Smart EQ Forfour - TopCarNews

Smart EQ Forfour (2017 – present) | Expert Rating [hide]

Summary

The Smart EQ Forfour is effectively a four-door, four-seat version of the Smart EQ Fortwo. The current model was first launched as a petrol car in 2014, with an electric model (initially known as the Forfour Electric Drive) joining the range in 2017.

This is the second generation of the Smart Forfour. The first one appeared in 2004 as a joint venture with Mitsubishi, and was a short-lived dismal failure. This second attempt is a joint venture with Renault, as part of a collaborative programme between Smart’s owner Daimler and Groupe Renault, and shares much of its DNA with the (now discontinued) Renault Twingo.

As part of Smart’s switch to being an electric-only car company in 2019, the Smart Forfour Electric Drive was rebranded the Smart EQ Forfour as seen here.

On the face of it, the EQ Forfour is tempting for those wanting to embrace electric motoring. Prices start from under £20,000 even before you factor in a Government plug-in grant, which is relatively cheap for an electric car.

That is fine, reviewers point out, so long as you want to go very far – even with a facelift carried out in 2020 the car’s range between charges is quoted at 95 miles. But according to Autocar a range that drops to about 50 miles with less than very careful driving “could be hard to tolerate even for drivers who never stray beyond the city limits.”

The car offers very little in the way of fast-charging either – using a public charger you can get to 80% battery capacity in around 40 minutes but the likely buyers will be those who travel not too far to and from work each day and can plug the car in overnight. A full recharge takes around six hours on a wallbox at home – rivals offer much better options.

The Forfour is fun to drive around town, with brisk acceleration and smooth progress. It “feels very nippy when pulling away from traffic lights and junctions,” says Carbuyer. Fit and finish of the interior, and its space for occupants also earns some praise from the reviewers. But not for their luggage – the boot is very small.

The Smart EQ Forfour currently holds an Expert Rating of 42% (as of December 2021) from only ten UK reviews. That’s a country mile behind the best small electric cars on the market, and one of the lowest scores for any small car we’ve analysed. The fact that there are so few reviews published for a car that’s been on sale for four years now suggests that Daimler doesn’t really want journalists driving it…

EQ Forfour highlights

Affordable in EV terms
Smooth and refined around town
Swift getaway for nimble urban driving
Reasonable interior space

EQ Forfour lowlights

Very poor battery range
Little in fast-charge options
Tiny boot
Surpassed by newer rivals

Key specifications

Body style: Small hatchbackPowertrain: Electric motor, battery-powered
Price: From £19,795 on-road

Launched: Summer 2017Last updated: Spring 2020
Update due: TBA

Image gallery

Forfour Electric Drive (2017 – 2019)

EQ Forfour (2020 onwards)

Media reviews

Reviews, road test and comparisons from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

Auto Express

Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 7 / 10“The Smart EQ ForFour is competitive with city cars from the Volkswagen Group. It also feels more charming yet substantial inside, and is more manoeuvrable. It’s hampered by a range, but based purely as an urban runaround, its low running costs mean it’s worth a look.
Read review

Autocar

Model reviewed: Forfour Electric DriveScore: 5 / 10“The electric car’s cause has been advanced a long way over the past few years by some innovative, desirable and genuinely usable cars, such as the BMW i3 and latest Renault Zoe. But regrettably, the Smart Forfour Electric Drive isn’t a car to rank alongside those trailblazers.”
Read review

Business Car

Model reviewed: Forfour Electric DriveScore: 7 / 10“When the Smart Electric Drive was first launched it moved the electric game forwards considerably. The biggest problem with this new car is that the competition has caught up, and in some cases overtaken.”
Read review

Carbuyer

Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 6.6 / 10“The Smart EQ ForFour is a stylish, fun electric car for the city but its range is relatively limited”
Read review

Carwow

Score: 6 / 10“The Smart EQ forfour has punchy electric power in town and is a great car for tight urban streets. Its alternatives are cheaper and more practical, however.”
Read review

Driving Electric

Model reviewed: Score: 6 / 10“The 2020 Smart EQ ForFour is electric-only and boasts refreshed looks, but it still falls behind rivals for practicality and range.”
Read review

Heycar

Model reviewed: Score: 5 / 10“Smart is probably best-known for its diminutive Fortwo, a city car that is smaller than any other car currently on sale and designed with city life primarily in mind. The Forfour is a slightly bigger car spun off the same platform, this time offering four doors but the same unusual rear-engine, rear-drive layout designed to offer maximum interior space for a given footprint.”
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Honest John

“Smart’s EQ control app will provide key information on your smartphone, allowing you to control charging remotely and adjust climate control settings.”
Read review

What Car?

Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 2 / 10“The ride and handling aren’t very good, the boot is tiny, there’s not a vast amount of space inside, but worst of all, the range is very poor. Unless you literally need an electric car solely for town, the range issue is the biggest reason that we’d suggest going for the Renault Zoe instead.”
Read review

Which?

“While the Smart EQ Forfour does appeal in some ways – it’s compact, manoeuvrable and peppy in town – in reality it’s a challenge to live with. The boot is tiny, rear seat space is very poor and the 62-mile range limits it to very short journeys only. As a result, it’s a Which? Don’t Buy.”
Read review

Safety rating

Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

No safety rating

As of September 2021, the Smart EQ Forfour has not been crash tested by Euro NCAP. If and when it is put through its paces by Euro NCAP, we will publish the results here.

The petrol Smart Forfour was tested by Euro NCAP back in 2014 and awarded a four-star rating, which was then extended to include the electric model in 2018. However, this rating expired in January and is no longer valid, as the EQ Forfour no longer meets the criteria for a four-star car in 2021.

Eco rating

Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP

No eco rating

The Smart EQ Forfour has not been lab tested by Green NCAP. This is a new initiative, launched in 2018 as a sister organisation to Euro NCAP.

The Green NCAP programme measures exhaust pollution (which is zero for an electric car) and energy efficiency. Electric cars are much more energy-efficient than combustion cars, so the EQ Forfour is likely to score very highly in Green NCAP testing if it ever takes place. Check back again soon.

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Keyword: Smart EQ Forfour