New Dacia Spring: New Features or Just the Old?

Dacia unveils the revamped exterior design of its Spring, but the lack of ecological bonus and unchanged technical specifications make it seem underwhelming.

They wipe everything and start over, but without changing the recipe too much. The idea of a small, compact, lightweight, practical electric car that is low-powered and, hopefully, still very affordable. And to keep costs down, the main focus is on aesthetics.

This is essentially the approach taken by Dacia for its “new” Spring, which mainly incorporates the new stylistic code of the French-Romanian company. As for this Spring, the continuing Chinese production will again prevent it from being eligible for the ecological bonus. So, competing with models like the Citroën ë-C3 or upcoming Renault Twingo remains a challenge.

A Very Modern Design

The clever move is to bring the Spring closer in style to its larger sibling, the Duster. The look, taillights, color options, and even the interior are aligned. The upgrade to a more premium feel is pleasing and should appeal to many. It no longer feels like you’re driving such a tiny car.

It even adopts a rugged look with plastic protectors on all four corners and optional 15-inch wheels.

Inside, this refresh is evident everywhere—from the steering wheel to the climate controls, including the 7-inch digital instrument cluster and the large central digital screen (which is optional except on the high-end Extrême version) of 10 inches.

Unchanged Mechanical?

Since its launch in 2021, the Spring has sold 140,000 units worldwide, making it a success, but not an earth-shattering one. Dacia has maintained a rational approach with a lightweight and inexpensive vehicle.

What Dacia doesn’t mention is that the mechanical components remain unchanged, from the chassis to the two engine options (45 or 65 horsepower), as well as the battery size. This still allows for about 140 km of real-world range. Dacia’s decision is intentional; they don’t want to participate in the “more and more” race. The manufacturer states that their customers travel an average of 37 kilometers daily at an average speed of 37 km/h, and that 75% of recharges are done at home. Wastefulness is therefore not relevant.

Still the Cheapest on the Market?

Currently priced at 18,400 euros, the Dacia Spring is therefore excluded from the 4,000-euro bonus. This will remain the case since production stays in China, at Dongfeng.

The updates are mostly minor, limited to styling and interior changes, so it’s reasonable to expect prices to stay below 20,000 euros. Still, it’s a relatively high price for a daily-use car, especially at a crucial moment when competitors, produced in Europe like Citroën, will offer more modern, better-performing models also under 20,000 euros.

The fight for an affordable small electric city car has only just begun!