Smart #1

smart #1 at a glance

The #1 marks a clean break with the two-seat fortwo that made the brand famous. It is 4,270 mm long, so it belongs in the same size class as many superminis and small crossovers, and it has five seats. Compare it with other small electric cars in our electric cars section.

Generations and model history

Smart previewed the car as the Concept #1 at the IAA in Munich on 5 September 2021. Design came from Mercedes-Benz, with Yi Gao and Mohammad Aminiyekta credited on the production car; Geely was responsible for engineering and production. The series model was revealed on 7 April 2022 and went on sale in China the same month, where it is called the Jingling #1. The Brabus version followed in August 2022, and European prices were published in September 2022. ADAC lists the first German versions from January 2023.

There has been no facelift so far. Smart has instead reshuffled the range: the Pure and Pure+ arrived in July 2024, the Pulse AWD was detuned from 315 kW to 271 kW in November 2024, and a Pro+ Black Collection was added in August 2026. The #1 shares its SEA platform and much of its hardware with the larger smart #3, the Zeekr X and the Volvo EX30.

Motors, batteries and performance

Every #1 uses a permanent magnet synchronous motor at the rear and a single-speed transmission. The all-wheel-drive Pulse and Brabus add a 115 kW motor on the front axle.

All versions are limited to 180 km/h. The cheaper 49 kWh cars use a lithium iron phosphate battery from Rept Battero; the 66 kWh pack uses nickel-cobalt-manganese cells from Sunwoda.

Charging

Charging hardware depends on the battery. ADAC lists 7.2 kW single-phase AC and up to 130 kW DC for the Pure, against 22 kW three-phase AC and 150 kW DC for the 66 kWh cars. ADAC quotes about 30 minutes for a DC charge to 80% on both batteries, and about three hours for a full AC charge of the 66 kWh pack at 22 kW. All versions can tow 1,600 kg braked (750 kg unbraked), an unusually high figure for a car of this size.

Dimensions, space and boot

The long 2,750 mm wheelbase gives generous rear legroom, but the boot is modest: 323 litres behind the rear seats, or 313 litres in the Brabus, plus a 15-litre compartment under the bonnet that fits little more than a charging cable. Check how it fits your parking space with our garage fit tool.

Energy consumption and running costs

WLTP consumption is 17.4 kWh/100 km for the Pro+, 18.1 kWh/100 km for the Pure and 18.2 kWh/100 km for the Brabus. In ADAC's own Ecotest the Pro+ used 20.5 kWh/100 km. ADAC lists a two-year vehicle warranty (plus one year of connection warranty with the service package) and an eight-year or 200,000 km warranty on the high-voltage battery, guaranteed to keep 70% of its capacity.

Trims and equipment

The range is built on clear steps. The Pure has fabric seats and four rear parking sensors. The Pro adds man-made leather, electrically adjustable heated front seats, a 360-degree camera, a panoramic "Halo" glass roof and a wireless phone charger. The Premium has heated and ventilated front seats and the longest range. The Pulse brings all-wheel drive, duo-leather seats, automatic parking and logo projection lights, while the Brabus gets microfibre suede seats and the full 315 kW. Every version has a 12.8-inch central touchscreen with navigation.

Safety: Euro NCAP

Euro NCAP tested the #1 in 2022 and awarded five stars. It scored 96% for adult occupant protection, 89% for child occupants, 71% for vulnerable road users and 88% for safety assist systems. ANCAP adopted the result for Australia and New Zealand. Compare it with other recent results on our safety ratings page.

Reliability and known issues

The #1 has been on sale for under four years and there is no large-scale reliability data such as the ADAC breakdown statistics for it yet. What is measurable is the gap between official and real consumption: ADAC's Ecotest figure for the Pro+ was about 18% above the WLTP value, which matters for long motorway trips. With only two years of basic vehicle warranty, it is worth pricing an extended warranty before buying a used car.

Sales

The #1 is also sold in China, where registrations were 33,256 in 2023, 22,565 in 2024 and 20,762 in 2025.

Rivals

The Volvo EX30 is the closest relative: same platform family, same motor outputs, but a shorter body. Our comparison tool lines up the #1 with any other model in the catalogue.

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