The Dacia Spring EV is extremely small – but it makes sense as a runaround at just under €17k

​If I told you that you could get behind the wheel of a brand new electric vehicle (EV) for less than €17k, would you believe me?

I have to be honest, I was very surprised myself when I looked up the price of my latest small family car test drive. In fact, there are currently at least two models that I know of that have just arrived in Ireland and are on the market for less than €20k.

One of the models in question is the all-new Hyundai Inster.

This new arrival to our shores has been the talk of the town among motoring journalists in Ireland and I have to admit after seeing it in the flesh myself this week, it’s super impressive.

The second model in question is the all-new Dacia Spring all-electric vehicle that I test drove last week.

On first impressions, I have to admit it didn’t exactly tickle my fancy.

To say that the Dacia Spring is a ‘Small’ family car is an understatement.

I mean, this thing is tiny when you see it in the flesh and the rear passenger leg room is practically non-existent. On the outside, the little Dacia Spring is certainly no oil painting, but it’s quirky all the same.

One feature I did like though was the way the designers have neatly tucked away the EV’s charge port behind the Spring’s front grille.

Step inside the cabin and the Spring is very basic, to say the least. It is so basic that my missus nearly had a fit when she discovered that there was no mirror behind the passenger sun visor for her to put on her make-up.

As she said: “what does a small mirror cost these days, a euro?”

Apart from that, I couldn’t fault the Spring for its technology, and its little 10-inch touchscreen isn’t half bad, although I did have one or two technical problems with it during my week-long test drive.

The Spring’s biggest downfall for me was the amount of space on offer for the rear passengers. There is practically none compared to what its rival Hyundai Inster has to offer.

Without being too hard on this little affordable EV, it would probably make more sense as a second family run-around — used solely for school runs and supermarket trips.

On the road, the little Dacia Spring EV is fitted with a 48kW motor, lithium-ion battery of 26.8kWh usable energy capacity, which the brand says will give customers a ‘claimed’ electric range of 225km to potter around town in for the week.

So what’s it like to drive you might ask?

Well the first thing that I noticed when I closed the driver’s door was how thin the metal sounded. It was as if I was putting the lid back on a tin of biscuits my aunt gave me for Christmas.

Maybe I am being a bit too harsh as what do expect from possibly the cheapest electric vehicle on the Irish market. It’s certainly an affordable stepping stone for customers entering the EV market.

In fact, even the entry-level model is fitted with parking sensors, cruise control, air conditioning, electric windows and a host of safety features that you’d normally pay through the nose for.

In Ireland, the Dacia Spring is available in three trim levels.

The entry-level 45bhp Expression model starts at €16,990.

Upgrade to the 65bhp Expression model and it will set you back €18,790. And the range-topping Extreme will set you back €19,990.