Dacia Spring: a ‘charming’ city car but one with drawbacks

This “honest, charming” and “fun” EV was given a facelift in 2024, and has now been updated again, said Top Gear Magazine. Made by the “purveyor of cheap and cheerful cars”, Dacia, it’s “tiny” – roughly the size of the Kia Picanto and Fiat Panda – but it offers a good rebuttal to “all the bloated, over-batteried SUVs that are pummelling the roads” to dust. It’s good value and punches above its weight in terms of efficiency.

The new Dacia Spring works best as a city car and is fun to drive, in a “back-to-basics way”, said Auto Express. Light and easy to manoeuvre, it has a tight turning circle – but there are problems. Its small 24.3kWh battery needs frequent charging, and as a package it is lacking in refinement: the throttle and brakes are abrupt; the steering is rather “sticky”; and the touchscreen controls are “infuriating”.

Part of the reason the Spring is so cheap is that it’s built in China and based on a car that was designed for the Indian market, said Car Magazine. Unfortunately, it really does feel cheap – the doors are “flimsy” and sound “tinny” when they close; and there are very few soft-touch materials, except for the seats, which lack height adjustment. The 308-litre boot is big, but rear legroom is tight. In short, don’t bother.