Complete peace of mind for less
• Cheaper than AA Price Guarantee^
• We get to most breakdowns in 60 mins or less
• Our patrols fix 4/5 breakdowns on the spot
*At least 10% of new customers paid this or less since 12/08. Comparison based on theaa.com closest equivalent cover at 10/12. ^Find the same cover cheaper on theaa.com within 7 days & we'll beat it by 10%.
The new Smart #1 electric car marks a rebirth for the formerly city-focused company. Lawrence Allan drives it to see if the rebrand is a success.
Things you'll like
- Roomy interior
- Impressive safety record
- Strong performance
Things to consider
- Luggage space could be better
- Some ergonomic foibles
- Not the best EV driving experience
What is the Smart #1?
It’s unusual to completely change the identity of a car brand overnight, particularly one that’s already established. But that’s what’s happened to Smart – the Mercedes-Benz-run brand known for well over two decades for its tiny two or four-seat city cars.
No longer content with providing small urban transport solutions for the masses, Smart has changed tack completely. Mercedes-Benz has partnered up with Chinese car giant Geely (the Geely that owns Volvo, Polestar and Lotus, among many other brands) to overhaul Smart for the modern age.
Sadly it seems small, cheap cars don’t turn the necessary profit – see Ford ditching the popular Fiesta and Ka, for example – with safety and emissions regulations putting the whole sector on notice. Smart has also been chosen as an electric-only brand, which again pushes the cost of production (and so the price) further.
Enter the Smart #1 (pronounced Hashtag One…yes, really). At 4.3m long and a striking 1.64m high it’s vastly bigger in every dimension than Smart’s formerly biggest car – the ForFour – and is more of a family hatchback-cum-SUV. And, whereas all previous Smarts were built in France, this one is built in China.
It’s only available as an EV, of course, and sits in the same sort of market area as the platform-sharing (but slightly smaller) Volvo EX30, as well as the Renault Megane E-Tech, Peugeot e-2008 and Kia Niro EV. The #1 also has a more sharp-suited sibling in the form of the Smart #3 coupe SUV.
It’s a lot more conventional than any Smart we’ve known before, then, with far more space, technology, performance and range on a charge. But more doesn’t always equal better, so is it any good? Find out in our Smart #1 review.
Verdict: is the Smart #1 a good car?
The Smart #1 is a competent – and surprisingly affordable – alternative to established electric hatchbacks and small SUVs. It’s decent to drive with strong performance, offers a lot of standard equipment and tech, and also manages to be both roomy and very safe. It’s not perfect, but it’s a compelling option in the growing EV market.
Pricing, specs & rivals
The #1 is a significantly more expensive car than its Smart predecessors, but in the context of the cars it’s now up against it looks like good value.
At the time of writing the entry-level Smart #1 Pro starts at around £32,000, significantly undercutting a number of key rivals including the Kia Niro EV, Hyundai Kona Electric and even Chinese-brand alternatives like the BYD Atto 3. However, the Pro comes with a smaller 47kWh (usable) battery, undercutting all those cars on range.
Get into a Pro+ model with the bigger 62kWh usable battery and you’ll have a more competitive distance on a charge, but also a £36k list price that sits closer to key rivals. Premium models get more power and a more efficient electric motor for a little more range for around £39k, while the bonkers 425bhp, all-wheel drive Brabus version is more like £44k. All other versions have a still quite potent 268bhp powering the rear wheels.
Smart doesn’t skimp on standard equipment on any version. Even the affordable Pro model gets electric and heated front seats, automatic LED headlights, 19-inch alloys, adaptive cruise control, dual-zone climate control, ambient cabin lighting and an electric tailgate. Oh, and a standard 360-degree camera system aids parking along with front and rear sensors.
Stepping up to Premium trim brings fancier matrix LED headlights, an uprated sound system, a head-up display, wireless phone charging and the all-important heat pump to mitigate the effects of cold weather on the car’s range. Meanwhile, Brabus versions build on Premium trim, only adding sportier exterior design elements and visual interior upgrades including faux-suede upholstery.
Interior comfort, quality & technology
The cabin of the Smart #1 is a nice place to sit both in terms of its overall design and the seating position. You don’t sit as high up off the road as in a fully-fledged SUV, but you’re still higher up than in a conventional hatchback.
All-round visibility is very good by modern car standards – the dashboard scuttle is low, the windscreen pillars don’t obstruct your view out and the tall side and rear windows reduce over-the-shoulder blind spots. The front seats are comfortable, decently supportive and adjust electrically as standard, too – no complaints there.
We struggle to find fault with the fit-and-finish, too. While not quite at the level of a fully-fledged Mercedes the #1 looks and feels like a more premium product than it is. Light colours blend with the tall windows and multi-colour lighting to make it bright and airy, while there are enough soft-touch finishes to distract from some of the harder plastics lower down the cabin.
So far so good, then, but we do have complaints. Smart has fallen into the same trap as Tesla, burying key controls such as the climate functions and even the adjustment of the door mirrors in the central touchscreen. Smart will point you in the direction of voice control to adjust the cabin temperature and suchlike, but such systems are never as consistent to respond as a simple knob. Alternatives from Hyundai and Kia are more user-friendly.
Infotainment, sat-nav, stereo and connectivity
Every version of the Smart #1 comes with a large 12.8-inch touchscreen dominating the centre of the dash. Unlike the Volvo EX30 you also have a 9.2-inch dial display that provides speed, range and journey data more clearly.
We much prefer this setup to the one in the Volvo (and larger models like the Tesla Model Y) which put the speedo on the centre touchscreen. The head-up display on Premium and Brabus models further aids easy access to information.
The touchscreen itself is responsive and has slick graphics including the animated fox ‘screen companion’ (this will at least entertain the kids, if nothing else). It’s good that it responds quickly to inputs, though, because the home screen design is a little confusing. Still, there are plenty of easy-to-navigate shortcut menus for key functions, while although we’d prefer physical switches the climate controls are always along the bottom of the screen.
The in-built sat-nav works effectively, although you can of course connect Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring if you’d rather use Google Maps, for instance. The car’s voice control works adequately enough but sounds very robotic. The #1 also has Tesla-style built-in games and a pet mode that keeps your beloved animal cool inside the car.
Other connectivity comes in the form of four USB-C charging points (two in the front, two in the rear), plus the wireless phone charger under a dash cubby on Premium trim and above. We’ve yet to try the low-end stereo system, but the uprated Beats audio in Premium and Brabus trims sounds reasonably good.
How practical is the Smart #1?
Whether you love or loathe the new Smart’s much greater external footprint, there’s no ignoring the space benefits it brings. In terms of passenger room it’s now a fully-fledged family car.
Six-footers will have no problems getting comfortable up front, with that tall roofline affording plenty of headroom. Similarly, equally tall folk will find ample head space, good legroom and plenty of under-thigh support, too, while the #1 also has a sliding and reclining rear seat bench to let you juggle legroom and boot space – a good feature at this price.
Also, the flat floor and decent cabin width means getting three across the rear bench isn’t a painful experience, while there are ISOFIX points on the front passenger and outer rear seats. We’d like a 40/20/40 split of the rear seat bases rather than the Smart’s 60/40 split (at least you still get a ski hatch) but we’re nitpicking as the Smart is much more spacious overall than an EX30 or Megane E-Tech.
Smart #1 storage and boot space
Cabin storage is mostly as good as the space on offer, with the #1 featuring no fewer than three lidded cubbies in its centre console – one for item storage, one with cupholders and another for phone storage and charging. Below the centre console there’s a big area for a handbag or similar, while a decent-sized glovebox combines with big door bins which’ll hold large drinks bottles. In the rear you get decent door bins and cupholders in the armrest.
That’s all well and good, but it’s clear when you open the boot where the compromise has come. The Smart’s boot capacity of 323 litres (313 litres in the Brabus model) is well down from rivals like the Megane, Niro EV and Kona Electric, and even the much more compact Jeep Avenger. It’s on a par with the EX30, though, and at least the space is well thought out with no load lip, a square shape and plenty of underfloor storage.
The boot itself isn’t the full storage story as there’s a Tesla-style front boot. Don’t get too excited, though – at 15 litres it’ll barely take a man’s washbag, never mind a suitcase. You can just about cram in your Type 2 charging cable, at least.
Performance & drive: What is the Smart #1 like on the road?
Electric car drivers expect borderline hot hatch-levels of acceleration from even the most mundane family cars these days. Happily, the Smart delivers even in base form.
With 272hp on tap from the second you hit the throttle performance is plentiful, while being rear-wheel drive it won’t spin all of its power away in damp or cold conditions. There’s plenty in reserve for getting up to motorway speeds or overtaking comfortably, too.
Most people will be more than happy with the single motor car’s acceleration, but enthusiasts wanting to embarrass sports cars away from the lights should check out the dual-motor #1 Brabus. Its 428hp output is almost identical to the MG 4 XPower, and its ability to rocket up to motorway speeds from a standstill is hilarious.
Power, 0-62mph times
- Smart #1 Pro, Pro+, Premium: 272hp/0-62mph: 6.7 seconds
- Smart #1 Brabus: 428hp/0-62mph: 3.9 seconds
Ride and handling
On the road the new Smart feels vastly more grown-up than the old ForFour, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s clearly lost the ability to tuck into tight gaps or parking spaces that those city cars managed, and the turning circle is much less tight at 11m, but the excellent visibility (combined with the camera system) still means it’s a decent town companion.
Our only complaint is the low-speed ride, which transmits potholes into the cabin more sharply than the best alternatives. On faster roads the #1 isn’t as sharp as, say, a Cupra Born, or as comfortable as a Volvo EX30. But it strikes a decent balance between composure in the bends and a controlled motorway ride.
There’s plenty of grip, too, and the steering is decently accurate and well-weighted. Our only black mark is the brakes, with the pedal feeling sharp and the stronger of the two levels of regenerative braking being quite grabby, which makes smooth progress tricky. We wish Smart added more modes, controllable via steering-wheel paddles for ease-of-use.
Noise and refinement
The new #1 is a much quieter cruiser than Smarts of old. It’s a decent motorway companion, with wind noise in particular kept to a low level. The electric motor is barely audible, either. Road noise is never intrusive, but an e-2008 or Kona Electric is quieter still on that front, while the Smart’s slightly unsettled low-speed ride does mean a bit of suspension noise.
Euro NCAP: is the Smart #1 a safe car?
Smarts always punched above their light weight when it came to crash safety, and the much bigger #1 sets new standards on that front. It’s one of the safest cars in its class thanks to a maximum five-star Euro NCAP rating.
The headline of that is highly impressive category scores of 96% for adult occupant protection, 89% for child protection and 88% for safety assists. The latter score is shown in the vast suite of standard safety aids across the range including the usual automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist, but also blind spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alert and adaptive cruise control. Few rivals can match that.
It’s a shame, though, that some of the safety aids are intrusive. You’ll probably turn the lane keeping tech off after a while, but most annoying is the driver monitoring system that warns you’re distracted when you’re just looking away at a junction.
Charging, range and running costs
The old Smart EQ models had just about the lowest electric range of any EV on sale – in the real-world you’d be lucky to top 60 miles or so. Happily, things are far more competitive with the #1.
The entry-level Pro is the only version with the smaller 49kWh battery, of which 47kWh of that is usable. The resulting 193-mile official range is probably more like 140-180 miles depending on weather and the type of driving you’re doing, so it’s best reserved for those who do mostly urban driving with a little bit of range in reserve for longer trips.
Most #1 buyers are expected to step up to the 66kWh (62kWh usable) battery fitted to all other versions. In the Pro+ it offers 260 miles officially – less than key competitors from Renault, Kia and Hyundai – but that’s upped to 273 miles in the Premium model thanks to a more efficient drive motor.
Given the immense performance and extra set of driven wheels it’s impressive that the range of the #1 Brabus only drops to 248 miles officially.
Overall the #1’s range is respectable, but a good few alternatives to manage to eke out more efficiency from similarly-sized battery packs. That’s worth bearing in mind if you’re doing lots miles and using expensive public rapid chargers.
Range on a charge (WLTP figures)
- Smart #1 Pro (47kWh usable): 193 miles
- Smart #1 Pro+ (62kWh usable): 260 miles
- Smart #1 Premium (62kWh usable): 273 miles
- Smart #1 Brabus (62kWh): 248 miles
In terms of charging the #1 fares better than most at this price point, managing a peak DC charging speed of up to 150kW. That’s substantially more than the Kona Electric, e-Niro and Atto 3, meaning while those cars take around 45 minutes to complete a 10-80% charge on a rapid charger, the #1 can manage that in as little as 27 minutes.
It’s worth noting that the #1 Pro has a lower peak speed of 130kW, taking around 32 minutes to pull in the same amount of charge. It’s also limited to just 7.4kW when using an AC charger (such as a home wallbox or slow supermarket charger), whereas other versions offer an impressive 22kW AC charge rate. While most homes can’t output this, if you find one in a car park a full charge is possible in a little over three hours.
Charging speeds
(Based on Pro+, figures from EV database)
- 7kW charging: 10hrs
- 11kW/22kW charging: 6hr 45m/ 3hr 30m
- 50kW rapid charger (10 to 80% charge): 61 mins
- 150kW+ rapid charger (10 to 80% charge): 27 mins[LA2]
How much does the Smart #1 cost to insure?
The Smart #1 is relatively expensive to insure compared to most rivals, with insurance groups starting from 30 for the 49kWh Pro, rising to 38 for the top-flight Brabus. This is something we often see from new Chinese-built electric models because of uncertainty around parts supply and repairs. Smart is an established brand, but its latest cars are totally new designs.
By comparison, established European and Korean alternatives tend to be cheaper. However, the Smart’s stronger performance is also a key factor here.
Smart #1 FAQs
How much is the Smart #1 in the UK?
Prices for the Smart #1 vary, but at the time of writing (October 2024) you can buy one for £31,950, with prices rising to £43,450 for the top-spec Smart #1 Brabus.
Is the Smart #1 an SUV?
The Smart #1 could be considered a small SUV, but to many eyes it’s more of a tall hatchback. Its roof height of 1636mm makes it considerably taller than many SUV-like cars such as the Hyundai Kona Electric, however.
Where is the Smart #1 built?
When the brand was fully under Daimler ownership Smarts were manufactured in a purpose-built factory in Hambach, France. With Geely now looking after production, the Smart #1 is built in China, specifically in Xi’an, the capital the Shaanxi province.
