The Dacia Spring is the UK’s least expensive electric car, a compact five-door available here since late 2024. Used examples are inexpensive too, generally £9,500–£10,500 for a 2024 or 2025 example with a few thousand miles. However, from July 2026 a brand-new Spring costs £11,990, leaving only a modest saving. This guide explains the versions, steering recall, warranty, realistic driving range and likely prices. There’s a print-out checklist at the end.
- Price a new one first: a used 2025 Extreme 65 is advertised around £10,450; a brand-new 2026 Expression costs £11,990 and an Extreme £12,990, including a fresh warranty and extra power.
- Pick the 65 or later: the 45 hp model feels slow beyond urban speeds.
- Range: 140 miles officially; best suited to short daily journeys with home charging.
- Check before you buy: the steering-rack recall on cars built in late July and August 2024.
- Safety: Euro NCAP awarded the Spring one star.
Which Spring are you looking at?
The 2024–2025 Spring uses a 26.8 kWh battery with either a 45 hp or 65 hp motor. Dacia delivered its first UK example in November 2024. The 2026 update, announced October 2025, introduces a 24.3 kWh LFP battery paired with 70 hp or 100 hp motors.
| Version | Years | Battery | List price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expression Electric 45 | 2024–2025 | 26.8 kWh | £14,995 |
| Expression Electric 65 | 2024–2025 | 26.8 kWh | £15,995 |
| Extreme Electric 65 | 2024–2025 | 26.8 kWh | £16,995 |
| Expression Electric 70 | 2026–now | 24 kWh | £11,990 |
| Extreme Electric 100 | 2026–now | 24 kWh | £12,990 |
The 2024–2025 prices are the 2024 launch prices; the 2026 ones are Dacia’s July 2026 prices. The motor matters more than it does on most cars. Dacia’s own figures for 50–75 mph: 26.2 seconds for the 45, 14.0 for the 65, 10.3 for the 70 and 6.9 for the 100. The 45 is a town car; if you use dual carriageways, buy a 65 or later. The Extreme adds the 10-inch screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and, on 2024–2025 cars, a socket to power appliances from the battery. The boot is 308 litres, up to 1,004 with the rear seat folded. Full specs are on the Dacia Spring page.
Dacia unveiled a second-generation Spring in September 2026, featuring a wider body built on a new platform. The used cars available today remain unchanged, although their values may soften once it arrives.
Recall: steering rack
R/2025/490 covers 886 Springs built between 28 July and 17 August 2024. The steering rack can break under high stress, which could cause a loss of control, and owners were told to stop driving the car until the rack was replaced. Check the specific car on GOV.UK’s recall checker and ask a Dacia dealer to confirm the repair was done.
Warranty
The car has a 3-year / 60,000-mile warranty, with Dacia guaranteeing the battery for 8 years or 100,000 miles, retaining a minimum of 75% capacity:
- Registered 2024: car covered to 2027 (or 60,000 miles); battery to 2032, or 100,000 miles if sooner.
- Registered 2025: car covered to 2028 (or 60,000 miles); battery to 2033, or 100,000 miles if sooner.
- Registered 2026: car covered to 2029 (or 60,000 miles); battery to 2034, or 100,000 miles if sooner.
Safety
Euro NCAP gave the Spring one star in 2021, before the 2024 redesign; we found no newer rating. The 2024 car added automatic emergency braking (cars, pedestrians, cyclists and motorbikes), lane keeping, traffic-sign recognition and eCall as standard, to meet the EU’s 2024 safety rules. It is still a light, small car, and owners on the forums raise the rating more than anything else.
Realistic range
Our estimate for a typical car of each version, from the same battery-ageing model as the rest of EVcarsguide:
| Car | Summer | Year-round | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Extreme Electric 65 | 112 miles | 99 miles | 83 miles |
| 2025 Extreme Electric 65 | 116 miles | 102 miles | 86 miles |
| 2026 Extreme Electric 100 | 118 miles | 104 miles | 87 miles |
These estimates assume a healthy battery achieves around 85% of the official 140 miles in mild conditions. Owners report slightly better winter results, around 100 miles. Dacia’s data puts the average Spring driver’s daily distance at about 23 miles, with most charging at home.
Battery Health Estimator
Estimated condition if buying used
Battery chemistry not confirmed
Estimates based on battery chemistry and age. Chemistry-based estimate. Actual health varies with charging habits, climate, and usage. Limited data - treat as a rough guide.
Charging
Home charging is available at up to 7 kW: Dacia quotes four hours from 20% to full on a 7 kW wallbox, or under 11 hours on a three-pin plug. Rapid charging is slow: up to 30 kW on the 2024–2025 car (Dacia: 80% in under an hour) and 40 kW on the 2026 Extreme (20–80% in 29 minutes). Check the car has the rapid-charging (CCS) socket if you will use public chargers.
What owners report
Owners appreciate the price, the modest running costs and how easy it is to park. Several use it as a second car for short journeys, charging at home. Repeated complaints include:
- Safety rating and feel: the one-star score appears in most discussions, and some find the car floaty or unsettled at dual-carriageway speeds.
- The 45 hp motor: too slow for fast roads, and owners report that 45s came without the rapid-charging socket. Check for it.
- Cabin: hard interior plastics, wind and road noise, limited adult rear-seat space and a firm response to potholes.
- Infotainment and sensors: one long-term owner describes the screen going black and a tyre-pressure warning that repeatedly activates.
- Insurance: several owners found the insurance group surprising (24A for the 2024 car), exceeding expectations from its price. Obtain a quote first.
- Winter range: drivers describe roughly 100 miles during cold weather.
What to pay
Most used Springs advertised for sale are 2025 Extreme 65s showing very low mileage. This table separates examples by trim, motor and registration year.
| Cars | Share of adverts | Median asking | Typical range | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme Electric 65, 2024 | 15% | £9,990 | £9,434–£11,058 | 4,103 |
| Extreme Electric 65, 2025 | 42% | £10,450 | £10,040–£10,821 | 4,211 |
| Expression Electric 65, 2025 | 10% | £9,503 | £9,333–£9,881 | 2,976 |
| Extreme Electric 100, 2026 | 25% | £11,995 | £11,339–£12,960 | 1,477 |
Treat these as asking prices rather than valuations. A new car costs only slightly more: around £1,500 separates a used 2025 Extreme 65 from a new 2026 Expression 70, which offers extra power, the new battery and a full warranty.
Questions to ask the seller
- Which motor, 45 or 65, and which trim?
- Has the steering-rack recall been checked or done?
- Does it have the rapid-charging socket, and which cables come with it?
- Is the Dacia service history complete?
The print-out checklist
Take this checklist along. It covers checks specific to the Spring; our general used EV buyer’s guide covers the checks relevant to every used electric car.
Alternatives worth a look
- Renault Zoe: a larger battery for comparable used prices. Read our used Zoe ZE 50 guide.
- VW e-up!, SEAT Mii and Skoda Citigo e iV: small and inexpensive, with a stronger safety rating. Read our used e-up! guide.
- Fiat 500e: a compact electric city car. Read our used 500e guide.
Unsure whether it meets your driving needs? The EV Matchmaker matches the car against your own week, while the Used EV Finder shows the alternatives available within your budget.
Sources & further reading
- Dacia UK press – All-New Spring pricing (12 Mar 2024), first UK delivery (18 Nov 2024), Electric 70 and 100 (6 Oct 2025), July 2026 prices
- Dacia UK – Spring battery warranty
- GOV.UK – Check if a vehicle has been recalled
Founder of EVcarsguide. Web technologist and data specialist tracking the UK EV market.
