In this review
Costs & verdict
Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is
The Smart Fortwo Coupé is priced in line with electric city car rivals, such as the Skoda Citigo e iV and Seat Mii Electric. The bigger Renault Zoe costs a lot more.
What about charging times the ForFour EQ? 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 you're looking at 3.5hrs to do the same charge, or 8.5hrs from a standard three-pin plug.
We'd suggest sticking with the entry-level Passion Advanced trim to keep the ForTwo good value. It comes with LED rear lights, 15in alloy wheels, a leather-wrapped gearlever/ steering wheel, electric door mirrors, electric windows and the infotainment features and parking sensors we've already talked about. Higher models add mod-cons including leather trim and heated seats, but push the price into the realms of better propositions like the Renault Zoe.
The ForTwo isn’t rated as highly by Euro NCAP for safety as the Renault Zoe. It was tested back in 2014 and received a four-star rating, compared with the Zoe’s five stars. The Volkswagen e-Up received only 3 stars overall, although its score was based on far more stringent tests carried out in 2019. The good thing is that all Smart ForTwo's come with automatic emergency braking (AEB) as standard.
The standard warranty is three-years with no mileage limit, while the Renault Zoe's warranty lasts for five years or 100,000 miles. Both the ForTwo EQ and Zoe come with an eight-year battery warranty, but the ForTwo caps the mileage at 62,000 miles, while the Zoe's is again 100,000 miles.
