Value-focused carmaker Dacia has confirmed a 2021 European launch date for what could become the cheapest new electric car on the market by a wide margin.

It'll be based on the Dacia Spring Electric concept that was revealed earlier in 2020; this is essentially a rebadged Renault K-ZE – a model that was launched by Dacia's French parent company onto the Chinese market in 2019.

The Spring Electric is a small electric SUV that falls into line with Dacia’s rugged, no-frills design philosophy. Look beyond the concept’s bright orange paint and there’s a familiar, plastic-clad shape that draws on the Dacia Duster for inspiration.

Speaking to our sister title Auto Express, Dacia global marketing chief Mihai Bordeanu said: "It has the Dacia ingredients, this is something that will satisfy the customers but also be economically viable. Our aim is to be the best value for money brand and we will do with every model we launch."

"The priority needs to be around the essentials, so there is nothing necessary in the car and nothing which is not proven technology. Dacia looks at proven technology at Groupe Renault, and we have many things to choose, but Dacia is a tech follower and takes what is proven and works perfectly,” Bordeanu added.

Currently, the cheapest new electric car you can buy is the £17,495 Skoda Citigo-e iV, in its least expensive from without rapid-charging ability. Renault's own Twizy is cheaper, but classed as a quadricycle rather than a full-size car.

The Renault K-ZE features a 26.8kWh battery delivering 168 miles of range on the old NEDC test. Renault has previously said that the K-ZE would be rolled out globally following its launch in China.