The Dacia Sandero sat at the top of the UK’s cheapest new car list for a very long time and now, in the age of the EV, it’s the turn of the Dacia Spring. For a mere £14,995, you can have a brand-new fully-fledged electric car.
In order to keep the price small, pretty much everything else about the Dacia Spring is on the small side, too. This is a compact city car with a 26.8kWh battery and 44bhp on tap if you opt for the cheapest version. The claimed 137-mile range isn’t exactly massive, either, but it should still prove more than enough for most day-to-day needs. One thing that isn’t small, though, is the equipment list, with a seven-inch touchscreen display, parking sensors and air conditioning all thrown in.
Cheapest electric cars
Dacia Spring – £14,995
Citroen e-C3 – £21,990
Vauxhall Corsa Electric – £26,895
MG4 – £26,995
Mazda MX-30 – £27,995
Fiat 500e – £28,195
Nissan Leaf – £28,495
MINI Cooper – £30,000
BYD Dolphin – £30,195
MG ZS EV – £30,495
Should I buy a quadricycle instead?
They aren’t technically classed as cars but quadricycles are an even cheaper way into fully-electric four-wheeled motoring. The difference between electric cars and quadricycles is the amount of power on offer, a legally-required limited top speed of 28mph and their extremely compact size and low weight.
A well-known example of a quadricycle that can currently be bought in the UK is the Citroen Ami. While its starting price of less than £9,000 is certainly eye-catching, the official 46-mile battery range is much less likely to suit driver requirements.
Quadricycles are primarily designed with short-distance urban journeys in mind, and in order to keep costs to a minimum, there’s very little in the way of comfort, technology or safety equipment to be found. Because of this, most buyers will be far better suited to a fully-sized electric car.
Want to reduce your family’s carbon footprint? These are the best electric SUVs to buy…