All-new Dacia Spring: The UK’s most affordable new electric car [Photo Gallery]

The All-New Spring, Dacia’s first all-electric model, is widely credited for making electric mobility accessible to all. First launched in Europe in 2021, it was the third most sold electric car to retail customers in 2022 and 2023. In total, more than 140,000 Dacia Spring have been registered worldwide since its launch.

Spring’s energy efficiency and carbon footprint were particularly praised in 2022, when it was awarded the maximum 5-star rating from the independent European organisation Green NCAP.

Now available in the UK, for the first time, the All-New Dacia Spring is the perfect solution for people looking for simple, affordable and efficient mobility. Data collected via the vehicle’s on-board connected systems shows that the average daily trip made by Spring drivers covers just 23 miles, at an average speed of only 23 mph. In 75% of cases, cars are recharged at home.

Spring has always found its audience because it has constantly evolved since its launch, with a new brand identity in 2022, then a more powerful 65 hp motor in 2023. In 2024, the All-New Dacia Spring passes another milestone, taking those qualities that made it a success to the next level.

It is even more attractive than ever, with an entirely renewed and more robust design, and yet still as practical, with exceptional interior storage space for its segment. It is more efficient, thanks to carefully managed weight, while remaining the most affordable full-electric model on the market.

Available to order now in the UK, the All-New Dacia Spring is priced from only £14,995 on-the-road, making it the country’s most affordable new electric car.

EXTERIOR DESIGN
Dacia continues its mission to be the best value for money car brand that constantly redefines the essentials. Applying this to All-New Dacia Spring, Dacia wants to encourage drivers to make the shift to all-electric cars in an accessible way. A car’s design – along with efficiency, price and practicality – is one of the essential pieces in the puzzle.

The All-New Dacia Spring features the new Dacia design, first seen on the latest generation Duster. It is a robust and assertive style that makes the Spring more attractive than ever. In fact, the only part of the exterior body to remain unchanged is the roof.

David Durand, Dacia Design Director commented: “As Spring embraces the brand’s new design language, it is a resolute sign that it is here to stay as a key member of the Dacia family. We gave it a serious and confident design. Building on the success of the previous generation, the All-New Dacia Spring confidently asserts its own identity.”

The All-New Dacia Spring is equipped to tackle both the urban jungle and country roads. Particularly compact (3.70m long) and with one of the best turning circles in its segment (4.80m wall-to-wall), it is exceptionally agile, making it particularly easy to drive.

The bodywork stands the test of time thanks to the solid-colour protection strips that wrap around the body, especially the bumpers and wheel arches. The All-New Spring can withstand everyday wear and tear without compromising on appearance. Its high ground clearance is an asset when venturing over rough terrain.

The highly structured, highly constructed volumes of Dacia’s new design style give renewed strength to Spring. A powerful look that comes from a clean, simple, pared-back silhouette, such as that seen on the highly sculpted bonnet.

The new Dacia identity is evident in the two black bands, one at the front, the other at the rear, which meet in a glossy finish, with specific matte stripes at the rear. The two strips are framed by the brand’s iconic Y-shaped light signature, which is particularly striking with the full-LED daytime running lights at the front and the parking lights at the rear.

The modern design on the All-New Dacia Spring is underpinned by decals featuring a contemporary style that adorn the front and rear bumpers on the Extreme trim. The 15-inch wheels, fitted with highly crafted wheel covers, add to the robust feel.

True to the Dacia philosophy, the All-New Spring cultivates a clever and durable design. This is evidenced, for example, by the lower-door side protections which are light, affordable, easy to install, and easy to replace. As with all new Dacia models, decorative chrome parts have been removed, mitigating further impact on the environment. The same for the roof bars, as they are generally redundant on a small car used mainly for short trips; removing them helps lower the car’s weight, make it more aerodynamic, and therefore improve its range.

The All-New Dacia Spring is available in a range of six shades, including newly introduced Brick Red and Safari Beige colours.

INTERIOR DESIGN
The dashboard has been totally reinvented, both to incorporate elements from Dacia’s new interior design language, with its emblematic horizontal architecture, and to also integrate a new range of digital screens. Spring now features a customisable digital dashboard with a 7-inch display on all versions as well as a 10-inch multimedia central display on Extreme trim models. The colour palette and materials used for the interior have been reworked to offer superior quality, while reducing the diversity of options to better manage costs – key to the Dacia philosophy.

The All-New Spring also features white elements that help create a fresh, modular atmosphere. They are located around the instrument cluster, gear stick, and door bins. The iconic Dacia “Y”, located at the heart of the central air vents, is in white (or copper on the Extreme trim). The central decorative accent on the instrument panel varies by trim: Brick Red on Expression, Dusty Khaki on Extreme.

The All-New Dacia Spring is designed to be practical. The large multimedia touch screen has been positioned as high as possible for optimal ergonomics. The graphic design on the customisable digital dashboard with 7-inch display has been designed to be simple and intuitive, giving the driver ready access to essential information. What’s more, the All-New Dacia Spring features innovative YouClip accessory mounts, revealed recently on the All-New Duster. Finally, the Extreme trim comes with sturdy, rubber floor mats and door sills with unique ‘topographic lines’ design.

Above all else, an electric car is a car, which is why Dacia never loses sight of its most essential feature: its usefulness. The All-New Dacia Spring offers the best storage volume in its class. With 308 litres (1,004 litres with the rear seats folded down) its boot can fit much more than similarly sized rival vehicles and is on par with B-segment models. In addition, Spring offers additional storage throughout the cabin, with an overall volume of nearly 33 litres. This space is also better than segment standards.

Smart yet practical accessories further optimise storage capacity. Consumers can opt for additional space housed under the front bonnet, providing an extra 35 litres of storage space. The centre console can fit an exclusive cup holder, made using cutting-edge, flexible, and resource-efficient 3D-printing technology.

The All-New Dacia Spring also works with Dacia’s innovative YouClip system. The simple and clever system invented by Dacia engineers can be used to attach various dedicated accessories, practically and robustly, to key places inside the car. The All-New Spring, as standard, comes equipped with two YouClip anchor points (one on the dashboard, one on the centre console). They can be used to mount a storage pouch, smartphone holder (with or without an induction charger), or a nifty 3-in-1 attachment that combines a cup holder, bag hook, and portable light. All these accessories will be available through the Dacia retail network.

For an easier driving experience, every All-New Dacia Spring features a customisable digital dashboard with a 7-inch display. Located behind the height-adjustable steering wheel, the colour display shows essential information in a simple and efficient manner. It can be customised to show additional information such as remaining range, energy consumption, or driving assistance systems (ADAS). When the All-New Spring is charging, the digital dashboard displays the battery level and remaining time until full charge.

As with other models in the Dacia range, the Spring features a reduction in the number chrome accent pieces and the use of animal leather, while increasing the number of full-dyed parts that do away with the need for an additional painting process.

MULTIMEDIA
Two advanced multimedia and infotainment systems are available in the All-New Spring, each with a range of powerful connected features for busy, modern families.

Media Control, a standard feature on Expression trim, is a steering wheel-controlled multimedia system with media information and phone calls displayed on the digital instrument panel. It also incorporates two speakers, a Bluetooth connection, and a USB port. When connected to the free Dacia Media Control app, drivers can use radio/media functions and access other features (e.g., navigation) via their smartphone, with ergonomics designed to be used when driving.

The Media Nav Live system – standard on the Extreme trim – boasts a large 10-inch central touch screen that incorporates smart navigation, with real-time traffic conditions and up-to-date European maps for up to 8 years. Moreover, it enables wireless use of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Media Nav Live system also includes two USB ports.

SAFETY
New ADAS enhance the range of on-board equipment to meet the latest European Global Safety Regulation 2 (GSR2) safety standards. These include an advanced emergency braking system (with vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist, and motorcycle detection), traffic sign recognition with speed alert, rear park assist, emergency stop signal, lane change alert, lane keep assist, driver attention warning, and emergency call (eCall). To make life easier for drivers, Dacia has included a clever ‘My Safety’ button for rapid access to their preferred and personalised ADAS settings.

POWERTRAIN
As well as a 45 hp motor, All-New Dacia Spring is offered with the more powerful 65 hp/48 kW motor. It boasts spritely acceleration, achieving 0-62 mph in less than 14 seconds.

The All-New Dacia Spring is resource-light and achieves greater efficiency through its light weight, and has been designed according to very strict criteria to accurately meet the specific needs of A-segment customers. That includes a battery calibrated to meet their criteria and which fits a compact platform.

Weighing only 984 kg in the top-level Extreme trim, it is the only full-electric car in Europe to stay under one tonne. Compared to previous generation models with the same trim, the weight has only increased by 6 kg (or +0.6%), despite the numerous new ADAS added to meet regulatory requirements, the upgraded trims and standard equipment.

Having kept a close eye on the scales, combined with the efficiency of the motor, the All-New Dacia Spring, boasts excellent energy use, below 14.6kWh/62 miles, thereby keeping running costs in check.

The compact 26.8 kWh battery is precisely calibrated to meet the needs and lifestyles of All-New Spring drivers, without degrading the overall performance by adding excessive weight. With a WLTP range of 140 miles for all versions, its performance is more than sufficient for customers who travel an average of just 23 miles per day (according to data collected by on-board computers).

To further optimise the car’s range, the All-New Dacia Spring is equipped for the first time with a regenerative braking system that is activated by selecting the ‘B-mode’ via the new gearbox controls.

The All-New Dacia Spring is equipped as standard with a 7 kW AC charger that can charge the battery from 20% to 100% on a domestic outlet in less than 11 hours, or in just 4 hours on a 7 kW wall box. A 30 kW DC charger enables fast charging from 20% to 80% in 45 minutes.

More practical than ever before, the New Dacia Spring now features a bi-directional V2L (vehicle-to-load) adapter so it can be used as an energy source to power electrical devices. A specific handheld component that plugs into the car’s charging connector, located under the grille, acts as a traditional 220V/16A socket.

Green NCAP awarded Dacia Spring its top 5-star rating in August 2022. In its assessment, Green NCAP measured the impacts the vehicle and its use have on air quality, global warming, and energy efficiency. Spring excelled in each category, thanks mainly to its efficient use of energy and low environmental impact.

On February 2, 2023, Green NCAP unveiled their award for Best Car Green NCAP 2022 and Spring – the featherweight of European electric vehicles – overtook the market heavyweights. This 5-star rating is not only symbolic – it rewards Dacia for striving to fulfil its desire to offer vehicles that boast the market’s best price-performance ratio, and which are more environmentally friendly to as many people as possible.

UK SPECIFICATIONS
In line with the requirements of UK car buyers, Dacia does not offer the entry-level Essential trim that is available elsewhere in Europe. Instead, it provides a choice of the Expression and Extreme trim, ensuring that all customers enjoy a generous standard specification that adds to the value and appeal of the All-New Dacia Spring and which offers features that are normally reserved for more expensive vehicles. 

Starting from Expression trim, available with the Electric 45 or 65 powertrain, standard equipment includes a 7-inch digital instrument cluster, height-adjustable 3-spoke steering wheel, Media Control system with USB port, speed limiter, cruise control, steering wheel mounted controls, central locking with remote control, electric front windows, rear parking sensors, 12V socket, manual air conditioning and 15-inch wheels (only on Electric 65).

The Extreme trim, exclusively paired to the Electric 65 powertrain, adds copper interior and exterior finishes, electric mirrors and rear windows, the Media Nav Live multimedia system with 10-inch centre screen, two USB ports and wireless connectivity with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a bi-directional charger allowing you to use the All-New Dacia Spring as a power source for external appliances.

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