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Smart is best known for its two-seat city cars, but between 2014 and 2021 it built the Forfour - a stretched version of its Fortwo, offering, as the name suggests, an extra pair of seats. Along with the third generation Renault Twingo that was co-developed with the Smart, this gave the German city car maker a rival for models like the Volkswagen Up.
For most people it’s a much more usable car than the Fortwo, and even if you rarely use the extra pair of seats, it’s nice to know they’re there. The Forfour was expensive when new but arguably makes more sense as a used car, and while it isn’t perfect, the upscale interior of most models, and the incredibly tight turning circle, make it a useful city runaround.
For less money than the Smart you can get the largely identical Twingo, while other key alternatives include the Volkswagen Up and its SEAT and Skoda equivalents, Kia Picanto and Hyundai i10, and the Citroen C1, Peugeot 108 and Toyota Aygo trio.
The Smart Fortwo has always been an acquired taste, and it’s fair to say that even though the larger Forfour offered an extra pair of seats, it’s still not a small car that’ll suit everyone. It majors on quirky styling inside and out, but also departs from the usual small car formula in having its engine in the back.
Developed alongside the third-generation Renault Twingo, which shared this layout, the idea was to devote less of the car’s length to the engine (since you could have a much shorter bonnet), and more to passenger space. It kind of worked, too, because while rear seat space in particular isn’t exactly limousine-like, it’s also not bad for a car this short.
The same can’t be said about the 185-litre boot (a Volkswagen Up squeezes in 251 litres), but one benefit of the unusual packaging is a hilariously tight turning circle. If you drive exclusively in town, this alone may make the Forfour worth buying - other than the even tinier Smart Fortwo, no car is easier to park.
Despite this, it doesn’t feel twitchy at higher speeds, though this tall, narrow car can be pushed about by crosswinds, while you’ll want to avoid the less powerful petrol engine if you spend much time on motorways. It’s nimble on tighter roads too, and Smart has engineered out any potentially scary handling traits from the engine being mounted where it is.
Ultimately many of the Smart’s rivals do the same job better, with more space, more grown-up driving characteristics, or a more comfortable cabin, but it’s no surprise the Smart has its fans, and on the used market, the model’s initial high prices are less of an issue.
That said, the similar Renault Twingo can be found even cheaper, while we’d still suggest a long look at rivals such as the Volkswagen Up (and the related SEAT Mii and Skoda Citigo), and the Korean duo of the Kia Picanto and Hyundai i10.
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This is a fairly easy choice, we think. If you drive solely around town then the non-turbocharged, 71PS petrol engine will do the job, but the turbocharged engine offers much better performance for only a tiny fuel economy penalty, so makes much more sense to us, and doesn’t feel out of its depth at higher speeds and on longer trips.
Likewise, you can ignore the basic Pure specification, which feels a little too austere compared to the higher-grade models with their extra equipment, fabric dashboard trim, and alloy wheels. The heated leather seats and panoramic roof of the Prime are a welcome improvement. The Brabus models are rare, so they’re surprisingly expensive on the used market, but they definitely feel more lively to drive. And if the tiny range doesn’t bother you, the electric EQ Forfour makes a snappy urban runaround.
As the Smart Forfour was on sale for several years it’s no surprise to find an expansive range of trim levels, though two of these are exclusive to the all-electric Smart EQ Forfour, while the Brabus models also stand alone in the range. Smart did offer a reasonable list of options on the Forfour so it’s not unusual to find used examples with more equipment than the models you’ll see below - a lot of cars feature a touchscreen infotainment system rather than the basic audio system, for instance.
The Smart Forfour’s dimensions are:
The Smart Forfour’s boot size is:
Opt for the Smart EQ Forfour, and its electric powertrain means you won’t send the government a penny in VED or ‘road tax’, at least for the time being. For any petrol-powered Smart registered after April 2017, your bill will come in at £180 per year, while prior to this, CO2-based VED bands make all models very cheap to tax - most will be free, and even the Brabus should only cost you £20 per year.
The non-turbo petrol models are the cheapest to insure, with some starting in the very lowest group 1, in the 1-50 scale. The 90PS versions go up to groups 8 and 9, the Brabus group 10, and the EQ Forfour is still only group 11 for the best-equipped variants.
Read our full Smart Forfour review
What is the most popular colour for Smart Forfour ?
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What is the average mileage for Smart Forfour ?
30250
How many Smart Forfour cars are available for sale?
4