Item: Smart EQ Forfour
Rating: 1
Author: What Car? Team

The 80bhp electric motor powered by a 17.6kWh gives you plenty of shove off the line. Its 0-62mph sprint is sufficient for nippy city driving but it struggles when it comes to motorway driving, with the rate of acceleration dropping rapidly the closer you get to the 81mph top speed. The Forfour’s range will be the biggest problem for anyone who doesn’t have a short commute with access to a charger at each end.

60kW EQ

Hatchback

Owned by Mercedes-Benz and with a reputation for making small, clever cars, Smart offers a striking, upmarket alternative to more conventional rivals.

It currently has a two-car line-up, the smaller of the two being the distinctive Fortwo, which, as its name suggests, is an ultra-short two-seater that uses an unusual rear-engined configuration to deliver the sort of turning circle that even London taxis can only dream of. It's a doddle to park in small spaces, too.

Smart's 'family car' is the Forfour, which is little more than a stretched version of the Fortwo, with a second row of seats and a larger boot. It's more of a natural rival for cars like the Hyundai i10 or Kia Picanto.

On paper, both cars come at a considerable price premium when compared with rivals, something it says is justified by its badge appeal and the technology in the cars.&nbsp;However, sales have been slow and there are often keen Target Price deals to be found.

SMART

FORFOUR

Entry-level Premium trim is our pick of the range. That’s because it keeps the Forfour cheaper than its rivals while still giving you 16in alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, a panoramic roof, heated seats, a heated steering wheel, rear parking sensors, a central armrest, a rear-view camera and an 8in touchscreen infotainment system with DAB radio, Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone mirroring.

Premium

60kW EQ Premium 17kWh 5dr Auto [22kWch]

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Introduction

Performance & drive

Interior

Passenger & boot space

Accessibility & Motability

Costs & verdict

An entry-level Smart EQ Forfour will cost you less to buy than the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mini/hatchback/hatchback/review/n20910">Mini Electric</a> or <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/zoe/hatchback/review/n152">Renault Zoe</a>. It’s worth bearing in mind that it’ll depreciate quicker though, meaning that it probably won’t be worth as much in three years.

What about charging times the Forfour? It can charge at up to 22kW from a commercial charging point, which will take the battery from 10% to 80% in 40mins. From a home wallbox&nbsp;you're looking at 3.5hrs to do the same charge, or 8.5hrs from a standard three-pin plug.&nbsp;

We'd suggest sticking with the entry-level Exclusive trim level to keep the Forfour good value. It comes with LED daytime driving lights, 16in alloy wheels, heated seats, a heated steering wheel and automatic climate control, plus the infotainment features, and parking sensors and camera.&nbsp;

If you want more gear and don’t mind spending a bit more, stepping up to Exclusive trim isn’t too much of a leap and adds full LED headlights, automatic wipers and leather seats.

The Forfour hasn’t been tested for safety by <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/top-10-safest-cars-on-sale-today/n20301">Euro NCAP</a> since 2014, and that was in petrol guise. Back then, it received a four-star rating, which isn’t as good as the five stars (out of five) that the Zoe scored. The e-Up scored only three stars overall, but that was based on much more stringent tests carried out in 2019. Smart fits automatic emergency braking <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/what-is-aeb-and-how-does-it-work/n3283">(AEB)</a> to all Forfours.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The standard warranty is three-years with no mileage limit, while the Zoe's warranty is five years or 100,000 miles. The Forfour, like the Zoe, comes with an eight-year battery warranty, but where the Forfour's cover ends at 62,000 miles, the Zoe's remains at 100,000 miles.

Right, let’s begin by answering the burning question: how many miles will you get out of a Smart EQ Forfour on a full charge? <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/smart">Smart</a> says 78 miles officially, which isn’t great when you consider the equivalent figures for the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mini/electric/hatchback/review/n20910">Mini Electric</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/zoe/hatchback/review/n152">Renault Zoe</a>&nbsp;–&nbsp;145 miles and 245 miles.

Things get even more bleak when you consider real-world range, which we expect will be significantly lower. The smaller <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/smart/fortwo-coupe/city-car/review/n18076">Smart EQ Fortwo</a> managed just 57 miles (instead of its official 81 miles) in our Real Range tests, which replicate real-world driving on a mix of roads.&nbsp;

That pretty much limits it to being a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/small-electric">small electric car</a> purely for city driving, where its regenerative braking means you’ll get the most miles-per-charge. The braking tech returns energy to the&nbsp;battery as you slow down, and can make the pedal feel&nbsp;inconsistent and grabby, but the&nbsp;Forfour's brakes aren't too bad, and you find yourself adjusting to them quite quickly.

What about traditional performance figures? The 80bhp electric motor, juiced up by a 17.6kWh battery, is quiet and smooth, accelerating as soon as you put your foot down. Even so, its leisurely 12.7sec 0-62mph sprint is much slower than the Zoe R135’s 9.5sec and the Mini Electric’s 7.3sec.

The Forfour feels less adept at motorway speeds. Its rate of acceleration drops off markedly the nearer you get to the top speed of 81mph, and the car drops further behind the pack when it comes to handling and comfort.

The Zoe tackles bumps surprisingly well for something so little, but the Forfour jiggles and jostles around over pretty much every imperfection the road throws up. It's mainly just annoying, but becomes rather uncomfortable over sharper speed bumps, although it feels more settled the faster you go.

The Zoe and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/up/hatchback/review/n17244">Volkswagen&nbsp;e-Up</a>&nbsp;provide greater dynamism along twisty roads, with more direct steering and less body lean. The Forfour's light steering and compact proportions make it a more nimble city car than the Zoe, though.

All electric cars offer near-silent acceleration, due to their whispering electric motors, but as you pick up speed in the Forfour all that quietness is undone: the shrill wind noise and copious road roar become wearing over a long trip.

OUR PICK

Fuel 

Gearbox

0-62 MPH

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60kw-eq

A city car needs two key characteristics – nippy performance and tiny dimensions – but what if you need to fit the rest of your family in too? That’s where the little Smart EQ Forfour comes in.&nbsp;

Just how small is the Forfour? Well, despite having five doors and four seats, it measures just 3495mm in length and is 1665mm wide. In fact, the ForFour is only around a metre longer than its minuscule&nbsp;two-seater&nbsp;sibling, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/smart/fortwo-coupe/city-car/review/n18076">Smart EQ Fortwo</a>.&nbsp;

To take care of the nippy performance, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/smart">Smart</a> gives you an all-electric powertrain consisting of an 80bhp electric motor and a small battery. You get plenty of zip to weave your way through congested streets while also dodging <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/londons-ultra-low-emission-zone-everything-you-need-to-know/n15049">ultra low emissions zone</a> (ULEZ) charges.

That all sounds mighty promising, but the Smart EQ Forfour has some tough competition to beat if it wants to be the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/small-electric">small electric car</a> of choice. Its rivals include the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mg-motor-uk/zs/hatchback/review/n20171">MG ZS EV</a>, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mini/electric/hatchback/review/n20910">Mini Electric</a>, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/zoe/hatchback/review/n152">Renault Zoe</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/up/hatchback/review/n17244">Volkswagen e-Up</a>.&nbsp;

Read on over the next few pages of this review to find out just how well the Forfour fares when it comes to key areas such as performance, practicality and reliability. We'll also tell you which of the two trim levels we prefer.

When you’re done, you can use our free&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/new-car-deals">What Car? New Car Buying service</a> to see how much we could save you off the list price of your next new car (it could be thousands on some makes and models). It's a good place to find the best <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/new-car-deals/make/smart">Smart car deals</a>.

You sit quite high in the Smart EQ Forfour, giving you a good view forwards. Its thick rear pillars and narrow rear screen obstruct over-the-shoulder visibility compared with a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/up/hatchback/review/n17244">Volkswagen&nbsp;e-Up</a>, but that's&nbsp;is negated by rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera that’s standard with all trim levels.

The steering wheel and driver's seat have height adjustment as standard, allowing for a&nbsp;driving position that's decent, but far from perfect. The driver's seat is hard, flat and narrow, and there's no steering wheel reach adjustment, a feature you'll find in the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/zoe/hatchback/review/n152">Renault Zoe</a>.

The interior feels solid with an attractive array of materials, including glossy plastics set against a fabric dash. It's a nicer place to be than the e-Up, but the&nbsp;Zoe's interior is even plusher, and the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mg-motor-uk/zs-ev/hatchback/review/n20171">MG ZS EV</a>&nbsp;is just as solidly made.&nbsp;

All versions of the Forfour come with an 8.0in touchscreen infotainment system, DAB radio and Bluetooth. <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/smart">Smart</a> also gives you&nbsp;Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring so you can use your phone apps on the screen, which makes up for the lack of built-in sat-nav on any trim level.&nbsp;

An app is available for your smartphone that lets you check remotely on a number of features, such as the car's location and how much charge it has.

<h2 dir="ltr">Access</h2>

When it comes to accessing the front seats, we're hard-pressed to think of a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/best-small-cars-2021/n16997">small car</a> that's as easy to get into and out of as the Smart EQ Forfour. It really has been designed with ease of access in mind.

The driver's door, for example, swings open to 71 degrees, which is wider than most cars in this class, although the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/up/hatchback/review/n9">Volkswagen Up</a> and all-electric <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/up/hatchback/review/n17244">e-Up</a> have the same opening angle. Rear seat access isn’t quite as good, as the small rear doors can make it quite difficult to climb in and out.

It really has been designed with ease of access in mind.&nbsp;The driver's door, for example, swings open to 71 degrees, which is wider than most cars in this class, although the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/up/hatchback/review/n9">Volkswagen Up</a> and all-electric <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/up/hatchback/review/n17244">e-Up</a> have the same opening angle. Rear seat access isn’t quite as good, as the small rear doors can make it quite difficult to climb in and out.

The door sill is 400mm from the ground, which is higher than the class average, but the step up from the floor of the car is a tiny 20mm. Very few cars have such low sills; at 123mm, the Up's is far higher. The EQ ForFour gives you a lofty seating position for such a small car, placing you 641mm to 677mm from the ground – almost as high as the Up and e-Up.

<h2 dir="ltr">Storage</h2>

The Forfour is not the most practical small car when it comes to load-lugging ability. For a start, the boot capacity is just 185 litres, which is tiny, even by small car standards. As a result, the only way to get a wheelchair in is to fold it up and put down the car’s back seats. Not ideal.

The boot sill is relatively high, too, at 772mm from the ground, and there’s a 223mm drop from the sill to the boot floor. That means you have to lower heavy items down into the boot rather than just sliding them in.

<h2 dir="ltr">Ease of use and options</h2>

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/smart">Smart</a> is an electric-only brand these days, so all its cars are automatic and easy to drive. A tiny turning circle helps squeeze the Forfour into small parking spaces, and there's a rear-view camera, even on the entry-level car. Oddly, Smart calls this most basic spec Premium.

Poor range, poor to drive, poor on practicality. There are better options.&nbsp;

Happily, getting in and out of the Smart EQ Forfour’s front seats is easy, thanks to the car’s wide-opening doors, large apertures and low sills. There’s a decent amount of leg room, too, while head room under the standard panoramic roof is generous enough for those over six feet tall.

Next to the gearlever are two cupholders and some coin slots for parking change, but there’s not a lot of storage space for odds and ends in the narrow door bins and titchy glovebox.

The Forfour’s small rear doors make getting in and out of the back more awkward, and the leg room is tight for two average-sized adults. Here the panoramic roof makes a big difference, chopping down the head room to the point where anyone tall will really struggle. The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/zoe/hatchback/review/n152">Renault Zoe</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/up/hatchback/review/n17244">Volkswagen e-Up</a> offer better rear-seat accommodation, but if you want something with really generous back seats, have a look at the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mg-motor-uk/zs-ev/hatchback/review/n20171">MG ZS EV</a>.&nbsp;

The front passenger seat doesn’t have a height adjuster but the rear-seat bases can be flipped up to create extra storage without resorting to folding the rear seatbacks down. You can fold the rear seats fully, in the same 50/50 split you get with the e-Up, leaving a completely flat floor – most of the Forfour's rivals have a large step in the floor when their rear seats are folded.

You might find yourself folding the rear seats down rather a lot&nbsp;because the boot is tiny. At 185 litres, it's much smaller than an e-Up's boot (you'll just about get two carry-on suitcases onboard), while the Zoe and ZS EV offer considerably more luggage space.

premium

If you don’t mind spending a little more, Exclusive trim gets everything you’ll find with the entry-level Premium trim but adds such niceties as full LED headlights, front foglights with cornering function, automatic wipers and leather seats.

Exclusive

exclusive

The Smart EQ Forfour has undoubted plus points. For a start it's one of the least expensive electric cars on sale to buy outright, undercutting the Renault Zoe (if you don’t lease the battery) and the Volkswagen e-Up. It's also zippy and easy to drive in town, thanks in part to its super-tight turning circle, and it's pretty well equipped, too. However, the ride and handling aren't very good, the boot is tiny, there's not a vast amount of space inside, and worst of all for an electric car, the range is very poor next to its best rivals. Unless you need an electric car solely for town, the range issue is the biggest reason that we’d suggest going for the Zoe instead.

<h2>What we're looking for </h2><ul><li>Generous enough real-world range to fit most lifestyles</li> <li>Plenty of charging options and quick top-up times </li> <li>Usable space and strong practicality</li> <li>Comfortable ride that isn’t hindered by a heavy battery</li></ul>

With so many electric cars now on offer, we've split the smaller models from the larger ones to ensure that we're able to compare direct rivals.

As well as being adept at coping with city life, small electric cars need to be roomy enough for a couple of adults and able to drive a decent amount of miles between charges.&nbsp;

There are some great small electric cars to choose from. The affordable Seat Mii Electric proves you don't have to have break the bank to go green, the Renault Zoe has been improved in every area, making it a great small EV prospect, and the Kia e-Niro was named our overall 2019 Car of the Year.

Small Electric

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Clever interior space </li> <li>Quiet and comfortable ride </li> <li>Good visibility </li> <li>Plenty of safety tech </li> <li>Low running costs </li> <li>Outstanding value for money</li></ul>

City cars are all about diminutive size and manoeuvrability because they invariably spend most of their time on our increasingly crowded urban streets.

They do need to be big enough for a couple of adults, with back seats that’ll suffice for occasional use by people – or as a dumping ground for a couple of large shopping bags – but they must also be small enough to nip in and out of traffic, and squeeze into tight parking spaces.

Out-and-out acceleration isn’t crucial, but there must be enough oomph in the lower gears to scoot into gaps that appear in the traffic. Running costs should be low, too.

Fortunately there’s never been a better line-up of city cars on offer. Kia's Picanto mixes a neat, functional interior with tidy handling and a surprisingly big boot, while the Skoda Citigo and Suzuki Celerio are cheaper and even more frugal.

City

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Sufficient range between charges to fit in with most people’s lifestyles – and in the real world, not on some far-fetched official test </li> <li>Quick charging times and compatibility with the most ubiquitous types of public charging points </li> <li>Priced to be within the grasp of more than just the privileged few </li> <li>As with any car, ride comfort, practicality and ownership costs can’t be ignored</li></ul>

We define an electric car as one that runs purely on battery power and has no tailpipe to puff out nasty chemicals. These cars qualify for the maximum plug-in car grant (PICG) of £1500.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/zoe/hatchback/review/n152">Renault Zoe</a> is one of the most affordable options and has a surprisingly long range of between 120 and 180 miles (depending on the weather and the road type). However, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/nissan/leaf/hatchback/review/n17338">Nissan Leaf</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/id3/hatchback/review/n21832">Volkswagen ID.3</a> are more practical and more accomplished to drive, even if the latter doesn't have a particularly long range between charges.

At the other end of the scale, Tesla’s ground-up EV philosophy – and the American brand’s network of super-fast chargers – makes the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/tesla/model-s/hatchback/review/n150">Model S</a> a tempting choice. It has a classy interior, loads of tech and a long enough real-world range to make inter-city travel a real possibility.

Electric

Smart EQ Forfour review

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Read the definitive Smart EQ Forfour 2022 motability review from the expert What Car? team.

AccessWhen it comes to accessing the front seats, we're hard-pressed to think of a small car that's as easy to get into and out of as the Smart EQ Forfour. It really has been designed with ease of access in mind.,,The driver's door, for example, swings open to 71 degrees, which is wider than most cars in this class, although the Volkswagen Up and all-electric e-Up have the same opening angle. Rear seat access isn’t quite as good, as the small rear doors can make it quite difficult to climb in and out.It really has been designed with ease of access in mind. The driver's door, for example, swings open to 71 degrees, which is wider than most cars in this class, although the Volkswagen Up and all-electric e-Up have the same opening angle. Rear seat access isn’t quite as good, as the small rear doors can make it quite difficult to climb in and out.The door sill is 400mm from the ground, which is higher than the class average, but the step up from the floor of the car is a tiny 20mm. Very few cars have such low sills; at 123mm, the Up's is far higher. The EQ ForFour gives you a lofty seating position for such a small car, placing you 641mm to 677mm from the ground – almost as high as the Up and e-Up.,StorageThe Forfour is not the most practical small car when it comes to load-lugging ability. For a start, the boot capacity is just 185 litres, which is tiny, even by small car standards. As a result, the only way to get a wheelchair in is to fold it up and put down the car’s back seats. Not ideal.,The boot sill is relatively high, too, at 772mm from the ground, and there’s a 223mm drop from the sill to the boot floor. That means you have to lower heavy items down into the boot rather than just sliding them in.Ease of use and optionsSmart is an electric-only brand these days, so all its cars are automatic and easy to drive. A tiny turning circle helps squeeze the Forfour into small parking spaces, and there's a rear-view camera, even on the entry-level car. Oddly, Smart calls this most basic spec Premium.,

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