What is it?

Dacia has forged its own path in the new car world, shunning the temptation of higher levels of technology and more extravagant prices in favour of models that go big in terms of practicality and value for money. It has, until this point, leant away from the electric vehicle world but that all changes with this car - the Spring.

In typical Dacia fashion, the Spring is focused on delivering a lower cost but no less usability than its rivals - which include the likes of the Fiat 500e - to ensure that it remains a very viable option in the new EV market.

What’s new?

The Dacia Spring has been on sale previously in other parts of Europe, but this is the first time that it’ll be available in the UK. This new model, however, has had a number of revisions with updates made to the interior and more equipment added to make the Spring a more compelling choice against alternatives.

Dacia has also equipped the Spring with plenty of standard safety equipment, including emergency braking, traffic sign recognition and rear-park assist, lane change alert and driver attention warning. Dacia’s automatic eCall emergency service calling system is also included with the Spring.

What’s under the bonnet?

All versions of the Spring are centred around the same 26.8kWh battery pack, though there are different motor options to choose from. As standard, the entry-level Spring puts out 45bhp and 125Nm of torque, enabling a top speed of 78mph and a 0-60mph time of 19.1 seconds. Overall, Dacia says that it should be able to return up to 141 miles from a single charge.

Above this sits a more powerful unit with 65bhp - though torque is lower at 113Nm. While the top speed remains the same as the lower-powered model, its 0-60mph drops to a still-quite-slow 13.5 seconds. As a result of the power increase, range drops to 135 miles, too.

What’s it like to drive?

There’s no shaking off the Spring’s budget-focused underpinnings when it’s time to jump behind the wheel. There’s quite a bit of road noise when you’re travelling at speed due to a thin layer of sound insulation, while the steering itself is quite vague. There’s also no height adjustment on the driver’s seat and no adjustment from the steering wheel, either, so it can be tricky to get comfy initially.

However, because the suspension is quite soft it does well over lumps and bumps, plus you’ll find that the Spring’s teeny-tiny turning circle ensures it’s a breeze to park and position. As an out-and-out city car that Spring does very well, it’s just at greater speeds where it starts to falter slightly. At just 984kg, the Spring is remarkably light, too, and this bodes well for electric efficiency overall.

How does it look?

Dacia appears to have placed a number of styling cues from some of its other vehicles into the overall aesthetic of the Spring. The front-end design, for instance, plays very closely to that of the larger Duster while coloured protection strips around the body of the car not only add an extra styling element but help to protect the car from shopping trolley dings and other low-level damage.

The front gets full LED daytime running lights, too, which use Dacia’s Y-shaped design that we’ve seen used in a number of other cars from the brand. Look to the C-pillars and you’ll find the Spring logo, while the rear bumper is made from hard-wearing plastics which are less prone to scratching.

What’s it like inside?

The Spring is designed around a budget and, in many areas of the cabin, is does feel it. There are harsh plastics throughout, but they are hard-wearing and will prove reliably robust over time. However, space is excellent - there’s loads of storage throughout with large door bins and a well-sized glovebox ensuring that the Spring has more options than you might think for a car of this size.

In the back, the compact Spring can only offer so much room but in terms of headspace it does just fine - the Spring will be fine for average-sized adults - though knee room is a little tight.

What’s the spec like?

At £14,995, the Dacia Spring becomes one of the cheapest electric vehicles to go on sale in the UK. But it’s got a lot more equipment on-board than you might think, with highlights including a seven-inch digital instrument cluster, rear parking sensors, cruise control and manual air conditioning. You’ll pay £15,995 to get this set up on the more powerful motor version, too.

Top-of-the-line Extreme versions - priced from £16,995 and only available on more powerful Springs - add in a few luxuries, too, including a 10-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which does upgrade the overall look and feel inside. You get some additional USB charging points, too.

Verdict

The Dacia Spring is very much a car designed for a purpose. Sure, it’s not going to suit high-mileage drivers or those who spend most of their time on the motorway, but for urban city dwellers looking for a car that’ll not cost the earth to buy, run or repair, then the Spring could be a very fine choice indeed.

It’s also a welcome alternative to heavier, more expensive EVs and in a time when people are watching the pennies more than ever, that’s something to be celebrated.