Used smart forfour hatchback: Buyer's Guide
The smart forfour is a uniquely clever four-seat city car, designed to make urban driving fun, stylish, and incredibly easy. It stands out from all rivals with its exceptional manoeuvrability, a direct result of its rear-engine design that allows for a tiny 8.65-metre turning circle. With its quirky, customisable looks and surprisingly practical interior, the forfour is the perfect choice for navigating the tightest city streets in style.
Used smart forfour hatchback Popular Trims
Passion: A stylish starting point with a choice of vibrant interior colours, 15-inch alloy wheels, and automatic climate control.
Prime: This is the sweet spot of the range. It adds desirable features like heated leather seats and a panoramic glass roof, giving the cabin a more premium feel that better justifies the car's price point.
Proxy: A sportier-looking trim featuring cool 16-inch alloy wheels and a striking blue and white interior, but the sports suspension and larger wheels can make the ride overly firm.
Used smart forfour hatchback Popular Engines
Running Costs:
Very low, with insurance starting from group 2.
Running Costs:
Still very efficient with an official figure of up to 67.3 mpg and low VED costs.
Used smart forfour hatchback Practicality
The forfour's practicality is a story of clever design overcoming a tiny footprint.
Exceptional Access: The rear doors open to an unusually wide 85-degree angle. This is a standout feature that makes it much easier to access the rear seats or fit a child seat than in any rival city car.
Flexible Seating: The rear seats fold down to increase the load space from 185 litres to 975 litres, and the front passenger seat can also fold flat, allowing you to carry surprisingly long items.
Four-Seat Cabin: Despite being just 3.5m long, the rear-engine layout frees up cabin space, allowing four adults to travel in reasonable comfort on city journeys.
Used smart forfour hatchback Key Features
Key Features:
An 8.65-metre turning circle for unmatched manoeuvrability.
A rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout.
Rear doors that open to an 85-degree angle.
A strong Tridion safety cell and 4-star NCAP rating.
A quirky and highly customisable design.
Desirable Options:
The 0.9-litre turbocharged engine for its responsive performance.
The Prime trim level for its heated leather seats and panoramic roof.
The dual-clutch automatic gearbox for easier city driving.
The optional touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Used smart forfour hatchback Reliability Rating
The smart forfour's reliability record is inconsistent, with some owners reporting a trouble-free experience while others have faced frustrating build quality and component issues.
What to Check on a Test Drive:
Turbo (0.9L model): There are reports of turbo failure on these engines. Listen carefully for any unusual whistling or whining sounds from the engine bay and check for any blue smoke from the exhaust under acceleration.
Build Quality: Check that all interior trim panels are secure and that there are no obvious rattles or squeaks on the test drive. Test all switches and controls.
Infotainment System: The standard system can be slow and the sat-nav poor. Check its responsiveness and ensure you can connect your smartphone via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
Used smart forfour hatchback Safety Rating
The smart forfour was awarded a solid 4-star safety rating when it was tested by Euro NCAP in 2014.
It scored a good 78% for adult occupant protection, with the high-strength Tridion safety cell providing a stable passenger compartment in a frontal collision.
However, the test did highlight a weakness in chest protection for the driver in the more severe side pole impact test.
It is not available with modern active safety systems like autonomous emergency braking.
Awards for the Used smart forfour hatchback
The smart forfour's innovative packaging and cheerful design were recognised by the design community with a prestigious Red Dot Design Award.
Who is the Used smart forfour hatchback Best For?
City dwellers who need seating for four but prioritise ultimate manoeuvrability and ease of parking.
Style-conscious drivers who want a car that's as individual and fun as they are.
Young drivers or those looking for an economical second car with very low insurance and tax costs.
Key Alternatives to Consider:
Volkswagen Up! / Skoda Citigo: More conventional city cars that are better to drive and have higher-quality interiors, but lack the smart's turning circle and style.
Renault Twingo: The forfour's sister car, offering the same rear-engine layout and turning circle, often for a lower price but with less premium appeal.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Used smart forfour hatchback
Why is the smart forfour hatchback's turning circle so small?
The smart forfour hatchback has an exceptionally small turning circle because of its clever rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive design.
No Engine at the Front: Because the engine is in the back, the front wheels are not restricted by driveshafts and can turn to a much sharper angle than in a conventional front-engined car.
Measurement: This results in a tiny turning circle of just 8.65 metres, which is comparable to a London taxi.
City Driving Benefit: This incredible manoeuvrability makes the forfour perfect for city driving, allowing it to perform U-turns and park in tight spaces with ease.
How much does it cost to tax the smart forfour hatchback?
The smart forfour hatchback is a very cheap car to tax, with some models qualifying for zero road tax (VED).
VED Band A: The popular 1.0-litre 71hp petrol model has CO2 emissions of just 97g/km. For cars registered before 1st April 2017, this places it in VED Band A, meaning the annual road tax is £0.
Post-2017 Models: For cars registered after 1st April 2017, the standard low flat rate for petrol cars applies.
EQ Electric Model: The all-electric EQ Forfour model is also exempt from road tax.
Can adults fit comfortably in the back of a smart forfour hatchback?
Yes, despite its very compact exterior dimensions, the smart forfour hatchback offers a surprisingly spacious interior with room for four adults.
Clever Packaging: The rear-engine layout allows for more cabin space than you would expect, providing good headroom and legroom for rear passengers.
Easy Access: The rear doors open to an unusually wide angle of 85 degrees, which makes getting in and out of the back seats very easy.
Journey Length: While the rear seats are comfortable for short to medium-length journeys, they may feel a little cramped for very tall adults on long motorway trips.
What is the real-world MPG of the smart forfour hatchback 0.9 turbo?
The 0.9-litre turbocharged engine in the smart forfour hatchback offers an excellent blend of performance and fuel economy.
Official Figures: The official WLTP combined fuel consumption for this engine is between 54.3 and 67.3 mpg.
Real-World Average: Honest John's Real MPG data, based on submissions from thousands of owners, shows that you can expect a realistic average of around 47.9 mpg in normal driving.
Efficient Performance: This makes the 90hp turbo engine a great choice, as it provides lively performance without a major penalty in fuel costs.
Do the rear doors on the smart forfour hatchback open wide?
Yes, the rear doors on the smart forfour hatchback are one of its cleverest practical features.
85-Degree Opening: The doors are designed to open to an exceptionally wide angle of 85 degrees.
Excellent Access: This makes getting in and out of the back seats incredibly easy, especially compared to other city cars.
Family Friendly: This feature is particularly useful for families, as it makes fitting and securing child seats in the back much less of a struggle.
Is the smart forfour hatchback a good car for motorway driving?
The smart forfour hatchback is primarily designed as a city car and is not ideally suited for regular long-distance motorway journeys.
Bouncy Ride: Its short wheelbase and firm suspension, which make it feel agile in town, can lead to a bouncy and ""juddery"" ride at higher speeds.
Susceptible to Crosswinds: The car's tall and narrow shape means it can be susceptible to being blown about by crosswinds or the wash from large lorries.
Best Environment: While it is perfectly capable of holding its own on the motorway for occasional trips, it is much more comfortable and enjoyable to drive in its intended urban environment.
Can you fold the front passenger seat flat in a smart forfour hatchback?
Yes, the ability to fold the front passenger seat flat is another one of the smart forfour hatchback's excellent practical features.
Increased Flexibility: Folding the front passenger seat completely flat allows you to carry surprisingly long items inside the car.
Combined with Rear Seats: When combined with the folded rear seats, this feature creates a long, uninterrupted load space.
Versatile Load Carrier: This makes the forfour much more versatile than its small size would suggest, allowing it to carry items like flat-pack furniture or sports equipment.
Is the smart forfour hatchback the same as a Renault Twingo?
The smart forfour hatchback was developed as part of a joint project with Renault and shares many of its parts with the Renault Twingo.
Shared Platform: Both cars are built on the same rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive platform and were produced in the same factory.
Key Differences: However, the smart has a different exterior design, a more premium-feeling interior with unique styling, and a different range of trim levels and personalisation options.
Driving Feel: While mechanically similar, the two cars were tuned slightly differently, with the smart often considered to have a slightly firmer ride and sportier feel.
What are the common MOT advisories for a smart forfour hatchback?
The smart forfour hatchback has a very good MOT pass rate, but it's always wise to be aware of common wear-and-tear items.
Strong Pass Rate: The forfour has a ""very good"" reliability rating calculated from MOT data, suggesting it is a durable vehicle.
Check Consumables: As with any car, common advisories will relate to consumable items like tyres and brake pads, so it's important to check their condition.
Build Quality Checks: Some early owner reviews reported minor build quality and equipment malfunctions, so it's worth checking that all interior fittings are secure and that all electrical equipment works as it should.
