09:26 28-12-2025

Dacia Spring gets cheaper EV entry, but Essential loses A/C

Dacia has refreshed the Spring again, and on paper it all adds up: the price of entry into the EV world has dropped. The new Electric 70 Essential opens at roughly €18,000—about €950 below the previous starting point. The tech has improved too: the base Spring now uses the Electric 70 powertrain instead of the old 45-hp setup, and an LFP battery still delivers a WLTP-rated 225 km of range. LFP chemistry is generally more relaxed about charging to 100% and promises slightly easier day-to-day charging routines.

The trouble starts when you step away from the numbers. Essential is the pared-back specification, and its headline omission sounds like a throwback: there’s no air conditioning. In fact, Spring becomes one of the rare new cars in Europe sold without it. The basics for getting around are present—DAB radio, Bluetooth, cruise control, central locking, front electric windows—but a car without A/C is about more than comfort. It also dents liquidity: on the used market such an EV will be harder to move, even if it’s formally cheaper. In summer traffic, that’s a compromise few will want to test.

Meanwhile, the previous entry trim, Expression, hasn’t gone anywhere: it starts at around €19,800. It brings back air conditioning and adds a few conveniences, yet DC fast charging still isn’t standard—it remains an option (about 40 kW). So the “cheap” Spring looks more like a configurator hook: the sticker price is pretty, but living with that level of savings is tricky. In practice, the sweet spot still sits above the bare-bones Essential.