Smart #3 Review 2024

If mention of Smart cars still makes you think of those diminutive, clever and progressively-uglier-with-each-generation two-seater citymobiles, then the firm’s latest models will be something of a surprise — a smart move or not? Read our full Smart #3 review to find out.

Smart’s former sole custodian, Mercedes, now shares ownership of the brand with Chinese auto giant Geely, which in turn possesses Volvo. Smart’s resultant re-focus has shifted to larger, family-oriented, all-electric offerings. This more pragmatic approach to mirroring customer demand has resulted in two hatchback-shaped SUVs so far — the Smart #1 and Volvo EX30.

With its rather striking coupe electric SUV form, the Smart #3 is very similar to its cousins under the skin, but its shape makes it quite hard to pigeon-hole in terms of rivals. Given prices range from around £33,000 and £45,500, you might consider the Volkswagen ID.3 and impressive Renault Megane E-Tech or something like the Kia Niro Electric.

Five flavours of Smart #3 are available, topped by the twin-motor Brabus model, which boasts all-wheel drive and the capacity to outsprint an Audi RS3 from a standstill to 62mph.

Driving range varies on the trim choice — the entry-level Pro can go for 202 miles between recharges, while the Premium with a larger battery and heat pump has a claim of 283 miles. The Brabus’s extra performance trims that higher figure to 258 miles.

Once aboard, you will appreciate the Smart #3’s roominess but doubts will immediately surface about how resilient the plastic trim is. Start the car up and prepare to be baffled by the cartoon cheetah prancing around the screen — luckily Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are available to hide that nonsense.

There is no stop/start button in the Smart #3, you just get in, engage D for Drive and go. That’s fine but it’s always an uncomfortable feeling walking away from a car you haven’t actually switched off.

In all, then, the Smart #3 is a good-looking, competent and competitively priced car desperately trying to shed the shackles of one or two engineering and software decisions sufficiently daft that we’d find them hard to live with. Pity.

Despite fairly stiff suspension, there’s enough suppleness in the set-up to offer decent ride comfort in the Smart #3, particularly at cruising speeds. We can’t, however, tell you how much wind noise there is at motorway pace, because proceedings are more than somewhat dominated by over-intrusive tyre roar. 

At lower speeds the suspension is less adept at tackling poor surfaces and potholes, often clattering about like a skeleton in a broom cupboard. 

The rear-wheel drive Premium variant we drove weighs in at a fairly porky 1810kg, and though body roll through corners is well shackled and wide tyres offer plenty of grip, you’re always aware of the weight you’re playing with if do you try to have as much fun as the car’s straight line speed might prompt. 

Nor does the steering — which merely changes direction rather than attempt to engage the driver — encourage high jinks. It’s a little too vague and feedback-free for that.

The brakes feel up to the task of bringing that significant mass to a halt but you’ll get little chance to use them unless you’re really flying, because of the absurdly over-intrusive regenerative braking system. 

There are two recuperation settings that ought to be titled Moderate and Retrieve Tonsils From The Windscreen. There is no Mild option, which means that even in the least intrusive setting the car has no inclination whatsoever to coast when you lift off the throttle, immediately serving-up dollops of retardation far too strong for the simple business of pottering along an A-road in sporadic traffic. 

Modulating this ill-considered set-up to the point of smooth progress is so taxing it feels like learning to drive all over again. 

In performance terms there are three driving modes to choose from — Eco, Comfort and Sport. The driving experience isn’t sufficiently altered between them to make us consider plumping for anything but Comfort in the interests of the smoothest possible progress.

All Smart #3 models except the Brabus share the same 272PS, 343Nm rear-mounted electric motor powering the rear wheels, taking the car from 0-62mph in a respectably brisk 5.8 seconds and on to a governed to speed of 112mph. It is worth noting that the Pro versions, with the smaller battery, have identical performance.

The Brabus’s twin-motor, all-wheel drive set-up develops 428PS and 543Nm. We haven’t driven this face-bending version, so can’t comment first hand on its Audi RS3-topping 3.7 second 0-62mph sprint time.

Power delivery is predictably smooth, linear and impressive. Yet, as with so many electric cars, urgent responses to the throttle are harder to come by as power tails off at higher speeds.

The Smart #3 has a five-star Euro NCAP rating and impressive levels of active and passive safety kit. 

Euro NCAP tested the car in 2023 and the verdict was that adult occupation protection was especially good with a 90% score, child occupancy garnered 86%, safety systems were awarded 85% and pedestrian safety 84%.

As standard, all versions are equipped with these Smart pilot assist active safety features, including adaptive cruise control with Stop & Go function, lane-keeping assist, blindspot detection, traffic sign recognition, highway assist with lane-change assist and traffic jam assist, parking sensors and a 360-degree camera system. 

All models except Pro and Pro+ also feature automatic parking assist and automatic high beam fitted as standard. Passive safety features include seven standard-fit airbags.

Every Smart #3 variant excluding the Pro, which isn’t quoted, has a towing capacity of 1600kg braked and 750kg unbraked.

For a car 4400mm long, the Smart #3 is pretty well-packaged. You’d expect a car with Mercedes connections to offer respectable seat comfort and that’s certainly true of the power-adjustable front seats. The relatively low positioning of the dashboard means forward visibility is excellent but the rear window shape offers a poorer view astern.

The driving position’s fine, but the steering wheel controls leaves a great deal to be desired. The graphics identifying the job of each switch are small, somewhat indecipherable and all but illegible unless backlit after dark, while their operation lacks any crispness or authority.

The rear 60:40 split/folding bench is less comfortable, especially if you’re sitting in the middle, but there’s plenty of legroom and — despite that coupe-like roofline — headroom. Cabin storage is reasonable, with large door bins and an adequate centre console. 

Wireless phone charging is standard on all models, and there are four USB ports within the cabin. Some might find the ambient lighting a touch in-yer-face after dark, especially the backlit speakers on the windscreen pillars. Good luck finding the dimmer controls in the infotainment system menu…

Loadspace with the rear seats in place is 370 litres which, were it not justified by the presence of an electric motor beneath it, might be considered a tad disappointing. Folding the rear seats ups the ante to 1160 litres, however, and there’s a 15-litre ‘froot’ under the bonnet, suitable for the stowage of smaller cargo — but unsuitable for irritatingly yappy small dogs, which could otherwise fit. 

The boot has a bit of a lip to it, but a false loadspace floor can be raised to make it completely flush, with the added benefit of providing you somewhere to stow charging cables below. A powered tailgate is fitted as standard across the model range.

Tesla set the benchmark for minimalist EV interiors years ago, to the extent that the Smart #3’s cabin looks positively busy by comparison.

Its interior is dominated by a curvaceous, one-piece dashboard and centre console design that resembles the head of some high-tech vacuum cleaner, a feeling reinforced by a shiny grey plastic finish that we reckon looks, and feels, a bit cheap. Time and toddlers may well soon have it looking cheaper still.

The air vents and steering wheel stalks offer a hike in perceived quality more on a par with a Mercedes affiliate but as discussed, we didn’t care for the steering wheel-mounted switchgear much, either in look or operation.

Elsewhere, plastics with a perceived flimsiness hold sway, so it’s up to both faux and — further up the trim level ladder — real leather upholstery to save the day in the quality stakes.

The Smart #3’s infotainment array consists of a 9.2-inch instrument cluster and 12.8-inch central touchscreen, which are standard across the model range. Higher spec versions additionally feature a 10-inch head-up display.

The kindest thing we can say about the main 12.8-inch centre screen is that the resolution’s pretty good. It’s presented with the same sort of anaemic background that Tesla uses and will polarise opinion on its appearance every bit as much. Less up for discussion is the fact that the infotainment system’s a bore and a chore to navigate around, counter-intuitive at every turn and slow to respond.

Even the most basic of the menus make you work far too hard to access their contents. The task of switching off the desperately over-intrusive lane keeping assistant, for instance, is enough to send you stark raving bonkers at the start of every journey. 

Great chunks of the screen seem peppered with stuff you don’t want and can’t get rid of, such as the cartoon cheetah that frolics relentlessly in the bottom left-hand corner, even while you’re driving. 

Spend more than a moment looking over at it and the otherwise perfectly sensible head-up display will flash a huge, red attention deficit warning. If they want us to watch the road, then why put cartoons on repeat with no recourse to removal. Seriously?

On a more positive note, the over-the-air-updatable infotainment system offers a pretty comprehensive range of features as standard, including wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality, so you can use that instead of Smart’s not-at-all-smart system.

Prices for the Smart #3 start at £32,950 for the Pro trim level car with the smaller 49kWh battery and a WLTP range that just squeaks past the 200-mile mark. 

A jump to the £36,950 Pro+ buys you the bigger 66kWh battery with a 270-mile range but you’ll need to find £39,950 for a Premium variant to benefit from a heat pump that pushes the range to a model-maximum 283 miles.

A further £1000 affords you the special 25th Anniversary Edition which but for a whiff of body kit and a fancier sunroof, is identical to the Premium car. And at the top of the heap, £45,450 funds the twin-motor, all-wheel drive Brabus. 

To put all that in the context of the Smart #3’s numerous rivals, prices for the Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4 start at £35,700 and £42,640 respectively, while Renault’s Megane E-Tech and Scenic E-Tech cost from £33,995 and £37,495. 

The Cupra Born can be had from £35,440, the Kia Niro Electric starts at £37,325 while the spacious Skoda Enyaq kicks off at £36,970.

What of the Geely-owned cousin, the Volvo EX30? A surprisingly reasonable £32,850, neither the infotainment or regenerative braking systems of which will give you a headache.

The Smart #3 boasts average efficiency in this class, though, of course, the range will plummet if you thrash it.

Though all models except the Brabus share the same 272PS, 343Nm electric motor powering the rear wheels, the Pro level makes do with a smaller, 49kWh battery and a lesser WLTP range of 202 miles. 

Moreover, despite all three using a 66kWh battery, the Pro+ has a 270 mile range, whilst the Premium and 25th Anniversary Edition models manage 283 miles thanks to the presence of a heat pump. 

The Brabus’s twin-motor, all-wheel drive set-up develops 428PS and 543Nm, its range falling slightly to 258 miles.

DC charging, from a 10-80% state of charge, takes 30 minutes with 130kW for the Pro, and 30 minutes with 150kW for the other versions. 

Using AC charging, that same 10-80% recharge takes 5.5 hours at 7.4kW for the Pro, 7.7 hours at 7.4kW for the others and 3 hours at 22kW for the larger battery models. 

The smaller battery pack will take up to 7.5 hours to fully recharge using a 7.4kW wallbox at home, while the larger capacity battery will take up to 10 hours to refill a flat battery.

With zero emissions, the Smart #3 has a Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) company car tax band of 2%, at least until 2025. Smart pitching itself as a premium brand is no help with insurance, and the car occupies relatively high groups ranging from 33 to 41. The cheapest Cupra Born models are in group 25, for comparison.

As with all pure-electric cars, the Smart #3 is currently road tax exempt. This will change in April 2025, however, when all EVs registered since April 2017 will be taxed at £165 per annum.

All Smarts come with a disappointing short two-year, unlimited mileage warranty. Conversely, the battery warranty is above average for the industry at eight years or 125,000 miles — whichever comes first. Core components such as the electric motor are limited to eight years and 100,000 miles.

The Smart #3 is available in five trim levels — Pro, Pro+, Premium, 25th Anniversary Edition and Brabus. The first four of those levels are variations on a rear-wheel drive theme with varying battery power and range, whilst the range-topping, twin-motor Brabus model boasts all-wheel drive and supercar-esque performance.

Upgrades in standard equipment as you climb the price ladder are just about sufficient to make the trim levels about more than just available driving range hikes but equipment specification is pleasingly comprehensive from the lowest rung on said ladder. 

Entry level Smart #3 Pro models feature 19-inch wheels, automatic LED headlamps, a powered tailgate, a 360-degree camera, a panoramic sunroof and heated front seats. 

Opt for the Smart #3 Pro+ for synthetic leather seats, wireless smartphone charging and Smart’s Pilot Assist safety system. 

Choose the Smart #3 Premium if you fancy a 10-inch head-up display, an uprated sound system, automatic parking assist and a heat pump for the battery pack.

Available for a limited time and marking the first quarter-century of the Smart brand, is the otherwise gently pointless Smart #3 25th Anniversary Edition which is awarded a Brabus-style bodykit and a Galaxy panoramic sunroof.

The Smart #3 Brabus, meanwhile, celebrates the performance afforded by its extra electric motor with revised front and rear bumpers, 20-inch wheels, red brake callipers, ventilated seats with red trim, a sports steering wheel, red seat belts, plus Brabus badging aplenty.