Used Smart Fortwo 2014-present review

Britain’s roads are becoming more and more congested, but our cars have been getting bigger. The answer, according to Smart, is that we all ought to drive smaller ones. Now in its third generation, the Smart Fortwo is one of the few cars that can claim to be truly small. At less than 2.7 metres in length, it should be ideal for urban commuters. But, does the whole package make sense as a good used buy?

As previously stated, the Smart Fortwo has few peers that directly compete with it. But since it is billed as a stylish, premium city car, the Fortwo is up against the cute retro looks of the Fiat 500 and the intelligent design of the Volkswagen Up.

The Fortwo can be had with either petrol or electric powertrains. The base 1.0-litre 71bhp engine is fine for keeping up with traffic in town. If you want a bit more performance, there’s the turbocharged 0.9-litre with 89bhp or if you must have the fastest version, then you can have a Brabus badged version with 109bhp. There’s even an electric version for the environmentally conscious.

To drive, the Fortwo is easy to thread through tight city streets with light steering that’s very quick and has been designed to allow for incredibly tight turning circles. Unfortunately, the ride simply isn’t smooth enough when compared with its rivals, and it’s only made worse by the sports suspension offered on some models. The body tends to lean over quite a bit in bends and the fast acting steering, combined with the small wheelbase tends to make the car feel nervous upon turn in and when you try to maintain a steady course on the motorway. Okay, this isn’t a car primarily designed for long distance driving, but there are so many other competitors around for similar money that cope well in both environments, so it’s a shame the Fortwo doesn’t handle better.

Weirdly, the all-electric version of the Fortwo is the best Fortwo to drive. Thanks to having a heavy battery pack mounted under the seats its centre of gravity is lower than the petrol versions, and therefore it doesn’t roll as much in the corners. What’s more, while it may only have 80bhp, its instant torque helps it feel much faster than the 11.5sec 0-62mph time would have you believe. Sadly, it is rare on the used market and, therefore, costs a lot more than the standard car.

The interior features plenty of light, bright coloured materials to make it look a bit more cheerful inside. In general, it’s well screwed together, although some of the Renault derived switches and stalks feel a bit cheap. Mid-range Passion is well equipped with climate control and 15in alloy wheels on top of the cruise control, Bluetooth and USB socket that are standard on all Fortwos.

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Prices for a Smart Fortwo at the time of writing start at £6500 for a 1.0-litre version. A Fortwo with more powerful turbocharged 0.9-litre is around £8000. For the top-of-the-range Brabus model, you’ll need to have a budget of around £13,000 in order to find a clean example with a full service history and no previous accident damage.

If you’re interested in the electric variant, then you’ll need to spend around £18,000 for a 2017 example with a low 1500 miles on the clock.

To keep up to date with used Fortwo prices, use our free valuation tool to make sure you are getting the best deal.

Check the value of a used Smart Fortwo with What Car? Valuations

All Fortwos (including the Brabus version) have an average economy figure over 60mpg, so it’s unlikely this Smart car will cost you a lot to run.

The range kicks off with the 1.0-litre 71bhp engine that has a combined average of 68.9mpg and free road tax. The more powerful turbocharged 89bhp 0.9-litre engine is nearly as economical at 67.3mpg and also breaks into the free tax band. And even the ‘high-performance’ Brabus version with its 109bhp 0.9-litre engine has an average economy figure of 62.8mpg, although you will have to pay £20 for road tax. Oh, the price that must be paid for power.

For those who’d rather have a car powered by electricity than petrol, the electric version has an official range of 100 miles, although, in the real world, it’ll be more like 60-75 miles.

If you are purchasing a Smart Fortwo registered after April 2017, bear in mind that the tax system changed and means that all models will be charged a flat-rate fee of £140.

Insurance should be low, even for younger drivers and servicing costs are in-line with rivals. Smart does offer some flexible service plans to help spread the cost of maintenance.

Since the Smart Fortwo isn’t suited to long journeys, you might as well go for the most economical engine you can. The base 1.0-litre car is perfectly capable of keeping up with traffic in town, so there’s no need to spend more on faster versions of the Fortwo.

Most buyers went for mid-range Passion specification, despite the fact it does without the seat height and steering wheel adjustments that are standard on the basic Pure version. We’d recommend checking the spec sheet of the used Fortwo you are interested in to make sure it comes with the comfort pack.

Our favourite Smart Fortwo: 1.0 Passion (comfort pack)

If you want a stylish city car, then there are a number of rivals to the Smart Fortwo that are much smarter buys, principally because they’re just as easy to park, but they have the added practicality of back seats.

The Volkswagen Up is one such rival that manages to maximise interior space while being compact on the outside. It’s also much better to drive, can be had with rear doors and it has space for two extra passengers.

The Fiat 500 is a cute little car with lots of retro styling cues from the classic 1950s original. It isn’t the best car to drive and the driving position is awkward for taller drivers, but it is cheap and there are lots of used examples on the market, so finding a good one is easy.

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