New Smart #1 SUV: prices, specs and full details

Nearly 25 years after it launched the ultra-compact ForTwo, the Smart brand is on the verge of what it hopes will be a revival. This is the first in the all-new line-up of Smart electric cars: the Smart #1. The compact electric SUV will start from £35,980 when it goes on sale this summer, and is designed to rival the likes of the Vauxhall Mokka Electric, Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia Niro EV.

Under the metal, the first Smart SUV sits on an electric-vehicle platform developed by the brand’s co-owner Geely, which will also underpin the recently-announced Smart #3 coupe-SUV, as well as a new baby Volvo electric crossover.

Smart #1 prices and specs

At launch, there will be four versions of the Smart #1 available to UK buyers: Pro+, Premium, Launch Edition and the high-performance Smart #1 Brabus. Starting from £35,950, the Pro+ car gets an impressive level of standard equipment including LED exterior lighting, a 12.8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, heated seats, a 360-degree camera system and a panoramic sunroof.

Priced from £38,950, the next step up is the Smart #1 Premium. It adds Matrix LED headlights, a Beats sound system, an automatic parking function and a 22kW AC on-board charger. For around an extra £500, the Launch Edition will be limited to 100 units in the UK and features several model-specific design flourishes.

Finally there’s the range-topping Brabus model, which we’ve covered separately in another article and starts from £43,450. This boasts a racier bodykit and a muscular 422bhp dual-electric motor setup, which provides four-wheel-drive and a 0-62mph time of just 3.9 seconds.

The rest of the Smart #1 lineup instead gets a single electric motor powering the rear wheels, which produces 268bhp and 343Nm of torque. Smart claims that even without the special tuning from Brabus, the regular #1 will reach 62mph in 6.7 seconds and continue on to a top speed of 112mph.

Battery and charging

All Smart #1 models utilise a 62kWh (usable) battery, which is enough for a range of up to 260 miles on the base Pro+ – Premium and Launch Edition cars have a range of up to 273 miles, thanks to the addition of an energy efficient heat pump and a silicon carbide inverter. The Brabus model has a slightly reduced range of 243 miles as a trade-off for the extra power that’s on offer.

Plug the Smart #1 into a suitably fast rapid charger and thanks to a maximum speed of 150kW, you can expect a 10-80% top up to take around half an hour. Models specified with 22kW AC charging capability can recharge at a compatible spot in around three hours, while fully replenishing the battery from a regular 7.4kW home wallbox is likely to take closer to 10 hours.

Design and interior

The styling of the Smart #1 is largely unchanged from the Smart Concept #1, unveiled in 2021, including the smooth, minimalistic design, a full-width rear light bar and a roof that ‘floats’ above the cabin, plus short overhangs to maximise interior space. The streamlined body, concealed door handles and active grille shutter also help with aerodynamics.

The cabin design is nearly identical to the concept’s as well, particularly the floating centre console, rounded-off air vents, large 12.8-inch central infotainment touchscreen and ambient lighting that wraps around the dashboard. The Smart #1 also gets a 9.2-inch digital driver’s display behind the wheel, a 10-inch head-up display, and a traditional five-seater configuration, rather than the Concept #1’s four-seat layout.

Other technology offered in the Smart #1 includes a suite of driver-assistance systems, including adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go function, active lane-keeping, blind-spot assistance, highway and traffic-jam assistance, automatic parking assistance and adaptive high beams. It’s also compatible with over-the-air (OTA) software updates and owners will be able to check on the status of their car on a dedicated app.

In terms of size, the Smart #1 is smaller overall than the latest Kia Niro EV and Peugeot e-2008, but its 2,750mm wheelbase should help improve interior space compared to key rivals the Vauxhall Mokka Electric, Jeep Avenger and Hyundai Kona Electric.

Ordinarily, there’s 273 litres of boot space available in the Smart #1, but you can slide the rear seats forward by 13cm and expand that capacity up to 411 litres. There’s 15 litres of extra space under the bonnet, ideal for storing your charging cables, plus the rear bench can be folded down in a 60:40 split if you need any more room.

Read our in-depth review for a more detailed look at the new Smart #1