The Dacia Spring is almost completely new!

The Dacia Spring has been on the Dutch price lists since 2021. Initially it cost less than 18 grand and you now pay almost 22,000 euros for the basic version, but that makes the Spring by far the cheapest electric car you can buy new. To be fair, this is also reflected in the Spring. It is small and looks downright cheap inside and out, and not very modern either. That is not surprising, because a Spring is in fact the electric version of the Renault Kwid, which has been slightly adapted for Europe. That car has been around since 2015 and is intended as an affordable model for global growth markets, but has been with us for almost nine years.

The Dacia Spring has been updated before, although the 2022 update was not actually worth the name ‘facelift’. However, Dacia now more than makes up for that. Almost every panel is new and that is clearly visible. A completely new, Duster-inspired nose and a much tighter butt are connected by equally tightened flanks, with horizontal creases that were not there before and a completely different shaped, much less curvaceous panel at the bottom of the doors. The lighting at the front is still spread over two layers, but the emphasis is now much stronger on the upper light units. These form an optical whole with the grille and are equipped with LED daytime running lights. Below it are the actual headlights, the (still) halogen light of which is now distributed through lenses.

According to Dacia, the roof is the only body panel that remains unchanged. We immediately believe that, but due to the removed roof rails, something changes on that roof. Those roof rails were previously there purely for decoration (no roof load allowed) and removing them provides a slightly better streamline.

Interior

The old Spring dashboard above, the new one below. You see: almost everything is new!

The metamorphosis is, if possible, even greater on the inside than on the outside. A completely new and much sleeker and more modern-looking dashboard takes the interior to a much higher level. That does not mean that it is suddenly a Rolls-Royce, but it does mean that the small EV now seems to embrace its budget-friendly character in a much more positive way. Instead of misplaced camouflage attempts with piano paint, we now see simple, sleek, yet creative shapes and colors. The whole thing looks robust, there is more storage space than before and there are all kinds of fun accessories to spice things up, such as phone holders, lights and a second glove compartment.

A phone holder is also standard on the cheaper versions, in which your smartphone can take over the role of infotainment screen through an app. We already know this solution from other Dacias, but it is now also possible on the Spring. The standard radio (with Bluetooth) can then be operated with the buttons on the steering wheel and the digital instruments. More expensive versions have Media Nav Live, a new infotainment system with a 10-inch touchscreen. Just like in the cars of parent company Renault, the system is based on Google’s Android Automotive, which offers all kinds of advantages. Google Maps is not included in this case, because the navigation comes from Here. Don’t worry: Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are also available.

2020: the original Dacia Spring

2022: a mild facelift, which mainly brings the new Dacia logo.

2024: only the basic lines are still recognizable.

Although the Dacia Spring is still not a long-distance car for many reasons, it is a lot more comfortable for two reasons. The first of these is the steering wheel, which is height adjustable for the first time. On that steering wheel we now find buttons for the cruise control for the first time, also a very nice extra. To meet the latest European requirements, the Spring will in any case have many auxiliary systems added. The best news is that Dacia has found a good way to disable the most annoying of those systems in one fell swoop: a programmable button. Write along, other car builders!

Because the basis of the Spring remains unchanged, this of course also applies to the luggage compartment and the space on the back seat. Yet there is also a profit here, because the extensive accessory price list includes a real ‘frunk’. The charging compartment can be screwed under the hood in a few minutes, which means that you can use the empty space there for charging cables and other small items. Quite pleasant.

The technique

And now the bad news: from a technical point of view, almost nothing changes to the Dacia Spring. We note some small news, such as a V2L option to power your coffee maker and an option to schedule charging sessions. The power of the Spring remains at 45 or 65 hp, but that higher power is no longer reserved for the most expensive Extreme version. It is also possible on ‘middle version’ Expression, albeit at an additional cost.

The Spring still does not have a three-phase charger and still reaches a maximum of 30 kW on the fast charger, even if the optional option is checked. The battery measures a modest 26.8 kWh and is sufficient for a driving range of an unimpressive 220 kilometers due to an equally modest power consumption.

Is that bad? Not according to Dacia. The average Spring rider appears to travel 37 kilometers per day and is therefore more than enough on such an average day, but for the outliers a little more range is quite nice. Moreover, the competition does not sit still. Volkswagen’s budget EVs will have to wait a while, but Citroën’s ë-C3 is already coming and offers more space, more power and more range for a few thousand euros extra. However, the Dacia Spring remains the cheapest EV in its new form and that is also worth something. We will learn exactly how expensive the new Spring is in the spring. Renault Group CEO has according to Autonews hint that the Spring will be priced a bit more competitively than before. The market introduction will follow shortly after that ‘spring’, namely in the summer of this year.