Dacia is Developing a New Electric Vehicle for Europe Priced Under €18,000 | Carscoops

      The yet-to-be-named city car is set to be developed within a record timeframe of 16 months.

      5 hours ago

      by Thanos Pappas

      Dacia plans to introduce a new electric city car in Europe by mid-2026, with a starting price of under €18,000.

      This EV will share its foundation with the Renault Twingo E-Tech.

      Differing from the Dacia Spring, which is produced in China, this new vehicle will be made in Europe.

      The significantly revamped Dacia Spring is among the most affordable EVs in Europe, yet the Romanian automaker is not resting on its past success. Renault Group CEO, Luca de Meo, has confirmed that Dacia has begun the development of a new fully electric city car, expected to launch in mid-2026 with a target price of under €18,000 ($18,800).

      Unlike the similarly priced Dacia Spring produced in China by Dongfeng Renault, the new electric vehicle will be constructed in Europe, thus avoiding the tariffs that the EU imposes on imported Chinese models.

      More: Dacia Sandero Surpasses Tesla Model Y as Europe’s Best-Seller in 2024

      In an interview with Autocar, Luca de Meo stated that the new model will be ready in a record time of 16 months, targeting a release in the middle of 2026. He expressed confidence in their accelerated development pace, likening it to "China speed" following their collaboration with a Chinese R&D consulting firm for the Renault Twingo E-Tech project, adding: “I challenge any competitor worldwide to achieve that.”

      De Meo further mentioned: “We’re gearing up to take affordability in EVs to the next level,” with a promise of a price below €18,000. For context, the least expensive variant of the electric Dacia Spring currently starts at €16,900 ($17,600) in Germany. The only electric vehicle that competes closely in price is the Leapmotor T03—a Chinese model manufactured in Europe by Stellantis.

      Dacia Spring

      Shared Foundation

      The unnamed Dacia will be linked to the Renault Twingo E-Tech and another budget-friendly electric vehicle currently under development by Nissan. All three will utilize a shortened version of the AmpR Small architecture, previously referred to as the CMF-BEV platform used in the Renault 5 E-Tech. This EV-specific architecture is related to the CMF-B platform, which underlies Dacia’s entire lineup of ICE vehicles.

      Renault aims for the Twingo E-Tech to be priced below €20,000 ($20,900) upon its 2026 release, indicating that the Dacia equivalent will be at least €2,000 ($2,100) less expensive, likely due to cost-reduction strategies employed by the Romanian manufacturer.

      More: Renault’s Revamped Twingo Concept Suggests Next Year’s €20,000 EV

      Nonetheless, the modern foundation of the city car is expected to provide considerable enhancements in ride quality, safety, range, and performance compared to the Dacia Spring, which is based on an electrified version of the CMF-A platform initially developed for emerging markets.

      Currently, it remains unclear if Dacia’s new electric city car will act as a direct replacement for the Spring, which is still relatively new in the market. Additionally, the next generation of the slightly larger Dacia Sandero supermini is set to be available in an all-electric model when it launches in 2027.