Can the cheapest electric car be the best electric car?
Exterior – Front
So, lets start with the styling as we do on the Dacia Spring and the first version was never the best. Well, this new version improves on the look, and it takes much of the design from the new Duster. All the panels are new apart from the roof. We get the y shaped graphics as headlights up front, and these are connected with a grill with the Dacia logo and a broken bar style which I do quite like. Below the Daytime Running Lights we get a separate unit which houses your headlights. These have been styled to look like air vents and again this gives the front a sporty look. The lower central air vent has a unique design though with this white pattern that almost looks like a car wrap. Its not to my taste as such but it is definitely different. We also get a lot of body cladding too to give it an off-roader look.
Exterior – Side
Moving round to the side and we get a lot more body cladding round the wheel arches and along the sills. We also get a black sticker on the lower part of the door to give it an even more rugged look. The door handles and key lock does look like it came from the late 2000’s in which case it probably did. This has been done to keep the costs down. The overall design though is smooth, young and cheerful which I do quite like.
Exterior – Rear
Moving round to the back and we get a whole new design compared to the old model. We get a set of Y shaped taillights which aren’t LED but I am ok with that. Connecting these is a black plastic bar with the Dacia lettering in it. This gives it a modern almost concept look to it. The bumper is very minimal but has the same graphic as the front central air vent which again im not sure about but it is different. Right let’s have a look at what battery and motor options you can have with the new Dacia Spring.
Car and engine specs and price
So, the battery and motor options are quite easy in the Spring with only 2 options available. The base model uses a 44 bhp motor and a 26.8 kWh battery pack which gives you a range of about 140 miles which isn’t that bad considering the price which we will get on to in a moment. The 0-62 time is delt within 19.1 seconds though which isn’t that good. It is front wheel drive though. The next and final model has 64 bhp and this is mated to the same 26.8 kWh battery pack. This has a range of 140 miles but a quicker 0-62 time of 13.7 seconds which is much better and would be my pick. Now for the good bit. The price of the new Dacia Spring starts at £14,995. Lets have a look at the interior.
Interior – Design
So, moving inside the new Dacia Spring and you can tell that it is a cheap car but that’s no bad thing. Considering the price, you are going to expect it. What they haven’t cheeped out on is the technology though. You get a fully digital instrument cluster with decent graphics in it. You also get a new 10-inch infotainment system that is taken from the new Duster which runs Android Automotive. The switch gear also feels decent and not flimsy too which makes the user experience even better. The same goes for the steering wheel again taken from the new Duster. We do get some lighter and copper colour plastics which does lighten up the cabin which is quite nice. We also get a little toggle leaver for the gear selector and a manual hand brake. The only negative I have with this interior so far is the seats. They look too cheap and feel too cheap with very little support. I wish these could have been updated to ones found in the Sandero. If that had been done, then this interior would have been a good place to be. Let’s have a look at the rear seats.
Practicality
So, getting into the back and it is only a 4-seater but that might be a good thing as there isn’t a lot of room. Legroom is a bit tight, but headroom is just about bearable. Again, this is to be expected but if it had the better seats up front then I would have had more legroom. The rear seats are also quite flat so there isn’t much support there either which is a shame, but it is mainly going to be a second car or a first-time driver’s car. Let’s have a look at the boot.
Boot Size
So, opening the boot to the Dacia Spring and considering that it is a city car it does have a supermini boot size with 308 litres with the rear seats in place. Folding the seats down you get 1,004 litres. There is a big load lip though and there is no underfloor storage for your cables which is a shame. Dacia may offer a front storage area as an accessory which may add 30 litres of space up front, but this should be standard really and it’s a shame that it isn’t.
Summary
So, what do I think of the new Dacia Spring then. Well for the value of car then it isn’t that bad. The design is decent and as to is the interior. Its not the most practical car in the world and storage isn’t the best as to are the seats. Its shouldn’t be considered as a main car but a second car or a first-time driver car. Really though if you save a bit more money you could go for a Vauxhall Corsa which is only £4,000 more. With that you get a bigger car with more range and style too. It is also safer and much more premium than the Spring. So, taking it back to my question is the cheapest the best. Well in some way if it will suit you then yes but I would have to say no for me as there are better electric models that aren’t that much more.
Exterior 4/5
Interior 3/5
Practicality 2/5
Total 9/15
Model | Dacia Spring Extreme |
Engine | 26.8kWh Battery Pack, Single Motor, 64bhp, 0-62 = 13.7 Seconds 140 Mile Range, Front Wheel Drive |
Transmission | Single Speed Automatic |
Price | £52,010 |
On Sale | Now |
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