Why the smart #5 is our Family Electric SUV of the year

A What Car? Award is big news, so it’s appropriate that our Family Electric SUV Award for 2026 has gone to Smart’s biggest car ever, the #5.

The #5 is a crystal clear representation of just how big a leap Smart has made from its beginnings making quirky, tiny city cars, because it’s spacious, luxurious, well equipped, safe, rapid, comfortable and quick both in a straight line and at the charging point – everything those early cars weren’t. And better still, you don’t have to be a big spender to own one.

Learn more about the smart #5

Long range and fast charging

Almost since day one of the modern move to electric vehicles, people have made a big deal out of range and charging. But the Smart #5 has everything covered.

Even the entry Pro model has a 74.4kWh (usable capacity) battery, which gives it an official range of only fractionally shorter than 300 miles. The #5 Pro can also take on charge at a rate of 150kW, which means a top up for 10-80% takes just 30 minutes – just about enough time to stretch your legs and grab a bite to eat.

However, our chosen award-winner is the Pro+ version, which has a 94kWh (usable capacity) battery, and consequently a range of up to 366 miles.

Need a rapid turnaround at the charging point? No problem, because the Pro+ can accept charge at 400kW, so a 10-80% ‘fill’ can take just 18 minutes. So if you need to stretch your legs, you’ll need to do so at jogging pace.

Superb comfort

One of the main things that families tend to prioritise in their car is being comfortable. Comfort means relaxation, comfort means feeling like you’re in the lap of luxury, and comfort means that none of the kids gets car sick on the move. And that’s why comfort is front and centre in the way the Smart #5 drives.

The suspension is truly supple, and easily deals with road surfaces that are more than a little worse for wear. As What Car?’s testers say: “The #5 has quite a soft suspension set-up, which makes the ride impressively cushy most of the time. It’ll breeze you over speed bumps in town, and dismiss the vast majority of ruts and ridges with minimal disturbance. Even cruel potholes aren’t wince-inducing.”

That comfort continues in the way the Smart #5 insulates you from noise. “There’s very little suspension noise or motor whine, and not a lot of wind or road noise at motorway speeds, either,” says What Car?’s road test team.

And that feeling of comfort is prevalent even for the driver, because the steering is light enough to take all the effort out of parking. What Car? says: “It’s easy to drive, which is all most people looking for a family electric SUV will care about.”

So there’s another big tick for families.

Punchy performance

No matter which Smart #5 you choose, acceleration is strong enough to give you a satisfied grin every time you press the pedal on the right.

The Pro model features a 335bhp electric motor that drives the rear wheels, and which hurls the #5 from 0-62mph in just 6.9 seconds – a match for sports cars of relatively recent vintage. What Car?’s preferred Pro+ version is even more rapid. Its electric motor produces 358bhp, and can cover the same 0-62mph sprint in just 6.5 seconds.

There’s also a Pulse version, which has a second electric motor, on the front axle. This produces a total of 580bhp and hits 62mph just 4.9 seconds after getting going.

But Smart’s engineers decided that wasn’t enough, so concocted the Brabus model, which has 637bhp and does 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds.

Still, the long and the short of it is that no matter which Smart #5 you choose, it has more than enough performance for any situation.

High-quality interior

A car that makes you feel more than a little bit special every time you get into it is a car you’re going to enjoy owning. And one way to make people feel special is to cosset them in an interior filled with high-quality materials that have been put together with genuine care. Smart has nailed this aspect.

According to What Car?: “The Smart #5’s interior quality is one of its standout features, so, while it’s not cheap to buy next to some rivals, it does justify the extra cost. It feels really well screwed together, and the finish is top-drawer for a car at this price point.”

Testers also note that “where many of its rivals use cheap, hard plastics on lower sections of the doors and dashboard, the #5 uses soft-touch materials for a consistently tactile feel.” In other words, everything you touch, pull and press will feel solidly luxurious.

Practical interior and large boot

One synonym of “practical” is “usable”, in which case the Smart #5 is streets ahead of its rivals. That’s because, as What Car? Editor Steve Huntingford says: “Its shape ensures there’s loads of headroom in every seat, and even when someone who is well over six feet tall is behind the wheel, a similarly tall passenger can fit behind them without feeling short-changed on legroom.” There’s also an electrically reclining rear-seatback in every #5, enhancing the feeling of luxury.

So, this means the common 2+2 family unit is easily catered for. And there’s more than enough space for their stuff, too, because the boot can carry 630 litres of family accoutrements. There’s also a 110-litre area under the bonnet, which could accommodate another suitcase or be used to keep the charging cables out of the way.

Excellent safety

Luxury, comfort, performance, style – car owners want them all. But when push comes to shove, the most important thing is that a car protects you and your loved ones, in which case the Smart #5 is an exceptionally fine choice.

It has numerous systems dedicated to helping you avoid an incident in the first place, including autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane-change assistance, and driver-drowsiness monitoring.

And if someone else’s error means an impact becomes inevitable, the #5 has a five-star crash test rating from safety body Euro NCAP. Indeed, the crash test experts voted the #5 Best in Class, so good was its test performance.

This rating came about through the fitment of v-shaped curtain airbags, cushion airbags and seat-integrated seatbelts, all of which are designed to minimise the effects of a collision on the car’s occupants.

The smart choice

The experts at What Car? go over every new car with a fine-tooth comb to dig out the details that make one car a better buying choice than its rivals, and they are effusive in their praise of the Smart #5, saying: “The Smart #5 is a statement car, dispelling the myth that the brand builds small, cheap cars. You get what you pay for, which, in this case, means lots of standard equipment and a quality interior that wouldn’t look out of place in a luxury limo.” And that’s why the #5 is the Smart choice.

Learn more about the smart #5