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- Dacia responds to Leapmotor’s price cuts
- Spring retains title of the UK’s most affordable car
- Small EV now costs just £11,990 in cheapest version
Dacia has slashed the cost of its entry-level Spring EV in the UK to £11,990 in a direct response to fierce competition from Chinese rival Leapmotor.
The company, which shares a “strategic global alliance with the Stellantis Group, cut the cost of its T03 electric city car yesterday, dropping the diminutive EV down to just £12,995 via a doubling of what it calls its Leap Grant.
In recent years, the Dacia Spring has enjoyed the title of the most affordable electric passenger vehicle on sale in the UK (and much of Europe), also taking the crown as Britain’s cheapest car overall, but that title was handed over yesterday following Leapmotor’s aggressive price cuts.
However, it is worth noting that Dacia has reduced the price of its entry level Spring Expression model, which offers just 70bhp and a range of 140-miles on a single charge — both of these figures are easily bettered by the T03.
A recently upgraded Spring 100 is more closely matched in terms of specification and this is now priced at £12,990, a mere £5 less than the Chinese rival.
This version offers a more powerful 100hp motor, a 10.1-inch touchscreen display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, vehicle-to-load functionality, copper-accented styling, electric rear windows, reversing camera, and more.
Lina Ribeiro, Dacia Brand Director for the UK, said that “production efficiencies” and a “strong drive to continue to offer real value to our customers” have helped the Romanian company pass on savings to the end user.
Analysis: could this spark a small car price war?
There are very few new cars currently on sale in the UK that can compete with an £11,990 price tag, let alone those that use a typically more expensive electric powertrain. But the battle to become the UK’s cheapest car could see other brands start slashing their prices.
The BYD Dolphin Surf, for example, currently sits at £18,650, while Honda’s upcoming Super N offers a lot of fun and bags of character for £19,000. The MG3 is also a steal at £17,495, although the brand has been known to heavily discount this price.
Should the Renault Twingo qualify for the full UK electric car grant, this could be sold for below £17,000 and offer 163-miles of range, as well as Renault’s excellent interior attention to detail.
Plus, with Chinese brands gaining more traction in the UK and European markets, we could see a whole host of previously ‘unknown’ models start popping up at dealerships, all with a view to undercut the competition.
If you’re in the market for a cheap electric city car, now could be the time to start shopping around.