Dacia Spring vs Skoda CITIGOe iV

The Skoda CITIGOe iV costs £8,465 more than the Dacia Spring. On the headline specs that premium buys little measurable advantage - the two are closely matched on range, charging and space. The Dacia Spring is not just cheaper - it also offers 58 litres more boot space. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Dacia Spring comes out ahead overall.

The Dacia Spring is £8,465 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £136 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Dacia Spring comes out roughly £8,545 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 95 miles for the Dacia Spring and 134 miles for the Skoda CITIGOe iV - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Skoda CITIGOe iV goes roughly 39 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 29 minutes in the Dacia Spring and 60 in the Skoda CITIGOe iV, so the Dacia Spring loses less time at each stop. So the Skoda CITIGOe iV stops less often while the Dacia Spring stops for less time - pick on which you would rather do.

The Dacia Spring is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 62 mm narrower than the Skoda CITIGOe iV. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 817 mm of total clearance for the Dacia Spring and about 755 mm of total clearance for the Skoda CITIGOe iV.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 90% battery health for the Dacia Spring and 84% for the Skoda CITIGOe iV. That gives the Dacia Spring a modest edge in retained real-world range. The Dacia Spring's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the Skoda CITIGOe iV's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.