• Choice of two electric motors
• Roly-poly handling
• But simple and easy to drive

What power options are there?

Dacia is offering customers two electric motor options for the Spring, one that’s best-suited for urban driving only and one with a bit more power for greater flexibility to use away from town. 

The entry-level model uses a small 45hp electric motor but with a more generous 125Nm of torque (pulling power). Performance is minimal, however, with 0-62mph taking a lethargic 19.1 seconds, making it one of the slowest cars on sale today. Regardless of version, the Spring has a top speed of 78mph. 

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Only 10% are expected to choose this version, as the £1,000 step up to the 65hp model seems well worth the extra cash, and reduces the 0-62mph time to a more useful 13.7 seconds. This is the only version of the Spring we’ve driven so far, and though on paper the performance figures don’t seem anything to shout about, due to the instant torque of an electric motor, it feels quicker than the figures would have you believe. 

What’s it like to drive?

• Best suited to the city
• Limited grip and lots of roll
• Rides okay for the price

Considering the price of the Spring, the overall driving experience isn’t too bad at all. It’s easy and simple to drive, most importantly, with light controls making it a doddle to park and use around the city. There’s a simple gear selector, though it can take a bit of slamming to get it into the regenerative ‘B’ mode that helps to recuperate charge and maximise range. Visibility is excellent owing to the boxy shape, too and in most settings there’s more than enough pace.

Slightly more thinking has to be involved and picking when you want to overtake, but the same could be said for any petrol supermini with this level of power. 

The low price becomes easier to understand when you see that it rides on budget Chinese tyres – just about all European cars come with premium tyres from the likes of Michelin or Continental as standard – and also the more pronounced road noise and because of the lack of sound deadening in the doors. The light and slow steering does little to inspire confidence at higher speeds too, and can make the Spring seem a bit nervous. 

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Handling is best described as roly-poly, with the Spring tending to lean quite heavily  into corners and roundabouts. It can seem quite good fun from the driver’s seat but less so as a passenger, not least because of the minimal grip from those budget tyres and its safety performance. Ride quality by and large isn’t bad with the soft suspension dealing with most roads well, though bigger blemishes expose holes in the setup and can lead to the Spring feeling very under-damped.