Dacia celebrates first delivery of its Spring EV

Taking its promise of building robust yet affordable cars into the electric era, Dacia has announced the first customer delivery of its Spring EV in the U.K.

The lucky customer was a gentleman based in Hampshire named John Davies, who apparently was not clued in that he would be the first to receive his car.

Mr. Davies, posing next to his Dusty Khaki Dacia Spring, has previously owned two Dacias: His current Duster, as well as a Sandero Stepway

The self-professed fan of the Dacia brand - and existing owner of a Dacia Duster - further revealed that the Spring was his first electric car. His unit is decked out in rugged-looking Dusty Khaki, and specced out in the Extreme trim. Mr. Davies has apparently also driven the Dacia Sandero Stepway in the past.

The Dacia the Spring is a compact crossover marks the first electric offering by the Renault-owned Romanian brand.

Its 26.8kWh battery is claimed to provide up to 225km of range by the mixed WLTP-cycle - or close to 300km in urban-only conditions - and supports DC charging at up to 30kW, with which it can be recharged from 0 to 80% in less than an hour. Meanwhile, customers have the choice between a 45bhp or 64bhp electric motor.

As expected of Dacia, however, the Spring’s calling card is its affordable price point - starting from just over $25,300 (or £14,995). The brand states that this makes it the nation’s most affordable EV.

As standard, the Spring also offers equipment such as a 7.0-inch instrument cluster, cruise control, manual air conditioning, rear parking sensors, Media Control system with USB port, electric front windows and remote central locking.