and its relations went out of production with in 2022. But because the Spring weighs around 200kg less than that VW, it’s capable of broadly comparable electric range .
Dacia brought a few left-hand-drive examples of the Spring to the UK earlier this month for an advance taste of what British owners are in for in 2024. We tested an upper-level, 64bhp variant in what will be Extreme model trim - and it provided a cheery, simple, usable and broadly pleasant driving experience unencumbered by at least some of the limitations you might expect of it.
A five-door A-segment hatchback with chunky-looking wheel arches and a modestly hiked ride height, the Spring has a fair bit of the Fiat Panda about it to look at. Taller adults will struggle a little for second-row space but that’s because the designers favoured boot space in the cabin dimensions, and duly delivered nearly 300 litres of the stuff, which is more than you’ll find in some full-sized superminis.
You can see why they might consider it a weak spot, although exceptionally low price positioning in any new car makes such criticisms feel a little mean. Even in the upper-level model, with its copper-coloured trim accents, the Spring’s fascia and door mouldings are quite hard and shiny, although they feel well enough secured.
Will Dacia be able to do anything about the hollow, reverberant ping that the doors make as they close, or the gentle rattle of the rear window trim as the car zips along? You’d think it unlikely. However you dress it up, I suspect the Spring will always betray its bargain status somehow.