Will EVs like the updated Dacia Spring City-Car be Cheap enough to lease in 2026?

A cheap enough EV to lease in 2026 - The updated electric Dacia Spring City-Car?

There is “little incentive” to go into an electric, so says a comment in a recent BBC article on London’s Congestion Zone. As we have previously reported, the  Congestion Charge Zone  historically provided a benefit to no-emission vehicles operating in the Nation’s capital.

For some drivers this was one of those little benefits which you get from taking an electric vehicle, similar to company car drivers enjoying their low company car tax exposure (BiK). However, further to the TFL announcement late in November 2025 about zero-emissions, the revised policy has now been actioned and free travel has been removed.

As you can see on the website at the TFL, the Cleaner Vehicle Discount allows a 25% discount for a car and a 50% for a van if they are zero-emission. Considering the charge now stands at £18 per day, this is a robust saving for those persons or businesses operating a zero-emission vehicle.

The Congestion Charge covers central London between 7am and 6pm on a weekday and 12 - 6pm on a weekend / bank holiday. For those who are operating regularly in this area, the reality is that they will have to pay a sizeable increase on their previous exemption.

But are EVs “cheap enough”?

A common statement which has often been uttered when comparing EVs vs Petrol / Diesel options. In the early days of uptake, namely 2019 - 2022, there were perhaps far more expensive BEV options being offered in the market, which was more about the rapid uptake of businesses taking on zero-emission options as part of the company car tax changes.

HMRC moved the BiK calculation to 0%, so for many fleets there was a big incentive to move away from the combustion and plug-in options previously adopted. Where this probably didn’t help was that manufacturers considered that ALL vehicle customers were looking to procure a more expensive battery option or at least pay a premium for moving into a battery option.

The issue is that smaller business and retail consumers are more discerning with price, especially if using a personal contract hire or purchase finance product. The result was that many individuals were reticent to move into EV on the basis of the expense.

However, in a shift by most brands, partially due to declining sales and partly due to increasing competition from China, we have seen the electric market really improve its pricing position. In many cases, like for like vehicles are the same, if not cheaper, which sends a strong message to a customer that there are no “premiums” for the energy source shift.

Understanding if a car is cheap enough to buy or lease is no longer just the headline cost i.e... the OTR or the monthly finance. When you consider the new Dacia Spring EV costs around £15,990 - £16,990 for a standard model, the affordability doesn’t really come into question that much.

But in getting to grips with your exposure you do need to consider the entire package - the Whole of Life Costs. The initial costs, or the monthly lease price, is just one element when you consider:

•  Servicing and maintenance;
• Tyre Replacements;
•  MOTs;
•  Breakdown Recovery;
•  Fuel - electricity or petrol/diesel; and
•  Insurance.

These are often ignored aspects about vehicle usage but can sometimes be more excessive than customers expect. While subject to considered critique, what is often ignored about the EV is that the servicing and maintenance obligations are much cheaper.

Partly the lack of moving parts does help in this but also due to comprehensive design and manufacturing the vehicles are standing the test of time. Battery degradation is far more nominal than people envisaged, so there isn’t much of an argument when that is mentioned.

While tyres are slightly more expensive than a petrol / diesel option, these are always something to consider whichever vehicle you go for. For high-mileage drivers or for those with bigger alloys (21” and above), make sure you factor this into the equation.

With tyres at £250 - £350 per replacement, this is not something to be ignored. While both EV and combustion vehicles do need some kind of fuel, ensure you use a calculator for cost to compare the spend per mile. With many overnight EV tariffs now operating at 10 pence per kWh and below, the cost per mile is now 2 - 4 pence per mile compared to 15 - 20 pence in some combustion cases. This is why costs and “cheap enough” needs some review.

The Dacia Spring has proved to be a popular product for the group, with a reasonable uptake in 2025. However, Dacia have decided to revise the model with some subtle design and engineering functions to help ensure this remains a popular small EV to lease or buy in 2026.

Many of the good features are remaining with the 4 seat configuration, 308L boot, 10” multimedia system and internal versatility.

Even though it is a small car, the compact yet spacious tagline continues, with Spring able to be internally configured to passengers, bikes, bags and more! Real time driving traffic updates, charging planners, driver assistance features and the media system show that this car offers more than you would envisage for something so cost-effective.e.

So what Dacia Spring options can I order in 2026?

As per the Dacia brand website choose from:

•  Expression (Electric 70) - from £15,990 this includes key equipment like air conditioning, media control, rear parking sensors, 15” steel wheels, tinted windows, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition, emergency braking and fabric upholstery;

•  Extreme (Electric 100) - from £16,990 this adds Media Nav Live, front parking sensors, rear parking camera and the 15” alloys.         

The key colours include polar white, khaki, lightning grey, brick red and stonewash blue.   

How does the 2026 Dacia Spring EV perform?

•  70  - with a usable battery of 24 kWh this FWD offers 52 kW (70hp), top speeds of 78 mph and 0-62 times of 12.3 seconds. Real-world ranges suggest a combined 85 miles in colder weather with warmer temperatures to allow for 115 miles (on a full charge) - 100 miles combined . The 6.6kW AC allows for 0-100% charging times of 4 hours and 30 min with the 40kW DC enabling 10-80% in 30 minutes. The city-car has no confirmed Bidirectional charging. It has a 169 mpg equivalent, 308L cargo volume and offers no towing capacities. The heat pump is not available; and 

•  100 - with a usable battery of 24 kWh this FWD offers 52 kW (70hp), top speeds of 78 mph and 0-62 times of 9.6 seconds. Real-world ranges suggest a combined 85 miles in colder weather with warmer temperatures to allow for 115 miles (on a full charge) - 95miles combined . The 6.6kW AC allows for 0-100% charging times of 4 hours and 30 min with the 40kW DC enabling 10-80% in 30 minutes. The city-car has no confirmed Bidirectional charging. It has a 160 mpg equivalent, 308L cargo volume and offers no towing capacities. The heat pump is not available. 

Need more help and advice on your new Dacia EV for 2026?

Head to the e-car lease brand website to build your perfect option via our deals section  or just get in touch with our expert team on 01942 910 001 or by emailing us at [email protected]