Smart Fortwo Coupe (07 on) - Review

Review by Simon Harris on
Last Updated: 23 February 2011
Thanks to its characteristic shape and diminutive size, the Smart Fortwo is instantly recognisable. This is the second generation model, but the styling is a gentle evolution of the first with the more angular headlights the most notable change. As before, it's great fun to drive in town and very nippy away from the lights, while it's still possible to park in nose first into parallel spaces thanks to an overall length of little more than 2.5 metres. It's certainly more comfortable than before with a better quality interior, but the ride is still very hard and the automatic-only gearbox has very laboured shifts, which quickly becomes frustrating on open roads. On the plus side, it's a very cheap car to run with low road tax and a range of economical engines. There's even a diesel version which is free to tax and can average an incredible 86mpg.
3.5 out of 5

Other Smart reviews

3.5 out of 5

Running costs

The two-seat Smart Fortwo is priced against some excellent four-seat opposition, but if you never use more than two seats it will have strong appeal. Fuel consumption of more than 60mpg is also useful for keeping down costs as it cheap road tax. Insurance is affordable too, starting at group 2 for the entry-level Pure models. However, Smart servicing and parts can be expensive - luckily there's an excellent network of independent specialists who have in depth knowledge. Depreciation will be in line with other popular small cars, such as the Toyota Aygo.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£944 - £1,180 *

Diesel

£754 - £754 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

Up to two years or 25,000 miles.

Warranty

Two years/unlimited mileage.

Road tax (12 months)

£0.00 - £100.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

5 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
    86
  • B
  • C
  • D
    124
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

Few cars have as little impact on the environment as the Fortwo. The biggest CO2 output comes from the Brabus model and that's only 124g/km - far lower than other small performance cars. The rest of the range fares even better and the mhd models from 2008 emit just 103g/km of CO2 while averaging 66mpg. A German environmental institute has praised Smart for how environmentally friendly it is in the way it builds the car, awarding it an environmental certificate.

Find the exact engine and CO2