Although first seen as somewhat of a novelty, the Smart car has since been established as a dependable and affordable city car with plenty of charm and growing popularity. First released in 1998 by Mercedes-Benz, Smart cars combine the brand’s decades of experience and driver-oriented design with a compact body ideal for navigating tight city corners.
The range kicks off with the classic ForTwo, which boasts low running costs thanks to its small size and efficient petrol and all-electric engines. Now entering its third generation and a third decade on the road, the ForTwo represents one of the most daring ventures in compact car design to date.
The newer ForFour is the most popular model of the two in the UK, benefitting from a practical four-seat layout, choice of two petrol engines and a choice of two trim levels. It’s also available as an all-electric variant, comprising of a 17.6kW battery pack and distinctive green bodywork.
Compact cars don’t come more iconic than the Smart, which was clearly designed to be noticed with contrast wheels and streamlined, sporty appearance. Inside, drivers can expect comfortable leather sport seats and a chunky steering wheel, as well as Isofix child seat mounts, cruise control and automatic cruise control across the range.
Built using iconic Mercedes-Benz engineering to ensure excellent fuel economy and a globally recognised exterior, the revolutionary Smart has won numerous awards for its innovation and widespread affordability. This includes the award for World Urban Car of the year in 2017, World Green Car in 2013 and City Car of the year at the annual 2016 UK Car Awards.