Dacia Confirms "New Spring" Name for Its Upcoming £16k Electric City Car
The electric car market is about to get a significant new contender at the affordable end of the spectrum. Dacia has officially confirmed that its next-generation electric city car will carry the name New Spring — a deliberate nod to the model that helped establish the Romanian brand as a serious player in the EV space. With an anticipated starting price of around £16,000, the New Spring is shaping up to be one of the most exciting and accessible electric vehicles to arrive in the UK in years.
Why Dacia Is Keeping the Spring Name
Naming decisions in the automotive world are rarely straightforward, but Dacia's choice to retain the Spring badge is both strategic and sentimental. The brand says it decided to keep the name because it builds "on the continuity of a model that has become a benchmark." In other words, the original Spring — despite its modest roots and budget-focused positioning — managed to carve out a genuine identity in the crowded EV market.
The prefix "New" will be used primarily to differentiate the upcoming model from the existing China-built Spring, which will continue to be sold in parallel for some time. However, in terms of badging on the car itself, the new model will simply read Spring — keeping things clean, familiar, and on-brand. It's a smart move from Dacia, leveraging existing brand equity while signalling a meaningful step forward in quality and engineering.
A European-Built EV Twinned with the Renault Twingo
One of the most significant upgrades over the current model is where the New Spring will be manufactured. Unlike the existing Spring, which is produced in China, the new generation will be built in Europe. This is a crucial development, both in terms of potential subsidy eligibility and consumer confidence in supply chain transparency.
The New Spring shares its platform and much of its DNA with the Renault Twingo, making it part of a twin-car strategy that Renault Group has employed successfully across multiple brands. The Twingo, revealed earlier, has already generated considerable excitement for its retro-modern styling and practicality credentials — and the Dacia version promises to bring that same package to buyers who prioritise value above all else.
Design: Familiar Silhouette, Distinct Dacia Identity
Early spy shots of the New Spring out testing reveal just how closely it mirrors its Twingo sibling in terms of overall shape and proportion. The car features a raked C-pillar, curved roofline, and rounded rear windows — all hallmarks of the Twingo's retro-inspired design language. The wheel arch surfacing also follows a similar aesthetic treatment, giving both cars a cohesive visual character.
That said, Dacia has been careful to ensure the New Spring has its own distinct look. The most notable difference is at the front, where the Twingo's signature rounded light design is replaced by a thin gloss-black panel — a more angular and contemporary treatment that aligns with Dacia's evolving design philosophy seen on models like the Duster and Sandero. A new preview image released by the brand focuses on the car's rear end, confirming the Spring badge placement and hinting at a bold, confident stance.
The result is a car that feels related to its Renault cousin without being a carbon copy — exactly what you'd expect from two brands that share resources but maintain separate identities.
Practicality: Four Real Seats and a Proper Boot
One area where Dacia has been refreshingly candid is around the New Spring's interior practicality. The brand has explicitly stated that the car will offer "four real seats and a proper boot" — a pointed statement that addresses one of the common criticisms levelled at city-car sized EVs, which often sacrifice rear passenger space and luggage capacity in the name of compactness.
For context, the Renault Twingo offers up to 360 litres of boot space with the rear seats in use — a genuinely impressive figure for a vehicle of this size. If the New Spring can match or come close to that benchmark, it will represent a step-change in usability compared to the current model, which offers a much more limited load area.
This focus on real-world usability is central to Dacia's value proposition. The brand has always succeeded by delivering honest, no-nonsense cars that do exactly what buyers need without unnecessary complexity or inflated pricing.
Expected Reveal and Launch Timeline
Dacia has not yet confirmed an official reveal date for the New Spring, but industry insiders widely expect the car to make its public debut at the Paris Motor Show in October. If that timeline holds, UK buyers could potentially see the car arrive in showrooms in 2025 or early 2026, though no firm on-sale date has been announced.
Equally, the full technical specification — including battery size, range figures, and charging capabilities — has yet to be disclosed. Given the Twingo's expected range in the region of 150 to 200 miles, the New Spring is likely to offer something broadly similar, optimised for urban and suburban driving rather than long motorway journeys.
Why the New Spring Matters for UK EV Buyers
With a projected starting price of around £16,000, the New Spring has the potential to become one of the most affordable new electric cars available in the UK. At a time when many EVs still carry price tags that put them out of reach for everyday buyers, a practical, European-built, four-seat electric city car at this price point would be genuinely transformative.
Dacia has built its entire brand around making motoring accessible, and the New Spring looks set to carry that mission squarely into the electric era. Whether you're a first-time EV buyer looking to make the switch without breaking the bank, or a city dweller in need of a nimble, efficient runaround, the New Spring deserves a place on your radar.
Keep an eye on the Paris Motor Show this October — the full reveal promises to be one of the most important moments in affordable electric motoring this year.