Dacia Spring: Full Review of Europe’s Budget EV

As fuel prices continue to soar throughout Europe, many are considering buying their first electric vehicle. Renault’s Romanian-based subsidiary, Dacia, has developed the Spring EV to be that car. The Dacia Spring is designed as a city crossover SUV. It aims to offer eco-friendly driving at a price point available to as many Europeans as possible. 

Powered by a 26.8 kWh battery, the Dacia Spring promises a driving distance of at least 140 miles (230km) with a single charge. This makes it an ideal crossover for suburban or urban driving experiences. Additionally, the car hosts a wide range of features found in modern cars, including a rearview camera viewable through a 7-inch touchscreen display, full air-conditioning and heating controls, and up-to-date braking and safety features.

In this article, we’ll look at the Dacia Spring in-depth to see if it’s the best EV for your budget. We’ll also discover what features and exciting new tech come with this nifty electric crossover. 

6 Must-Know Facts About the Dacia Spring 

• The Dacia Spring is Europe’s most affordable EV, starting at around 17,000 Euros.
• The range on a Dacia Spring is around 140 miles (230km) on a single charge.
• More Dacia Springs have been sold in Germany, where the Spring is under 10,000 Euros thanks to Government incentives. 
• The Dacia Spring can fast-charge to 80% in under 40 minutes.
• The Spring is based on Dacia’s parent company Renault’s K-ZE, available in China.
• Dacia has unveiled a new model of the Dacia Spring, called the EXTREME, set to release in 2023/2024.

Specifications: Dacia Spring EV

Dacia Spring EV: Where to Buy

Released in the Spring of 2021, the Dacia Spring is available only in the European market. However, it is slated to become available in the United Kingdom as soon as 2024. The Dacia Spring was a welcome addition as Europe’s cheapest electric vehicle designed for inner-city travel. The Spring features a small crossover-SUV body, ideal for getting in and out of tight parking spaces in cities with small streets.

The first Dacia Spring models were available in Romania, followed by Germany, France, and the Netherlands. Production of the car initially takes place in Chinese Renault-owned factories. It is then imported to Renault’s subsidiary, Dacia, in Romania. The Spring has seen great successes in the European market, where 70,000 orders for the car have been placed since its initial release in 2021. 

Sadly, Dacia has no plans to release the EV in the North American market due to the low popularity of compact cars.

Different Pricing Options

As of the time of writing (March 2023), you can only purchase the Dacia Spring in the European market. The starting price is €17,980 ($20,200). However, by spring of 2023, Dacia will release the Spring EXTREME EV, which provides more horsepower in the electric motor and brings about a new color (slate blue) and inside trim options. The Dacia Spring EXTREME will cost €22,300 ($23,922) at release. 

The History of the Dacia Spring EV: What To Know

Based in Bucharest, Romania, Dacia is a subsidiary of the French manufacturer Renault. While Renault had produced electric vehicles in both the Chinese and European markets, the Dacia Spring was the first all-electric vehicle to be produced by Dacia.

The Dacia Spring was unveiled in March 2020 at the Geneva Motor Show. Dacia promoted the car in Geneva as a small crossover SUV with a top speed of 125 kilometers per hour and an electric range of roughly 140 miles. 

The Spring is based on Dacia’s parent company Renault’s K-ZE, which was already a popular electric vehicle available exclusively in China. Pre-orders in Europe for the Spring began in December 2020. While prices ranged based on special government incentives and taxes, the Spring was available for €12,400 in France, making it the most affordable electric vehicle in the European market.

By March 2021, Dacia began its initial deliveries of the Spring to customers in France. The first batch of deliveries sold out almost immediately, and by May 2021, the Spring had become the best-selling EV in France and one of the best-selling EVs in the European market, with more than 20,000 orders for the car placed throughout the EU. By the time fall came around, Dacia had announced that it had sold more than 30,000 orders for the Spring in Europe.

In 2023, Dacia announced that they would begin to manufacture new versions of the Spring, including an EXTREME car model which brings about a higher horse-powered electric motor and additional driving range. Production on the car is slated to begin in the late winter and early spring, with deliveries set to start in late spring or early summer.  

Dacia Spring EV: Design and Construction

Designed to be a compact electric crossover, the Dacia Spring features a modern rounded exterior design, narrow headlights, and the Dacia logo imprinted in the front grille. The Spring seats a total of four, including the driver, although the back seats are small. 

As for colors, the Spring is available with three different paint options, which include classics like black, white, or gray. While not very creative, we can’t knock it considering the budget price tag.

In terms of size, the Dacia Spring is a small car, measuring just 3.73 meters in length, 1.62 meters in width, and 1.51 meters tall. Standing a bit higher than most cars designed for cities, the Spring has an off-road look. However, this look is deceiving as we don’t recommend taking the Spring out on long country drives. Instead, this is definitely an EV that is designed around downtown driving.

Dacia Spring EV: Performance

Powered by a 33 kW electric motor, the Spring delivers 44 horsepower and has a maximum torque of 125 Nm. The Spring tops at 125 km/h, making this EV ideal for suburban and city driving.

While not the fastest EV, the Spring is still great for city driving. The electric powertrain provides a smooth driving experience with instant torque and easy acceleration, making the Spring easy to navigate through dense traffic thanks to easy merging. The braking system is regenerative, which helps to increase the maximum distance and efficiency. 

Dacia Spring EV: Range and Recharging

A single charge from the Spring will get you about 140 miles, or 230 kilometers distance, which is more than enough for daily commuting.

Charging is a breeze for Spring, thanks to Dacia making the car able to be charged with a standard European 2.3 kW socket, a Wallbox (3.7 kW), or any public charging station that offers up to 30 kW charging. Dacia has provided Spring buyers with both cables for Mode 2 charging (domestic sockets) and Mode 3 charging (public charging station sockets). 

For Mode 2 Charging, the average charge time for 160 kilometers of the range was around 4 hours and 30 minutes, with fast charging taking about 38 minutes for 128 kilometers. For drivers looking to charge the Dacia Spring with a standard European outlet, the charge times range from 8-14 hours.

As the cheapest EV available in the European markets, the Dacia Spring has the best range for an EV under €20,000. Compared to the next tier in pricing for European EVs, the Spring shines above similarly-priced competition. 

Dacia Spring EV: Interior

The Spring features a practical interior designed to be functional. Accommodating up to four passengers, there is plenty of headroom for everyone in the car, but legroom for the back two passengers can be a bit lacking. Your dashboard is the standard 7-inch touchscreen found in most modern vehicles. It provides an infotainment system with Bluetooth connectivity for music and calls, a radio, and an integrated smartphone app for iOS and Android devices. 

Customers have found the cabin well-insulated, providing a quiet drive with low wind and road noise levels. Each passenger also gets the standard range of storage compartments (center console, glovebox) and cupholders. 

Dacia Spring EV: Technology

Dacia made sure to include a range of advanced technology and safety features standard with all modern cars. The Spring is a well-equipped car with enough safety features, making this EV a convenient and practical choice for city-based drivers. 

Infotainment System

The critical technology within the Dacia Spring is definitely the infotainment system. The infotainment system gives you access to Bluetooth controls, radio controls, and Dacia’s smartphone app. The app can display your gauges on the infotainment center or make easy commands with your phone through voice recognition software. 

Safety Features

Looking at the Spring’s safety features, we see automatic emergency braking, which utilizes built-in sensors to detect potential risks of collisions while automatically applying the brakes to avoid crashing. There are also lane departure warning lights integrated into your side mirrors and lane drift recognition which gives you an alert through your infotainment system if you are drifting too far out of the lane. Lastly, the Spring includes a rearview camera through the infotainment system, making it all the easier to park the compact crossover in tight parallel spaces.

Dacia Spring EV: The Public Response

The Spring has been an incredible success for Dacia. Since the car’s release in 2021, over 110,000 units have been sold, with over 70,000 units shipped. Reviewers have complimented the vehicle’s design with a solid crossover SUV look, making the EV look more like an actual crossover than the smaller electric cars seen on roadways throughout Europe.  

Customers have noted that while the car struggles on highways, the Spring feels just right when driving in cities. As a crossover built for downtown driving, the Dacia feels smooth and doesn’t struggle when driving at lower speeds. In particular, the trim and size of the car make it ideal for carrying an entire family of passengers while still making the Spring easy to back into tight parking spaces.

The low price point is the most significant advantage. It is the reason why so many people have made orders for the Spring that Dacia is having trouble keeping up with demand. The Spring is the only EV in Europe that comes in under €20,000, making it an incredibly affordable EV designed to target first-time electric buyers. Dacia’s success with the price point has enabled them to produce more Springs. This will also allow them even bring in an updated version of the Spring which is set to release later in 2024. The new and improved Spring is expected to offer higher battery capacity and improved horsepower.