Dacia launches cheapest electric car on the market

In order to preserve its strong market position as a manufacturer of budget cars, Dacia came up with a pretty specific strategy to deliver a cheap electric car. It is pitching its new Spring EV as an option for drivers whose driving requirements are limited to very average distances by working off a European average of 37 kilometres a day, divided into four short trips.

The majority of these drivers are predicted to have home charging, rather than relying on regular trips to public charging points. Home charging should take about four hours on a 7.4 kW unit.

In other words, the Spring is a city car and certainly not one that will meet the requirements for longer or very mixed trips. At an entry-level price of €16,990 for the 45 horse power version, there's a limit to what any company can offer.

The battery, for example, has a very small 26.8 kWh capacity that, Dacia claims, will deliver a range of 225 kilometres. The usual caveats on claimed ranges apply until we see what happens in real-world conditions, when factors such as cold weather are taken into consideration.

The Spring is small and the styling could best be described as cubed, and dinky enough to give it a distinct identity.

Inside, there is decent headroom but the battery configuration makes overall interior space limited. Taller drivers will struggle with the front seat travel to get enough legroom and, when the front seats are extended back to their limit there is a serious issue for rear seat passengers in terms of legroom, so limited is it.

Although the interior is pleasant enough, you can see where budgets dictate things like old-fashioned plastic circular air vents. The small windscreen has one wiper.

The boot is also another issue. At 304 litres it has a reasonable rather than generous capacity - small cases and modest weekly shopping will fill it quickly. You can, of course, fold the rear seats for extra capacity but that will make the Spring a two-seat car.

The infotainment screen is a small 7" unit but there is a 10.1" unit available on the better equipped Extreme version, priced at €19,990. A 65 horse power version is also available from €18,790.

Lane departure warning, drowsiness warning and traffic sign recognition are all standard equipment.

I've only had a brief drive in the Spring and it was agreeable, allowing for the car’s limitations. It was long enough, however, to confirm that this is a city car and not one for anything more demanding. Its price also reflects the level of refinement you get. As long as you fit the criteria that govern the car’s limitations, it’s a very well-priced option, given general new EV prices.

There’s a three year vehicle warranty and an eight year battery warranty.

Dacia has also launched a new version of the Duster, a car that has chimed with budget buyers in Ireland - 19,500 Dusters have been sold here since 2013.

The Duster is certainly a step up from the Spring but its still a budget proposition.

There are four versions of the car, starting with the Essential from €25,990. This is a petrol and LPG powered version. You then have a petrol 1.2 three cylinder engine option, with either two or four wheel drive choices, starting at €29,390. A full 1.6 petrol hybrid with a 94 horsepower capacity comes in at €34,090.

Cruise control, automatic high headlight beams, six airbags, smart phone connection and rear parking radar are all standard.

The Duster is built on a new platform and is 4.3 metres long. The boot capacity is a decent 430 litres. We'll have more on this one soon.