Smart EQ Fortwo Review 2023 | heycar

Smart aimed to reinvent the city car with the introduction of the truly tiny Fortwo, and did so by tearing up the rules and creating a car that could do things no other rival could. The Smart has gone through a second revolution too, with production of petrol-powered versions discontinuing in 2019 and concentrating on pure electric power in the form of the Smart EQ Fortwo.

This generation of the Smart Fortwo was introduced in 2014, and the EQ essentially carries over the same structure, design and mechanicals – bar the powertrain. There’s no change to the dimensions so the Smart EQ Fortwo is comfortably the shortest electric car (excluding the Renault Twizy) on sale today. At 2695mm long it is almost 1.5 metres shorter than a Ford Fiesta. It’s quite wide and tall given its length, and is a strict two-seater.

The biggest change between the regular Fortwo and the Smart EQ Fortwo is the electric drivetrain, which means an 82PS electric motor is placed between the rear wheels – just where the petrol engines lived – with a 17.6kWh battery pack under the floor. Also like the petrol models, the Smart EQ Fortwo is available both as a two-door coupe and a convertible – making it one of very few electric cabriolets too.

Familiarity does not lessen the impact of the Smart EQ Fortwo. This is still a shockingly small car from the outside, with tiny overhangs, a bonnet hardly big enough to be worthy of the name and a rear end that’s shorter still. To this you can add a number of colour and trim options, including having a contrast colour for certain body panels. 

Whether you choose the Coupe or Cabriolet, there is just a single door on each side with the luggage space at the rear. On Coupes you get a handy split tailgate where the top window can be opened separately and the lower half drops down like a pick-up. On Cabriolets however you just get the lower section, giving a narrow boot opening.

Step inside the Smart EQ Fortwo and you’re immediately aware of the unusual space. Both driver and passenger sit higher up than in most cars, which increases visibility without compromising comfort. Understandably, with a car small enough that you can almost touch all four corners from the driver’s seat, it’s easy to judge where the car’s extremities are.

The driving experience adds the plus points of electric to those of the regular Fortwo You get whizzy acceleration from low speeds thanks to the generous torque, noise levels are low at lower speeds too and the Smart EQ Fortwo’s manoeuvrability comes to the fore in towns and cities. 

On the downside however, the Smart EQ Fortwo’s handling is still a mixed bag. Although the battery pack helps to improve the weight balance, it’s still a car that can feel unsettled on quicker roads while the ride quality is also mixed, with poorly-surfaced roads causing it to fidget and transfer that into the cabin.

The Fortwo’s driving experience is something of a mixed bag. In some respects it is way ahead of everything else; its size allows you to do things you can’t in any other car, with a super-tight turning circle and excellent manoeuvrability. The turbocharged engine is also pretty fizzy, especially the more powerful 90PS version, making it eager in town. 

On the downside, the ultra-short wheelbase and relatively stiff suspension means the ride quality is poor on some surfaces, and although it never feels like it is going to tip over, its height and the amount of body roll during cornering can chip away at the driver’s confidence.

The Smart EQ Fortwo is one of the cheapest electric cars you can buy, and if you stick to the city it is fun and very useful. But heading out of the city exposes its flaws, while the range is poor – most of its rivals are too far ahead on this front.

If you’re looking for the standard petrol version, you need our Smart Fortwo review.