Smart #1 Review & Prices

Looking for a compact electric SUV with decent space in the cabin? Then it’s well worth considering a Smart #1, which manages to be roomy in the cabin, comfy to drive, and yet still looks sleek, quirky, and interesting on the outside. Plus you get a decent range, and the option of some seriously powerful electric motors.

Right now, Smart is like a backwards chocolate bar. How so? Because while chocolate bars have all been getting smaller since the 1990s, Smart is getting bigger — moving from the dinky little ForTwo city car to more family-friendly cars like this #1 and the genuinely big #5 SUV. Shrinkflation in reverse.

That means the Smart #1 is in a crowded end of the electric car market right now, and that means there are lots of alternatives - whether it’s the sensible, but stylish, Hyundai Kona Electric, the funky new Renault 4 E-Tech (or indeed the existing Renault Megane E-Tech), the great-value Kia EV3, or even the Volvo EX30, which is actually related to the Smart under the skin.

Thankfully, the #1 stands out for more than its Tik-Tok-friendly name, thanks to a design that has a bit of character about it, from the big light bar that runs across the back to a slimline look for the headlights and nose. It’s almost like a comic-book car come to life.

That’s true of the cabin too, which manages to mix good quality (and a few Mercedes bits — Smart is now jointly owned by Mercedes and Chinese brand Geely) with a minimalist look. There’s the expected big touchscreen in the centre of the dash, which has impressively fast reflexes and is generally really good to use. The graphics are a bit ‘quirky’ though, with a look inspired by video games and Manga comics that won’t please everyone. There’s even an animated fox that pops up from time to time — because foxes are both smart and fast? — to act as your digital voice assistant. You’ll either love that, or want to put your foot through the screen.

Smart #1: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 193-273 miles
Efficiency: 3.7-2.1 miles per kWh
Battery size: 47-62kWh
Max charge speed: 150kW
Charge time AC: 6-9 hours
Charge time DC: 31 minutes
Charge port location: Left rear
Power outputs: 272-429hp

Somewhat less controversial is the amount of space on offer, with a good driving position up front, and a tall-ish seat that gives you a great view out. There’s plenty of headroom, too.

It’s even better in the back, and notably more roomy than the related Volvo EX30, where six-foot-plus passengers can get comfy, not least thanks to space under the front seats for their feet. The rear seats are supportive too, so long journeys are painless, but the middle rear seat is too narrow and has some odd bulges that make it uncomfortable.

The rear seats slide back and forth, which means that if no-one tall is in the back you can slide them forward to open up extra boot space. Even so, the boot is smaller than that of a Kia EV3, and only about as big as the much more affordable Renault 4 E-Tech. Push the seats all the way back and the boot is genuinely quite cramped.

When it comes to comfort, though, the Smart #1 is king — well, almost. It certainly has softer suspension than most of its rivals, which means that while they feel stiff and jiggly over bumps, the Smart glides with a sofa-like softness.

That does mean that it’s not much fun to drive on a twisty road, but for most people’s day to day driving, it’s fine. If you want some thrills, upgrade to the crazy 428hp Brabus version, which is rally-car fast but which doesn’t get any suspension mods, so it feels pretty wild through the corners too.

Not that, with 272hp, the standard rear-drive models are exactly slow. The #1’s range is fine too, varying between 193 miles and 273 miles depending on the model and the battery — there are two to choose from — and it will charge at up to 150kW, which means you should only be stopped for around 30 minutes.

Premium models get more toys and extra range, but the Pro+ is very well-specified for the price so you won’t feel like you’re missing out.

Whichever model you end up going for, get the best price by checking out Carwow’s latest Smart #1 deals, as well as these fantastic Smart #1 lease deals. You can also browse other used Smart models. And when it’s time to sell your car, you can do that through Carwow, too.

Prices for the Smart #1 start from just under £30,000 so it’s pretty good value, although that’s for the most basic version with the 47kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery. That does mean a shorter range, but then LFP batteries are reckoned to be more robust and reliable, so that might be a worthwhile trade-off in the long run.

However, an MG S5 EV is cheaper than that and goes a little further on one charge, and the Renault 4 E-Tech is expected to be more affordable again. The price of the bigger-battery versions of the #1 are arguably more competitive, especially when compared against the likes of the Kia EV3 or the Skoda Elroq, although both of those cars come with the option of seriously long-range models, which the Smart currently lacks.

You’ll have to pay a bit more to get a Volkswagen ID3, which isn’t as fancy inside, has a worse infotainment system and is similarly impractical. It’s a similar story with the BYD Atto 3 – though it does have a bigger boot than the Smart, it doesn’t feel as polished inside.

You could have all of the same battery, motor, and structure as the Smart, but with a Volvo badge, by buying the EX30, but that’s pricier and doesn’t have as much rear seat space.

Comfortable over bumps and quiet at higher speeds, but the Smart #1 isn’t particularly fun or engaging in corners

In town

Electric cars have a tendency to be a bit jiggly over rough roads, but the Smart #1 is one of the most comfortable options. It deals really well with potholes and drain covers, soaking up sharp edges nicely.

Visibility is excellent looking forward, making it easy to squeeze through tight gaps and keep on eye on traffic around you. The rear pillars are quite chunky, but there are extra small windows in the back quarter that help improve your view over your shoulder.

The turning circle isn’t quite as good as a Renault Megane E-Tech, but the Smart shows a top-down view of the car on the infotainment display when you indicate, which helps you negotiate tight spots. Disappointingly, though, the reversing camera has a low frame rate, so it skips and jumps, making it harder to judge your manoeuvres.

There are three driving modes (and a fourth Brabus mode in the go-faster model). You’ll spend most of your time in Comfort; switching between modes does nothing to change the suspension, it’s just how the motor responds. The car feels quick and responsive to your inputs, even in Eco mode, and the brakes are easy to judge so you can come to a smooth stop.

On the motorway

When speeds increase the Smart #1 continues to impress. There’s a hint of tyre noise if we’re being fussy, but otherwise it’s very quiet when cruising along the motorway, feeling well-insulated and refined. When you also consider that the seats are soft and supportive, it’s a comfortable companion for longer drives.

In the regular models, performance is brisk without being particularly exciting, but it picks up speed more than quickly enough for slip roads or overtakes. The Brabus is rapid and you’ll have no trouble getting around middle lane dawdlers.

Adaptive cruise control, which can maintain your distance to the car in front, is included as standard. This is great, because it means those who do lots of motorway miles don’t need to spend more on a higher trim or optional extra. However, while it is useful, the lane-centring is quite intrusive, so you might have to fiddle with the settings to suit your preferences.

On a twisty road

If you’re a keen driver and like your family car to be a corner-carving hero on weekends, the Smart #1 might not be your first choice. It’s fine, it’s just not particularly exciting. There’s enough grip to have fun, and the car doesn’t lean too much, but you’ll never feel like you want to push its limits.

And that’s fine, because most of the competition offer a similar experience – though if you do want a car that does enjoy bends, the Renault Megane E-Tech is worth a look.

The Brabus version goes some way to improving things by chucking more power at the situation. Without any other mechanical or suspension upgrades, it doesn’t change how it handles a twisty road, but it is at least more fun punching the throttle on the way out of a bend and the ‘Brabus’ driving mode does make the steering feel a bit sharper.

Interior passenger space is excellent, but the trade-off is that the boot is small, even in its most spacious configuration

Interior space is excellent. You have good adjustability of the wheel and driver’s seat, so it’s easy to get a good driving position, while the tall roof means you can sit nice and high like a proper SUV.

There’s plenty of useful storage to be found, too. Under the arm rest you’ll find a good-sized area to hide valuables, with two cup holders ahead of it with a phone holder. Further forward is the wireless phone charging pad with a couple of USB slots. Under this is a large area that will fit a bag.

Another neat touch is that you get ISOFIX mountings in the front, so you can safely carry little ones in the front where you can keep an eye on them.

Space in the back seats

It’s a similarly positive story in the back seats. There’s loads of knee room, even if you slide the seats forward to improve boot capacity. Again, the high roof means that even taller passengers will be comfortable, while good under-thigh support is good for long trips.

If you want to sit three across the back, it will be a bit tight but there’s an acceptable amount of shoulder room for a car of this size. However, the person in the middle pulls the short straw because there’s an odd ridge at the back that feels like it’s pressing into your backside. That could be annoying and uncomfortable for long trips.

All that space also means it’s easy to get set up if you’ve got young children. The doors are wide so getting a child seat in is a breeze and there’s loads of room to get the ISOFIX anchor points hooked up.

Boot space

All of this roomy goodness does come at a price, though. The boot is small. In fact, with the rear seats in their kneeroom-friendly position, there’s just 273 litres of space. That’s not very much at all, being more than a 100 litres down on a Skoda Fabia.

Slide the seats forward and you get a more respectable 411 litres, but even then, it’s easy to find alternatives with more space. The Kia Niro EV is one of the best at 475 litres, followed by the BYD Atto 3’s 440 litres and Peugeot e-2008’s 435 litres. The Volkswagen ID3 and Hyundai Kona Electric split the Smart’s two configurations at 385 litres and 332 litres respectively.

Folding the rear seats is easy enough if you do need more space. You just pull a latch on each seat and they fall flat, so you can push long items through without them catching on any ridge. However, with the seats down, the capacity is 986 litres, which is again disappointing when alternatives will fit comfortably over 1,000 litres.

More disappointment comes in the form of the front boot, which is so small at just 15 litres it almost feels pointless. You would be lucky to even fit your charging cables in there. Still, some electric cars, such as the Atto 3, don’t even have a ‘frunk’ at all. Better news is the fact that there is some under-floor storage in the rear boot, including somewhere to store your parcel shelf when it’s not needed.

Minimalist style and a brilliantly responsive infotainment system appeal, but the digital driver’s display isn’t great

If you’re drawn to the cool, funky exterior design of the Smart #1, the interior won’t disappoint. There’s a large centre console that swoops up and across in front of each front passenger. Darker colours look a bit more sophisticated, but the white does brighten up the cabin at least.

Speaking of sophistication, despite its reasonable price, there are plenty of quality materials aboard the #1. You can find some scratchy plastics if you really go looking for them, but most of what you see and touch every day feels expensive and well made.

Atop the dashboard sits the 12.8-inch infotainment display, and it’s really good. You get crisp graphics and it’s one of the fastest touchscreens in the business. There’s no delay in your touch being registered as you often see in other cars. It’s annoying that the climate settings are in the menus, though.

Although we’re sure you’ll love how fast the system is, the graphics won’t appeal to everyone. They feel like video game menus, and while there are some quirky features, they could be a bit fussy and distracting for a car, which should be simple to use on the move.

Speaking of quirkiness, the voice assistant is a fox that pops up and responds to your requests. Yep, really. If you ignore the odd talking animal, it works well and we never found ourselves repeating things.

The system does come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, and that does allow you to avoid the pop-up fox if it’s annoying you. Originally, the #1 didn’t have either of those phone connections, but a software update has added them to the system since.

While the main infotainment display is great, the driver’s display is a bit of a letdown. It’s a narrow screen with some basic information, with a little customisation available. It just doesn’t feel quite as high-tech as the main display. Premium and Brabus models have a head-up display that works well and reduces the need to use this smaller screen.

These models also get the upgraded Beats sound system. You lose a little bit of under-floor boot space, but it’s not much and is a worthy trade for the excellent sound quality you get.

There are four versions of the Smart #1, which have either a 47kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery or a 62kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery. As standard, there’s a single electric motor on the rear wheels, which makes 272hp and 343Nm of torque, and which will accelerate 0-60mph in 6.7 seconds and onto a top speed of 112mph.

The 47kWh LFP battery has a range of only 193 miles, which may be enough for some, but an MG S5 EV, with the same battery chemistry, can manage almost an extra 20 miles on one charge, which may be a critical bit of extra range. LFP batteries don’t usually have as much range as an NMC battery, but they are more robust and stand up better to repeated fast-charging.

Further up the range, the Premium model gets a heat pump and more sophisticated motor, which help improve its range. As a result, official figures suggest a range of up to 273 miles, compared with 260 miles in the Pro+, when both are fitted with the 62kWh NMC battery. Both are some way short of the range you get in big-battery versions of the Kia EV3 or Skoda Elroq.

Opt for the Brabus and you get two motors, with one on the front wheels joining the one on the rear, providing all-wheel drive. The extra motor means power is up to 428hp and 584Nm, bringing the 0-60mph sprint time down to just 3.9 seconds. The top speed is unchanged at 112mph.

With all that extra power, the Brabus unsurprisingly has a shorter range at 248 miles. However, curiously, during our testing with the Premium and Brabus models, we got an identical (and respectable) 3.7miles/kWh efficiency figure, which would put both at around 230 miles in the real world.

Since the changes to VED road tax in April of 2025, the Smart #1 now costs £20 to tax for its first year, and then £195 on the standard rate from year two onwards. Top spec models do stretch beyond the £40,000 mark though, which means you’ll have to pay the extra £420 VED supplement in years two-to-six.

The #1 charges up pretty quickly. The smaller battery can charge at up to 130kW, and the larger version at 150kW, which means you should be able to do a 20-80% charge in around 30 minutes, if everything’s working properly. AC charging runs at up to 22kW, which means you can charge up briskly, if not quite quickly, from higher-powered kerbside charging points.

The Smart #1 scored top marks in Euro NCAP safety testing. Its five-out-of-five rating was helped by impressive adult and child occupant scores of 96% and 89% respectively.

Its driver assist rating was also quite high at 88%, which is perhaps no surprise when you consider that you get some decent assistance tech as standard. All models have blind spot warning, lane-centring on the motorway, and adaptive cruise control with a stop and go function. Step up to the Premium and Brabus models, and you get an automatic parking system, too.

The Smart #1 is a pretty new model, so it’s not clear exactly how reliable it will turn out to be. And with this car getting lots of new technology, we can’t even look at the brand’s previous reputation to get a good idea. Some reassurance can come from the fact that the relative simplicity of electric vehicle powertrains means there’s less to go wrong.

Each car comes with a three-year, unlimited mileage warranty, with the battery covered for eight years or 125,000 miles. You also get a service package that covers servicing and wear and tear items for three years/30,000 miles, and roadside assistance for up to eight years/100,000 miles if the car is maintained at a Smart aftersales partner.