Dacia – the Romanian brand famous for its cheap and cheerful cars – has announced it will be bringing a budget-friendly new city electric vehicle specifically designed for Europe.
Bosses promised the yet-to-be-named EV will cost less than €18,000 - so under £15,000 in the UK.
And it won’t be a long wait either before customers can snap up this bargain city EV because Luca de Meo, CEO at Dacia's parent company Renault Group, has promised to deliver the city car in just 16 months - meaning it should be here in 2026.
Mr de Meo told press at Renault’s annual results conference this week: ‘I defy any competitor in the world to do that, including the Chinese when they come to Europe.’
This rapid production time is faster than the Twingo - Renault's own urban-friendly EV, which is taking 21 months to develop - but the new Dacia EV does have the advantage of using the same platform.
The small electric hatchback will be produced in Europe allowing it to get around Chinese import tariffs imposed by the EU, something its Spring sister car - which is the current cheapest EV in the UK at just £14,995 – can't do as it's built in the Far East.
Dacia has yet to confirm whether its new EV will replace the Spring if its price shoots up as a result of the tariffs.
But for now, it seems that the city EV will be sold alongside the Spring.
The unnamed EV will likely be better equipped than the Spring as it’s being developed alongside the Renault Twingo on the French manufacturer's latest 'Ampr Small platform' rather than the Spring's more dated CMF-A architecture dating back to 2019.
The Twingo is coming with a far more high-tech and premium interior than the Spring too.
It is expected to carry over the seven-inch digital driver’s display and 10-inch multimedia hub from the Twingo to quell the brand's no-frills stereotype.
It's unclear what the new Dacia EVs range will be on a full charge but it will likely exceed that 140 miles offered by the Spring.
Renault has already claimed Twingo will arrive with ‘best-in-class’ battery efficiency of 6.2 miles per kWh, suggesting the Dacia will benefit from the same drivetrain.
The unnamed Dacia will broaden the Romanian brand’s lineup as the Renault-owned marque as it will follow the launch of the large Bigster family SUV.
Dacia's success has come off the back of offering the cheapest car in all segments; the fuel Sandero costs from just £13,225, the Duster SUV from £17,825 and the Bigster will cost £24,995.
