Dacia Spring Electric 45 Expression – €18,950
Dacia launched the electric Spring on the Dutch car market in 2021. The Dacia, produced in China and secretly based on a small Renault, started its Dutch sales adventure with a starting price of just under 18 grand. Until recently, however, you already paid almost €22,000 for the entry-level car. This still made it the least expensive new electric car you could buy in our country. In 2022, the Spring was showered with Dacia’s new corporate identity, but at the beginning of this year the car really went under the knife. And thorough too. Although the drivetrains were not tinkered with, the Dacia Spring received a completely new snout, a completely new rear and a new interior, even down to the smallest panel. Certainly not common, but still a reality: the significantly updated Dacia Spring is less expensive than the version before the facelift. Time to zoom in on what the absolute entry-level version of the cheapest EV in the Netherlands has to offer.
Since the facelift, the Dacia Spring has been in the order books for €18,950. That is no less than €2,800 less than before! For that money you get a drivetrain, just like the Electric 45 before. Although the name suggests otherwise, the entry-level Spring is not 45 hp, but 44 hp. The maximum torque is also unchanged at 125 Nm. It squeezes 230 kilometers out of its 26.8 kWh battery. You shouldn’t be in a hurry: the 0-100 sprint takes 19.1 seconds and is therefore reminiscent of cars like the Daihatsu Move, although in the Spring you are of course considerably faster at speeds of 50-60 km/h. Since the facelift, the basic engine of the Spring can only be combined with the ‘second’ equipment level Expression. Previously it was also available as Essential positioned below it. Since the facelift, you not only pay less for the entry-level Spring, but you also immediately get a higher equipment level, although the Expression is not necessarily better equipped after the facelift than the previous Essential. Dacia also supplies the Spring as a 65 Electric. With 65 hp it is of course stronger and considerably faster. Previously, this hardware was only available in the more expensive Extreme version, but since the facelift it is also available as Expression. Okay, back to the new slip-on.
Dacia Spring: This looks quite nice, doesn’t it?
Equipment
Since the Dacia Spring is already available as Expression instead of Essential and is even cheaper in that taste, you would expect that you would also get more equipment for less money. That is partly true. The Dacia Spring has cruise control with speed limiter, rear parking sensors, central door locking with remote control and even a 7-inch instead of 3.5-inch digital instrument cluster as standard. However, the new Expression is not more comprehensively equipped in every area than the previous Essential, which it should be above in terms of name alone. A simple air conditioning and electrically operated front side windows are standard, but at the rear you have to swing and you also adjust the side mirrors by hand. Shame? A little. Before the facelift, electrically operated side mirrors and rear windows were standard even on the Essential version. Safety systems such as Lane Keeping Assist, fatigue detection and traffic sign recognition are included.
An extensive infotainment system – which, like a full-size spare wheel, was previously part of the Expression’s equipment – is missing. From now on you have to go to the Extreme version for that. After all, it has a 10.1-inch screen in the center console. In the Expression you get the Dacia Media Control system that you operate using your own smartphone. Just like every Spring, the Expression stands on steel wheels. The entry-level car with Electric 45 drivetrain has 14-inch wheels with silver-gray caps with a playful design. The Spring Electric 65 stands on 15-inch steel wheels with wheel covers partly in black. You can also recognize the Expression by the black side mirror caps. The Extreme has copper-colored ones and an extra copper-colored finish all around.
This is the only free paint color. Wheel options are not available for the basic version.
Where the only visual joie de vivre in the Spring previously came in the form of some piano paint, the updated Spring is a lot more pleasantly decorated. Just look at the dashboard. This not only looks a lot more mature than the previous interior, but it is also a lot happier. In addition to black, we also see light gray plastic and there is even a red (!) piece of plastic placed around the ventilation grilles. The multifunctional steering wheel is in turn decorated with silver-colored accents. The chairs are finished in two colors of textile.
Dacia has not removed one disadvantage. The Dacia Spring with Electric 45 drivetrain cannot charge DC. The Spring Electric 65 can do this, although you have to pay extra for that option with both the Expression and Extreme.
Still more
Is the above standard equipment not enough for you for €18,750? Then you can choose from a handful of options without having to switch to a Spring Electric 65 in Extreme version. For €250, Dacia supplies an emergency charging cable with which you can also charge the Spring via a household socket. Purely for emergencies, Dacia emphasizes. Anyone who wants parking beepers at the front as well as the rear can order them for a modest €150. The aforementioned 10.1-inch infotainment system that is standard on the Extreme version is also available in the entry-level Spring for €800. It is part of the Park Techno, which also brings a reversing camera and an extra USB connection to the small EV.
For €800 extra you get this 10.1-inch infotainment system and a reversing camera. Standard on the Extreme.
The exterior color Blanc Kaolin that you see on the Spring in these photos is the only free paint color. However, if you pay €600, you can also get the Spring in Slate Blue, Rouge Brick, Gris Lightning (Travolta, come on in), Beige Safari and Lichen Kaki.
Summarizing? At €18,750, the updated Dacia Spring costs almost €3,000 less than before, but despite the significant price drop, it does offer more (but also less) equipment than before. In addition, the Spring is much more appealingly packaged and decorated. Both inside and out.
