Mat’s Car of the Day: the Smart #1 is a used bargain if you’re after a small, stylish electric SUV
Car changing is a big deal
Mat Watson liked the Smart #1 when he reviewed it, and now there are some great deals to be found on second-hand examples.
When Smart returned to the UK market two years ago, it decided that selling tiny two seat city cars was narrowing its options just a bit too much, and so decided to branch out into bigger, more practical SUVs, with all-electric power and jointly made by Mercedes and giant Chinese car maker Geely.
The results are cars such as this #1, the car with the most Gen-Z name ever. Unlike the old Smart ForTwo, it’s a chunky, but curvy, small SUV which, Smart promises, sticks to the company’s original ethos by being one of the most space-efficient cars in its class. With all-electric power and the option of a super-fast four-wheel drive model, tuned by famous Mercedes experts Brabus, the #1 offers an interesting blend of style, space, and speed.
Buying used through Carwow, of course, gets you the most potential Smart #1 for your money, but is it a car worthy of your consideration? Here, we give you three reasons why you might love a used Smart #1, and equally three reasons why you might want to give it a skip.
Three reasons to buy a Smart #1
1. It looks cool
The Smart #1 is one of the most distinctive new electric SUVs to look at. In some ways, it really shouldn’t be because it uses a lot of the same styling tricks as so many other recent electric cars – especially the full-width light bars at the front and rear. Even so, the #1 has a curvy, slightly bulbous look, and the way the back of the roof drops down towards the rear windscreen really is distinctive. Combine that with ultra-clean lines along the sides, and some nice alloy wheel designs, and you end up with a really – there’s no other word for it – smart looking SUV.
2. It’s roomy inside
Smart’s promise, with its new generation of cars, is that they will always be the roomiest and most space-efficient in their class. That’s a promise that the #1 lives up to, and it’s way roomier in the cabin than, say, the Volvo EX30, which through a convoluted series of ownership links, actually shares a chassis, electric motors, and batteries with the Smart #1. There’s a high-up driving position in the front (and very comfy it is too) while in the back there’s loads of legroom and headroom, and big doors so that it’s easy to load up kids or older passengers. There’s also three ISOFIX mounts — two in the back and one in the front – so the Smart #1 is distinctly family-friendly.
3. It has decent range
There are two battery options for the Smart #1 – a basic 47kWh pack, or a more sophisticated ‘NMC’ battery with 62KWh – and the bigger option gives you really decent range. It’s not the longest-range car around (a Skoda Elroq or a Kia EV3 will go further on a charge) but in real-world terms, the #1 does well, with around 230 miles from the claimed 273 miles being usable, which is decent going. The big-battery version also charges at up to 150kW on a DC fast charger, which means you’ll not be left hanging around too long when you need a top-up, and there’s 22kW AC charging which speeds things up at kerbside charging points.
Used Smart #1 deals
You can pay up to £44,000 for a top-spec Smart #1 when it’s new, so there’s a lot of car for your money if you dip into the used market. I found a 2024 ‘Launch Edition’ version of the #1, which comes with pretty much all of the optional extras you could ask for.
This particular car has the gorgeous paint combo of ‘Platinum Gold’ and ‘Digital White’ as well as 19-inch black alloy wheels with silver highlights, a panoramic glass roof, silver roof bars, pale leather and cloth seat trim, a digital driver’s instrument screen as well as a head-up display, and two-zone climate control. It costs the same as a new, basic model, with an asking price of £22,999. With only 10,000 miles on the clock, that’s unbeatable value for money. It helps that it’s the big-battery model too, so you’ll get 230 miles range easily in daily driving.
Three drawbacks to the Smart #1
1. Boot space
While the Smart #1 is roomy in the cabin, there’s a price to be paid when you get to the boot, which holds just 273 litres, up to the luggage cover. That’s… really small. Put it this way, that’s not much more space than you get in a Mini hatchback, and almost 200 litres less than you can squeeze into a Skoda Elroq. There is a ‘frunk’ or ‘froot’ (front-boot) storage space in the nose, but it holds a mere 15 litres, so you’ll have to carefully and tightly coil up your charging cable if it’s going to fit in there.
2. Could be more fun to drive
From the Smart #1’s pugnacious styling, you’d think it would be a laugh-riot to drive on a twisty road, not least because it’s actually rear-wheel drive in basic form. Sadly, it’s just not. The suspension gives you a really comfy, soft ride around town, but the downside of that is that the #1 feels a bit ‘boaty’ on a twisty road, and just doesn’t have the steering feel nor the chassis balance for you to have much fun. Worryingly, that’s also true of the ultra-powerful 428hp Brabus four-wheel drive version, which has acceleration to beat a Porsche, but the same wobbly feeling on a back road.
3. Fiddly infotainment
In one sense, the Smart #1 has a brilliant 12.8-inch infotainment screen because it’s bright, and it’s super-fast to respond to a jab or a swipe of your finger. However, it’s also a let-down, because there are so few physical buttons to make life easier (none at all, really) and there are some confusing menus to work your way through to find what you need. Also, the image for the reversing camera, instead of being sharp and clear, seems a bit old-hat, and often lags fractionally behind the movement of the car, which is a worry in tight spaces.
Car change? Carwow!
Looking for a new set of wheels? With Carwow you can sell your car quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a car brand new, are after something used or you want to explore car leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for new car deals.
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