Dacia and Leapmotor Vie for Cheapest New Car Title

The war for the U.K.’s cheapest cars is hotting up between Leapmotor and Dacia with a race to the bottom for the coveted crown.

Leapmotor UK has just doubled its LEAP-GRANT, matching the tiered UK gov grants for certain qualifying eVs, to £3,000 on the T03, dropping the on-the-road price to a headline-grabbing £12,995. That makes it one of the cheapest new cars you can buy in the UK right now. Of any fuel type!

However, Dacia has fired back with its own £3,750 Electric Car Grant on the updated 2026 Dacia Spring (their small car), bringing the entry-level Expression EV 70 down to £11,990 OTR (from a pre-grant £15,990). The higher-spec Extreme 100 trim lands now at £12,990.

Both sit below the entry-level petrol Dacia Sandero (from around £14,765 OTR). A genuine price war has broken out in the budget city-car space, and buyers are the winners! So what are these two little cars all about?

Leapmotor T03: The New King of Cheap EVs?

The T03 is a brilliant little compact 5-door city car (I’ve actually ordered one a couple of weeks ago) around 3.62m long) with a 37.3 kWh LFP battery, 165 miles WLTP range, and a 95 PS electric motor. It’s a proper four-seater with a modest 210-litre boot. Think early ‘bubble-shape’ Micra.

Key highlights with the new deal:

• £12,995 OTR after the doubled £3,000 LEAP-GRANT (previously it was £14,495 with the smaller grant).

• 37.3 kWh LFP battery

• 165 miles of range (WLTP)

• 95 horsepower

• 210 litres of boot capacity

• 4 seats

The Leapmotor T03 is a Stellantis-backed brand with good dealer support and parts availability, and is surprisingly spacious for its size, with decent spec including air-con, touchscreen, and modern safety kit.

Real-world range should be strong for a car this efficient and light, easily 130+miles in mixed use.

It’s positioned as the ultimate “first EV” or second car for urban drivers who want maximum range at minimum cost. The recent grant doubling (announced to celebrate the scheme’s first anniversary and strong early sales) shows Leapmotor is serious about volume in the UK.

Leapmotor T03

Refreshed Dacia Spring 2026: Bigger Boot, Established Brand

The refreshed Spring keeps its ultra-light, ultra-efficient formula but gains new motors and a bit more polish. It’s arguably a better looker than the ‘cute’ but challenging front of the T03

Key specs:

• Starts from £11,990 OTR

• ~26.8 kWh battery

• 140 miles WLTP range (strong urban figure — up to ~195 miles claimed in city cycle)

• 70 PS in the base Expression or 100 PS in the Extreme

• 308-litre boot + useful frunk (around 35 litres) noticeably more practical than the T03

• 4 seats, very light kerb weight, excellent city efficiency (~12.4 kWh/100 km claimed)

With the £3,750 Dacia Electric Car Grant applied, it undercuts almost everything else. It also benefits from Dacia’s strong UK dealer network, straightforward ownership experience, and a growing reputation for no-nonsense value. The Extreme version adds more power, better infotainment, and a rear camera for only £1,000 more (post-grant).

Dacia Spring

Head-to-Head: T03 vs Spring

Both have decent standard equipment (air-con, digital displays, smartphone connectivity, and active safety systems).

The T03 gets more with all included extras such as panoramic roof and automatic cruise control, reversing camera and parking sensors 8 inch display vs 7 in the Dacia.

Real-world range will depend heavily on driving style, weather as ever, but  expect 140 plus miles typical for the T03 and 100–125 miles for the Spring in mixed conditions.

Charging is similar: both support decent DC speeds for their size (T03 up to ~48 kW; Spring ~40 kW DC for 20-80% in ~29 minutes). Home wallbox charging makes either a no-brainer for daily use.

How Do They Compare to the Petrol Dacia Sandero?

The Sandero (Essential TCe 100 from ~£14,765 OTR) is the natural petrol benchmark -a 5-seater supermini with a bigger boot (typically 328+ litres).

Purchase price advantage: Both EVs now win outright. You can drive away in a brand-new EV for less than the base petrol Sandero.

Running costs: EVs destroy the Sandero here. Home charging is typically 3–5p per mile vs 10–15p+ for petrol. Lower servicing, cheaper road tax (EVs currently benefit from lower VED bands), and potential company-car BIK advantages.

Practicality & versatility: Sandero wins for families or anyone needing 5 (albeit tight) seats, more luggage space, or frequent longer trips. The T03 and Spring are proper A-segment city cars, the Spring is fine for two adults + occasional rear passengers or shopping, but tighter in the back and less suited to motorways or holidays. the T03 is actually pretty decent  for room for the back seat occupants.

Which Should You Buy?

•  Choose the Leapmotor T03 if you want the longest range, best spec and you don’t need maximum boot space. It’s the “pure value” EV play right now.

•  Choose the Dacia Spring if you value a bigger boot and the absolute lowest price, starting at £11,990 (it’s hard to ignore).

•  Stick with (or consider) the Sandero if you need 5 seats, more versatility, have no home charging, or simply aren’t ready to switch to electric yet. It remains one of the cheapest ways to buy a new “normal” car.

Finance deals on both EVs are aggressive (0% APR PCP examples have been common), so monthly costs can be very low with a modest deposit.

This author secured one for £142 down and £142 a month. But expect an even further sweetened deal to be around the corner. (I wonder if I can renegotiate a lower monthly?)

Final Thoughts

These manufacturer grants from Leapmotor and Dacia are doing what government incentives sometimes struggle to achieve: making electric cars genuinely cheaper to buy than their petrol equivalents in the budget segment. For urban drivers or those with access to charging, the T03 and Spring represent some of the best new-car value in the UK right now.

If you’re in the market for a small, cheap-to-run, well, runabout, now is an excellent time to test drive both. .

The era of very affordable, small EVs is here. These deals from Leapmotor and Dacia are making electric motoring accessible to more people than ever. If you’re in the market for a small runabout, now’s a fantastic time to leap (or spring) into EV ownership. Check local dealers for test drives and latest finance quotes.

Author

Newt is a lifelong car enthusiast and specialist in electric cars.

You can find Newt on𝕏 at @eV_Newt