- Dacia will launch a new electric city car in Europe in mid-2026, starting below €18k.
- The EV will share its underpinnings with the 2026 Renault Twingo E-Tech.
- It will be manufactured in Europe, unlike the China-built Dacia Spring.
Update 2/21: Dacia has released the first official teaser of its upcoming EV.
The heavily updated version of the Dacia Spring is one of the cheapest EVs on sale in the Old Continent, but the Romanian automaker isn’t resting on its laurels. Renault Group CEO, Luca de Meo, has confirmed that Dacia has already started development of a new fully electric city car, which is set to arrive in mid-2026 with a target price of under €18,000 ($18,800).
Unlike the similarly-priced Dacia Spring that is manufactured in China by Dongfeng Renault, the new EV will be built in Europe, avoiding the tariffs imposed by the EU on imported Chinese cars. Dacia shared a sketch of the upcoming model, showing a five-door hatchback with a short hood, a boxy stance, and large wheels.
More: Dacia Sandero Beats Tesla Model Y As Europe’s 2024 Best-Seller
Speaking to Autocar, Luca de Meo revealed that the new product will be ready in a record time of 16 months, which positions its launch in the middle of 2026. The Renault Group boss bragged they have “moved to China speed” in terms of new car development following their partnership with a Chinese R&D consulting firm for the Renault Twingo E-Tech project, adding: “I defy any competitor in the world to do that”.
De Meo also said: “We’re preparing to go one step further in terms of EV affordability”, promising a sub-€18k price tag. For comparison, the cheapest trim of the electric Dacia Spring currently starts at €16,900 ($17,600) in Germany. The only EV that comes close in terms of affordability is the Leapmotor T03 – a Chinese model manufactured in Europe by Stellantis.
Shared Underpinnings
The yet-unnamed Dacia will be related to the Renault Twingo E-Tech, and another affordable EV that is currently under development by Nissan. All three EVs will ride on a shorter version of the AmpR Small architecture, formerly known as the CMF-BEV platform that’s used in the Renault 5 E-Tech. The EV-native architecture is related to the CMF-B platform that currently underpins Dacia’s entire ICE-powered lineup.
Renault has set a sub-€20,000 ($20,900) target for the Twingo E-Tech which is set to arrive in 2026. This means that the Dacia equivalent will be at least €2,000 ($2,100) cheaper, likely made possible by the Romanian automaker’s cost-cutting tactics.
More: Renault’s Updated Twingo Concept Hints At Next Year’s €20,000 EV
Still, the modern underpinnings of the city car are expected to bring significant improvements on ride quality, safety, range, and performance compared to the Dacia Spring. The latter is based on an electrified version of the CMF-A platform, originally developed for emerging markets.
At the moment, it is not clear whether Dacia’s new electric city car will serve as a direct replacement for the Spring which is too young to bow out of production. It’s worth noting that the next generation of the slightly larger Dacia Sandero supermini will also be available in fully electric form when it arrives in 2027.
Dacia Spring
