Smart #5 SUV goes on sale from £39,800

Smart's new electric SUV, the Smart #5, is now on sale with a starting price just under £40,000.

Promising a battery range of up to 366 miles, the new larger car joins the existing Smart #1 and Smart #3 in the firm's revitalised line-up. It serves as a rival to a range of cars including the Skoda Enyaq, the Tesla Model Y and more.

Buyers have choice of five trim levels, two batteries and two- or four-wheel drive. All models come with some serious performance, with at least 272PS for the single-motor versions and up to 646PS for the dual-motor cars.

Among the Smart #5's headline features are rugged looks, floating wheel caps a la Rolls-Royce, and some fairly serious tech, with a 20-speaker Sennheiser sound system available. Smart also says the car will be able to tackle off-road terrain, with five dedicated off-road driving modes.

New 2025 Smart #5: price and release date

Prices for the Smart #5 start at £39,800 for the entry-level Pro trim, while the Pro+ trim costs from £43,800. The high-spec rear-wheel-drive Premium model starts at £47,300, as does the equivalent all-wheel-drive Pulse model. The off-road-focused Summit Edition costs from £48,800 and the high-performance Brabus model starts at £51,800. The order books are open now with the first deliveries expected within a few weeks.

New 2025 Smart #5: exterior and interior

The Smart #5 is 4695mm long, 1920mm wide and 1705mm high, with a 2900mm wheelbase, making it similar in size to cars like the Model Y, the Peugeot 5008 and the BMW iX3.

The looks have been styled by Smart's parent company, Mercedes-Benz, but some Smart hallmarks are present and correct – oblong headlights at the front and at the back and a logo on the D-pillar. The wheel caps are floating, remaining upright when the wheels spin, mirroring those on a Rolls-Royce.

The interior is modern and crammed with tech. Smart says it's also very spacious, with generous headroom, adjustable seat backs in the rear and an electric sunshield, as well as LED reading lights and a panoramic roof. Leather upholstery and oak trim should make things feel suitably premium. 

The entertainment system features a a 20-speaker Sennheiser Signature sound system on Premium models and above. One of the speakers is portable. There's also a massive 25.6-inch augmented reality head-up display on Premium models and above, a 10.3-inch digital instrument panel and two 13-inch AMOLED displays on the dashboard, all of which work with a generative AI voice assistant.

Smart says there's a lion avatar called Leo that will guide users through the controls, which we're intrigued to find out more about. Grrr.

The Smart #5 also has 34 storage compartments, a 72-litre "frunk" under the bonnet and a boot space expandable to 1530 litres.

New 2025 Smart #5: electric motors and batteries

There are several powertrain options in the Smart #5. The entry-level Pro model uses a 76kWh battery with a single 272PS electric motor driving the rear wheels, giving a 0-62mph time of 6.9 seconds and a range of up to 288 miles. It'll charge at up to 150kW on a DC fast charger, which means a 10% to 80% recharge in around 30 minutes.

All other versions use a 100kWh battery built on a more advanced 800-volt platform, which allows for faster charging – Smart claims it'll zip from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes at up to 400kW, using a suitable charger. In the Pro+ and Premium trims, this battery gives a range of up to 366 miles. These models are also rear-wheel-drive, and the electric motor in each produces up to 363PS, meaning a 0-62mph time of 6.5 seconds.

The Premium model and the Summit Edition are both all-wheel-drive and use two electric motors for a total of 588PS, which translates to a 0-62mph time of 4.9 seconds. The battery range is 335 miles for each, as it is on the Brabus model, although that gets extra power – 646PS – and a 0-62mph time of 3.8 seconds. 

Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) capability is standard across the range, meaning you can use the car's battery to power external appliances using a three-pin plug.

New 2025 Smart #5: trim levels

There will be five trim levels for the UK, starting with the Smart #5 Pro, a single-motor model that comes with the 76kWh battery and features the panoramic "halo" roof.

Next up is the Smart #5 Pro+, which has 19-inch wheels and the 100kWh battery with the extra range and faster charging.

Then there's the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive Premium model, which has 20-inch alloy wheels and the  extra-wide dual OLED central display and head-up display, and the Sennheiser 20-speaker sound system. It also has a heat pump and ventilated driver and passenger front setas, as well as heated rear seats.

The Pulse model is the same price and has a more outdoor and adventure vibe, but without the full rugged setup of the Summit model. It comes with an off-road mode but misses out on a few of the luxuries in the Premium.

Meanwhile, the rough-and-ready Summit Edition comes with a more sporty bodykit, and an electric trailer hitch for towing.

The performance model is the Brabus, which has extra power and big 21-inch alloy wheels, as well as Brabus badging and red brake callipers. Inside, the steering wheel is wrapped in Alcantara synthetic suede, and there's a dedicated Brabus drive mode that sportifies the driving experience.