Dacia will launch an electric version of the Dacia Sandero in 2027 as batteries and drives will probably be taken from the Renault 4 and 5 Electric. Dacia boss Denis Le Vot told Automotive News. The Dacia Spring Electric manufactured in China, on the other hand, is likely to be discontinued.
In 2024, the Romanian brand, which belongs to Renault, sold 676,340 vehicles worldwide. The bestseller was the Sandero. The 4.09-metre-long small car has been one of the cheapest cars for years and was the best-selling car in Europe in 2024.
The Dacia Sandero has been on the market since 2008; the second generation followed in 2013 and the third was launched in 2021. In the fourth iteration, there will also be an electric version for the first time. The car is to remain a small car around 4.10 metres long, i.e. not an SUV. Our cover image, a rendering by Motor1, shows what the car could look like. In addition to the normal Sandero variant, there will also be a higher stepway version with an off-road look, as before.
As early as 2021, a Renault manager stated that they were working on an electric Sandero. At the time, there was talk of a market launch in 2026. In 2023, Dacia boss Denis Le Vot then specified that the car could be expected in 2027 or 2028. Now the same manager is talking about 2027.
So far, the Dacia Spring is the brand’s only electric car. It received a facelift in 2024; there were no technical changes. In Europe, sales fell drastically in 2024. In Germany, too, the figures plummeted by two thirds: 14,366 new registrations in 2022, 12,406 in 2023 , but only 3,655 in 2024 . One of the reasons for this was probably the cancellation of subsidies, which make up the highest percentage in the lowest price segment and also affect the most price-sensitive customers.
Photo by: Dacia
Dacia Spring: 3.70 metres long, 1.52 metres high
Photo by: Motor1
Dacia Sandero Stepway (2024): 4.10 metres long, 150 metres high
Unlike the Spring, which is built in China, the electric Sandero (which will probably be called the Sandero Electric) will probably be built in Europe, which will spare it the EU punitive tariffs, if they still exist. Whether it will roll off the production line at Dacia’s main plant in Romania remains to be seen. The plant would first have to be converted for the production of electric cars. Alternatively, the car could be built in an already “electrified” Renault plant: The Renault 5 E-Tech Electric is produced at the “ElectriCity” plant in Douai (south of Lille), while the 4 E-Tech Electric is manufactured around 50 miles to the east in Maubeuge.
Photo by: Renault
Renault 5 E-Tech Electric
Photo by: Renault
Renault 4 E-Tech Electric (2025)
Both models are based on the AmpR Small platform. The Sandero Electric will also be based on this architecture. It could then take over the batteries with 40 and 52 kWh as well as the front-wheel drives with 70, 90 and 110 kW.
As before, the newcomer will compete in the lowest price segment. Within the Group, it will compete against the Leapmotor T03 (from £15,995) and the Twingo electric, which will be available from around £17,000 from 2026. Other rivals will be the Citroën e-C3, the Hyundai Inster and the VW ID.2. Dacia will probably do everything in its power to beat its competitors on price and continue to offer the cheapest electric car in Europe. The Spring is available from just £14,995.
The Sandero Electric will not be the only electric car from Dacia. Another electric car is to be launched by the end of the decade. This is likely to be a somewhat larger SUV. One possibility would be a Duster Electric, i.e. an electric version of the 4.34 metre long Duster. However, this model is to be presented after the Sandero Electric, which will probably be presented as a near-production study in 2026.
The bottom line
Dacia boss Le Vot himself has now announced a new Sandero generation for 2027. For the first time, this will also be available as an electric car, which will be based on AmpR Small. As before, the car will be a small car, not an SUV à la Dacia Spring. Nevertheless, the Stepway version is likely to take over the function of the Spring, which was shockingly unsuccessful last year and is probably no longer as profitable due to the punitive tariffs imposed on China. We will know more by 2026 at the latest, when the Sandero Electric is to be presented as a study.
