Smart #1

FIRST UK DRIVE Premium brand is reinvented with the arrival of new EV

- Alex Ingram

SMART is moving up in the world. At 4,270mm long, the new Smart #1 is almost as long as a pair of ForTwo city cars if one was parked perpendicular to the kerb - and it's the company's first entry in the compact premium electric SUV sector.

It lives up to the notion that new cars keep getting larger, but more significantly the #1, driven here for the first time on UK roads, is a change of direction for the firm.

It's the first all-new model to be released since Smart became a joint venture between Mercedes and Chinese company Geely, and it turns its back on the dinky but cleverly designed city cars of old.

Instead, Smart is aiming for a posh-ish take on the mainstream EV segment populated by the likes of the Renault Megane E-Tech, Kia Niro EV and the recently launched BYD Atto 3.

The #1 is a few millimetres shorter than a Volkswagen Golf, so it's still hardly a giant. And within that modest footprint is a car designed to be an EV from the outset, with some promising statistics.

Energy is supplied by a 62kWh battery, which provides a WLTP range of 273 miles, putting the Smart very much on a par with those aforementioned rivals. With 150kW charging and a 268bhp rear-mounted motor, it pulls clear of any of them - not bad when you consider that, starting from £35,950, its price sneaks a few hundred quid under all three.

Step inside, and first impressions leave little doubt that the Smart #1 is designed to be a premium product. You're presented with a minimalist yet modern dashboard, which is dominated by a vast 12.8-inch touchscreen display.