Electric car Dacia Spring gets stronger and remains affordable: Spring revival
Dacia significantly increases performance of its cheapest electric car for the upcoming model year. Not much else changes, nor the price.
Dacia Spring
(Image: Dacia)
Dacia Spring
In the Dacia Spring, by far the cheapest electric car on our market, a spring revival is taking place: electric motors with 52 kW and 75 kW will replace the previous units with 33 kW and 48 kW for the 2026 model year. However, consumption is expected to increase only slightly at 12.7 and 12.4 kWh/100 km. Both units will be connected to an LFP battery for the first time in the Spring. It only offers 24.3 kWh capacity, yet the range increases from 220 with the previously available 26.8 kWh to up to 225 km in the combined WLTP cycle.
Better acceleration
The higher performance is intended to accelerate the electric car significantly at higher speeds to keep up better in traffic. Understandable if you want to merge onto a busy highway. We experienced with the Dacia Spring (test), which enriched our editorial team as a test vehicle with 33 or 45 kW, some acceleration stretches as clearly too short. For colleague Martin, a seasoned Trabant driver, and for me as a 2CV veteran (both cars weigh around 600 kg and even have only 19 kW), the feeling is familiar, but younger people will feel uneasy. Tests therefore also criticized this comparatively low performance.
Dacia Spring (7 Bilder)
Dacia
)According to Dacia, the acceleration from 80 to 120 km/h improves to 6.9 s with 75 kW and to 10.3 s with 53 kW, compared to 14.0 and 26.2 s with the current drives of 45 and 33 kW, respectively. These are significant improvements, albeit still at a comparatively modest level. It helps that the Spring doesn't get heavier – it remains around one ton.
Faster charging depends on equipment
Dacia is also accelerating the DC charging performance, and thanks to the new battery technology, it can now be increased from the previous 30 to 40 kW. Dacia specifies 29 minutes from 20 (!) to 80 percent in the best case. Unfortunately, the more powerful charger is only available as an option for the Expression and Extreme trim levels. With the standard AC charger, which still only delivers seven kW, charging from 20 (!) to 100 (!) percent at a 7-kW wallbox takes three hours and 20 minutes. The Spring continues to offer the V2L option, Vehicle-to-Load, i.e., the ability to connect electrical devices.
Dacia Spring Details (5 Bilder)
Dacia
)Further refinements are often found in technical details. For example, the new battery with a "reinforced center section" is intended to stiffen the structure and improve weight distribution. The unit is probably located further forward now. Details will follow in a future test. Dacia has also designed the brake booster more powerfully. 15-inch wheels are also intended to contribute to improved handling, and fairings at the front, sides, and rear, as well as a newly designed roof spoiler, are intended to "significantly" improve aerodynamics and thus help reduce consumption.
Videos by heise
The new 52-kW drive is available in the "Essential" and "Expression" trim levels, while Dacia exclusively installs the 75 kW version in the "Extreme" trim. With an unchanged starting price of 16,900 euros and a complete model range under 20,000 euros, the Dacia Spring remains the cheapest electric car on the market; the brand has not yet announced a first sales date.
(fpi)