Citroën 2CV and Dacia Spring: the next affordable electric cars

Electric cars are becoming less expensive, and the Portuguese market already offers some convincing proof. If you need persuading, this buying guide makes the case.

Affordable electric cars are gaining ground

It is true that many models still do not break through the €20,000 barrier, but the direction of travel is unmistakable. A few years ago, the Dacia Spring was the only electric car priced below this threshold; it is now being joined by other contenders.

This momentum will grow over the coming years, as more manufacturers look to establish themselves in a segment whose leading players are currently the Renault Twingo and Citroën ë-C3.

Among the affordable electric cars due to arrive within the next two years, however, two stand out for their potential to reshape the market and set the benchmark.

They intend to do so in two very different ways. One will revive a historic name in a contemporary form, while the other is a familiar model looking to extend its successful record in this segment.

Citroën 2CV

This will be a major return - and what a return it promises to be. Citroën is bringing back the 2CV as an affordable electric car, with an entry price expected to be around €15,000.

Due to arrive in 2028, with production set to begin next year, the new 2CV was previewed in a teaser shown a few weeks ago at Stellantis Investor Day. It will be unveiled as a concept car at the Paris Motor Show in October.

If that price estimate proves accurate, the Citroën 2CV will lay claim to a title long held by the Dacia Spring: “the cheapest electric car on sale in Portugal”.

The 2CV will be built in Italy at the Pomigliano d’Arco plant, where the FIAT Pandina and Alfa Romeo Tonale are produced. It forms part of Stellantis’s E-Car project, which will also create an equivalent FIAT model. Its name has not yet been confirmed, although Emanuele Cappelano, Stellantis’s head of Enlarged Europe, has confirmed that it will not be called Panda.

The released teaser images point to a shape that revives many of the styling cues of the original 2CV, which was once built in Mangualde. This formula has worked particularly well for another French brand, Renault, as demonstrated by the Renault 5, 4 and Twingo.

Dacia Spring

As the Renault Group has been mentioned, the second model on this list comes from Dacia. Since 2021, it has consistently been the price champion among electric cars sold in Portugal. It is the Spring, whose second generation will also be revealed at the Paris Motor Show next October.

While the 2CV will still only be shown in concept form, the Dacia Spring will appear in its final production specification and will go on sale in Portugal next year.

In fact, almost everything about it is already known. It shares its technical foundations with the Renault Twingo, combining a 60 kW (82 hp) electric motor producing 175 Nm of maximum torque with a 27.5 kWh LFP battery, enabling it to claim up to 263 km of range on the combined WLTP cycle.

Dacia Spring size, style and expected price

Its close relationship with Renault’s model means the new Dacia Spring will inevitably be larger than the current generation. The Twingo measures 3.8 m long and 1.7 m wide, whereas today’s Spring is “just” 3.7 m long and 1.58 m wide respectively.

The biggest distinction is expected to be its design. The Twingo adopts a more playful, colourful and friendly look, while the new Spring should follow the more adventurous identity Dacia has been applying to its latest models. It is likely to feature a slightly higher stance and a tougher body, with more pronounced protection around the wheel arches and bumpers.

Prices have not yet been announced, but the strategic positioning of the two brands means the Spring will have to cost less than its Renault Twingo sibling, which starts at €19,490. For comparison, the current Spring is priced from €16,900.