors, the 10-inch touchscreen and V2L charging, as well as copper trim to the inside and out.

The problem is that for the same price as the mid-level model, the Leapmotor T03 offers a bit more power (94bhp), a bit more range (165 miles) and more kit as standard.

Beyond that, the next closest car is the Citroen E-C3, which starts at £5,000 more than the Spring but feels like a more substantial, mature car.

Verdict

In the £15,000 to £17,000 price range there aren’t that many choices and the Spring feels perfectly competitive as an electric alternative to cars like the Suzuki Swift or Kia Picanto.

It has its limitations, but these are mostly related to long distances. The short range, relative lack of refinement and slow charging make journeys of more than 100 miles unattractive. But as a second car for the school run or a city-based commuter option, it does enough to impress. It’s easy to throw around an urban environment, has enough range for most people’s daily needs and enough creature comforts that buyers won’t feel short-changed.