Smart Fortwo (2014 to 2018)

Key specifications
Image gallery
Media reviews
Auto Express
Auto Trader
Business Car
Green Car Guide
Honest John
Motoring Research
The Sunday Times
The Telegraph
Top Gear
What Car?
Safety rating
Eco rating
Reliability rating
Similar cars
Buy a Smart Fortwo
Subscribe to a Smart Fortwo

Summary

The Smart Fortwo was a small three-door city car that was available in hatchback and cabriolet body styles. This model is the third and final generation of the petrol-powered Fortwo, which was discontinued after the Smart brand became electric-only in 2018.

This page covers both the Fortwo coupé (actually a hatchback) and cabriolet, powered by a 1.0-litre petrol engine. We have a separate page for the EQ Fortwo, which is the electric equivalent and now the only version of the Fortwo still on sale.

The Fortwo received mixed reviews from the UK motoring media during its time on sale, with scores ranging from poor to great. It received praise for its suitability for urban driving, being agile and easy to park, but reviewers generally agreed that it wasn’t all that comfortable to drive, and that it struggled on longer journeys outside the city limits.

Which? commented that the Fortwo did provide quite a fun driving experience around town, but that it was also “uncomfortable, loud, unstable at motorway speeds, and sparsely equipped for the price.”

Auto Trader‘s Jon Quirk agreed that the Smart Fortwo was quite expensive when compared to more practical city car rivals like the Volkswagen Up, while James Dennison of Parkers asserted that the larger Smart Forfour was the better value-for-money package.

No longer on sale, the petrol-powered Smart Fortwo holds an Expert Rating of 46%, based on 39 reviews published by British motoring outlets.

Fortwo highlights

Fuel efficient engines
Nimble handling suited to urban driving
Easy to drive and park
Cute exterior styling

Fortwo lowlights

Underpowered entry-level engine
Rivals were more affordable to buy
Out of its depth on the motorway
Firm ride comfort

Key specifications

Body style: Small three-door hatch and cabriolet
Engines: petrol
Price when new: From £9,875 on-road

Launched: Autumn 2014Last updated: Spring 2017
Discontinued: Spring 2018

Image gallery

Media reviews

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

Auto Express

Model reviewed: (2017)Score: 6 / 10“The Smart ForTwo Mk3 is part of a tie-up with Renault, but delivers the same premium quality of its predecessors.”
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Model reviewed: BrabusScore: 6 / 10“Adding a little more power to one of the smallest cars on sale today could have proved disastrous, but it seems like Smart has got it right.”
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Model reviewed: CabrioScore: 6 / 10“The latest Smart ForTwo Cabrio brings roof-down fun to Smart’s unique city car.”
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Model reviewed: Score: 6 / 10“This turbocharged ForTwo is the one to go for if you ever venture out of town. It retains the standard car’s manoeuvrability and incredible turning circle, but adds that extra bit of oomph, which you’ll find invaluable on the motorway.”
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Model reviewed: (2014)Score: 6 / 10“Covering long distances is more bearable than before but still a chore due the rather rowdy engine at higher speeds plus excessive amounts of wind noise.”
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Auto Trader

Model reviewed: Score: 7 / 10“The Smart Fortwo is quite expensive for what it is, especially when compared with other city cars, but its tiny proportions do mean that it can do a few things that very few rivals can.”
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Model reviewed: Convertible (2016)Score: 6.2 / 10“The Smart ForTwo Cabrio is quite expensive for what it is, but it does give genuine wind-in-the-hair fun, and nothing at else at this price can do that as effectively.”
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Autocar

Model reviewed: (2015-19)Score: 6 / 10“Only the harshest of critics would refuse to concede that the Smart Fortwo has been made broadly better.”
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Score: 6 / 10“Preferable though it may be to all the versions that have gone before it, the Fortwo remains a car to covet for its defining feature rather than a maturing product waiting to be rewarded for superior all-round quality.”
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Business Car

Model reviewed: Score: 5 / 10“The Smart Fortwo is unique, but it can’t be recommended beyond its image.”
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Car

Model reviewed: 1.0 (2015)Score: 6 / 10“As good as it is, with Smart positioning itself as a pre-eminent brand in this sort of thing, the Smart ForFour is a product for city car badge snobs. Does such a person exist?”
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Carbuyer

Model reviewed: (2014-19)Score: 5.8 / 10“This Smart ForTwo looks very different to the original, but it’s still a very compact city car that’s affordable to run and easy to park.”
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Carwow

Model reviewed: CabrioScore: 5 / 10“The Smart ForTwo Cabrio is one of the best city runabouts and the addition of a folding roof makes it pretty unique. It’s not very spacious, though, or particularly good to drive.”
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Model reviewed: ForTwo coupéScore: 6 / 10“If you live in a city then before you look at any other car you should consider the new Smart ForTwo.”
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Evo

Model reviewed: BrabusScore: 7 / 10“The Smart Fortwo Brabus is cheeky and surprisingly agile.”
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Model reviewed: (2015)Score: 6 / 10“New Smart Fortwo is a huge step over its predecessor, but still entertains through its character rather than its handling and performance.”
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Score: 6 / 10“New Fortwo is a huge step over its predecessor, but still entertains through its character rather than its handling and performance.”
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Green Car Guide

Model reviewed: Score: 7 / 10“We applaud Smart on finally fitting a manual gearbox and on making the ForTwo wider without increasing overall length.”
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Model reviewed: 1.0-litre 71hp petrol manual Edition 1Score: 7 / 10“In combination with the incredible turning circle, an airy, fun, and well-finished interior, great visibility and in context a surprisingly big and very usable boot, it is perfectly suited to urban use. However, the 71hp engine struggles with big hills and requires overtaking to be planned in military detail.”
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Heycar

Model reviewed: Score: 6 / 10“The Smart Fortwo is one of the most unusual cars ever to reach production, and even the story of its birth is hardly straightforward.”
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Model reviewed: Score: 6 / 10“”If you have a very specific and narrow idea of what you want from a car – good in the city, unbelievably tiny and with a convertible roof – then the Fortwo Cabriolet will tick all of your boxes.”
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Honest John

Model reviewed: (2016-19)Score: 6 / 10“The Smart ForTwo is great around town. Folding fabric roof can be operated at any speed. Easy to drive.”
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Score: 8 / 10“There’s plenty to like about the Smart Fortwo. It’s characterful, cheap to run and perfect for urban environments – but it is also quite expensive. The cheapest model costs almost £11,000, which would get you a very well-equipped Volkswagen Up.”
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Motoring Research

Model reviewed: 1.0 71“Smart at last; the most distinctive of all city cars has been transformed.”
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Parkers

Model reviewed: Score: 7 / 10“Compact two-seater city Smart Fortwo is quirky, but niche.”
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The Sunday Times

Score: 6 / 10“One doesn’t like to state the obvious, but at this kind of money you could buy a real car. Indeed you could acquire a very handsomely appointed Volkswagen Polo, with proper seats and a proper boot, and even with better economy and emissions figures.”
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Model reviewed: Passion (2015)Score: 8 / 10“The great Smart ForTwo city car grows up.”
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The Telegraph

Model reviewed: Score: 6 / 10“If you want a city-friendly convertible and can live with two seats, there’s nothing quite like the Smart ForTwo Cabrio. However, the Fiat 500C is roughly the same price, and while it isn’t quite as manoeuvrable, it does have four seats, as well as similarly fashionable styling.”
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Model reviewed: Score: 6 / 10“This is the best Smart yet, and a hoot to drive around town, but it is impossible to ignore that more competent rivals are available for significantly less money.”
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Top Gear

Score: 6 / 10“No, we’re not sure what happened to the front end styling either. Be thankful the rest of it is better.”
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Model reviewed: Brabus“The fastest version of Mercedes’ smallest car – the Smart ForTwo Brabus. It’s a mixed bag.”
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Model reviewed: Coupe 1.0 Passion 2drScore: 6 / 10“The new Smart ForTwo is very, very much better at impersonating a car than its predecessors ever managed.”
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What Car?

Model reviewed: Score: 4 / 10“The Smart ForTwo is easy to thread through tight city streets with light steering that’s very quick and has been designed to allow for incredibly tight turning circles. Unfortunately, the ride simply isn’t smooth enough.”
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Model reviewed: Cabrio 71 Twinamic“For town living and open-air thrills, the Smart ForTwo Cabrio certainly an entertaining and compelling car.”
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Model reviewed: “Despite a total redesign, a new chassis platform and a much wider cabin, the third-generation of Smart Fortwo is exactly the same length as its compact predecessor. That should make it one of the easiest cars to manoeuvre this side of rivals such as the Toyota iQ.”
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Which?

Model reviewed: Cabriolet (2016-19)“Within city limits, the Smart ForTwo Cabriolet will feel fun and will make manoeuvring a doddle. However (deep breath); it’s uncomfortable, loud, feels unstable at motorway speeds, is sparsely equipped for the price and drinks a lot of fuel.”
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Model reviewed: Coupe range“It might be agile and easy to manoeuvre, but this Smart ForTwo is a bit of a letdown thanks to poor handling and stability, and falls a long way short of its own mpg claims.”
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Safety rating

Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

Overall score: 4 starsDate tested: December 2014Date expired: January 2021
Read the full Euro NCAP review

Adult protection: 82%Child protection: 80%Vulnerable road users: 56%
Safety assist: 56%

No safety rating

The Smart Fortwo was originally crash tested by Euro NCAP back in 2014 and awarded a five-star rating. However, this rating expired in January 2021 and is no longer valid as the car no longer meets the standards required for such a rating. This is normal practice, as Euro NCAP reviews its ratings on most cars annually with most ratings expiring after about six or seven years.

However, if you are comparing a used Smart Fortwo to vehicles of similar age, whose ratings will have probably also expired, its safety rating score is still useful.

Eco rating

Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP

No eco rating

No longer on sale, the Smart Fortwo has not been lab tested by Green NCAP.

Reliability rating

Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by

Total claims: 10Average repair cost: £1102.7
Last updated: December 2022

Reliability score

All data based on MotorEasy average workshop costs for claims

The Smart Fortwo has a lower-than-average reliability score, according to exclusive extended warranty data provided by our partners at MotorEasy. This score covers both this third-generation model, as well as the previous petrol-powered Fortwo versions, however it is currently based on a small number of vehicles.

The average repair cost is very high for such a small and inexpensive car, at more than £1,100. That’s obviously a lot more than the cost of a used car warrranty, which is worth bearing in mind.

The most common problems with the Fortwo relate to its engine, with an average repair bill of around £750. Be aware of gearbox problems – they can really set you back. Although rare, a gearbox fault could lead to a repair bill of more than £3,000.

If you’re looking at a used Smart Fortwo, make sure any extended warranty cover you purchase covers all of these potential problem areas.

Awards

Trophies, prizes and awards that the Smart Fortwo has received.

2015

Red Dot Design Award

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Keyword: Smart Fortwo (2014 to 2018)