Dacia has confirmed that the Spring electric car will finally be coming to Ireland, with sales starting mid-next year.
Prices as low as €12,000
The Spring has been on sale in Europe since 2021 and has already found more than 120,000 customers. It's one of the most affordable electric cars of all, with prices sometimes as low as €12,000 depending on the market and local government supports for EV purchases. No Irish price has yet been set.
Patrick Magee, Dacia Country Operations Director for Ireland, said: "We are delighted that Dacia Spring will come to Ireland in 2024. It fills a niche in the Irish electric car market for a highly usable, quality EV that won't break the bank and which makes electric vehicle ownership more realistic than ever. With over 120,000 customers already sold on the Spring's unbeatable, 'no-nonsense' blend of value, efficiency and durability, Irish car buyers can look forward to an EV that's perfectly aligned to their mobility requirements and, importantly, is done the Dacia way."
27kWh battery
Before the Spring comes here, it will be given a mid-life update, which means new styling on the outside and very likely an interior makeover. We assume it will keep its current 27kWh battery, 44hp electric motor, and maximum 300km WLTP range.
That's in spite of Dacia's CEO, Denis Le Vot, recently telling CompleteCar that he would happily cut the Spring's battery in half to make it even more affordable. Le Vot's point is that thanks to the Spring being a connected car, Dacia gets regular statistics on how its customers use the car. The figures show that, on average, a Spring owner drives just 31km each day and does so at a speed of around 25km/h. Le Vot said that most owners go a full week without needing to charge the car up, meaning that even with a small battery, most of the capacity goes to waste most of the time.
Arrives mid-2024
It's unlikely - but not impossible - that Dacia will offer an even smaller battery version of the Spring, but even if it doesn't, the Spring should still comfortably be the most affordable EV in the Irish market when sales start in the middle of 2024.
Xavier Martinet, Dacia's Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Operations, added: "Dacia is thriving in Ireland and it's a growth market for us, so we are delighted to strengthen our range with the Dacia Spring. With Irish sales surging year-on-year and many car buyers having a recognised appetite for our brand, it is now the right time to introduce a pure electric vehicle. Spring has democratised electric vehicle ownership in Europe, offering people the chance to enjoy sustainable driving without the often-associated price premium. I'm confident that Spring will be as popular in Ireland as it has proved throughout the rest of Europe."