About Spring
The Spring arrived in 2021 with a radical proposition: an electric car at a price normal people could afford. Based on a small Renault model built in China, it was tiny, light and simple, with a modest battery and a modest motor, but it was enough for city driving, car-sharing fleets and drivers who wanted to go electric without a luxury budget. It quickly became one of Europe's cheapest new EVs and a talking point about what electric cars could and should cost.
The trade-offs were obvious. Performance was leisurely, highway trips were not its strength, and an early poor crash test rating attracted criticism, which Dacia countered by pointing to its focus on urban use and its low price. None of that stopped buyers, many of whom simply wanted the cheapest way to plug in. Later updates improved the interior and added a more powerful motor. The newest Spring, shown at the Paris Motor Show, has grown up with more space, a sturdier look and updated technology, according to first-look reviews, and it drew strong interest as a genuinely affordable EV in a market full of expensive ones.
The Spring competes with the Citroen e-C3, the Renault Twingo E-Tech, the Leapmotor T03, the BYD Dolphin Surf and other small EVs arriving to fill the affordable end of the market. Its Chinese origin also places it in the middle of Europe's tariff debate. This page follows reviews, prices, specifications and sales, as well as the latest on Dacia's broader plans for low-cost electric cars. Few small cars have done more to shift the argument about what an EV ought to cost.