The smart EQ fortwo and EQ forfour are electric versions of smart’s tiny city cars: the two-seater fortwo, available as coupe or cabrio, and four-seater forfour. Sales began in 2017, with the forfour discontinued in 2022 and fortwo in 2024. A 2020 EQ fortwo originally cost £20,350 before applying the government grant; a 2020 example now asks around £8,000. This guide explains the versions, reported faults, realistic driving range and likely prices. There’s a print-out checklist at the end.
- Cheapest: a 2020-2021 forfour at about £7,300, with a fortwo costing a few hundred extra.
- Newest: a 2023-2024 fortwo at about £11,000 to £11,600, offering low mileage and most battery warranty cover remaining.
- Check before you buy: that it charges properly on the test drive, the 12V battery’s age, and that it has never had an airbag-firing crash.
- Think twice if your journeys extend beyond town: everyday range is around 60 to 80 miles, with no rapid charging available.
Which smart EQ are you looking at?
| Model | Seats | Length | Official range | 2020 price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EQ fortwo coupe (2017-2024) | 2 | 2.7 m | 84 miles | £20,350 |
| EQ fortwo cabrio (2017-2024) | 2 | 2.7 m | 84 miles | £23,920 |
| EQ forfour (2017-2022) | 4 | 3.5 m | 81 miles | £20,785 |
All three share a 17.6 kWh battery paired with an 82 PS rear motor. These 2020 prices exclude the plug-in car grant, which deducted £3,500 at the time. Pre-2020-facelift examples may carry electric drive rather than EQ badges, but are the same car. The earlier fortwo electric drive, sold before 2017, is a different model and outside this guide. Find full specifications on the EQ fortwo and EQ forfour pages.
Realistic range
Our estimate for a typical car of each version, from the same battery-ageing model as the rest of EVcarsguide:
| Car | Summer | Year-round | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 EQ fortwo | 62 miles | 54 miles | 45 miles |
| 2022 EQ fortwo | 65 miles | 57 miles | 48 miles |
| 2021 EQ forfour | 62 miles | 54 miles | 45 miles |
These figures assume a healthy battery delivers around 85% of the official range in mild weather. Owners describe around 60 to 80 miles in town during summer and 45 to 60 in winter, when the heater consumes considerable charge. The dashboard range estimate tends to be optimistic.
Battery Health Estimator
Estimated condition if buying used
NMC chemistry - good longevity with proper charging habits
Estimates based on battery chemistry and age. Chemistry-based estimate. Actual health varies with charging habits, climate, and usage.
Charging
There is no rapid charging: charging on the smart EQ is AC-only. Almost every advertised car has the optional 22 kW on-board charger, taking slightly over an hour at a fast AC public post, or around three hours using a 7 kW home wallbox. Look for “22kW charger” in the listing.
Charging problems are owners’ most frequently reported complaint. Some cars refuse to charge, or start and then stop, with some chargers; a few spent months at dealers. Plug it in on the test drive and make sure it keeps charging.
The battery and its warranty
smart covers the battery for 8 years or 100,000 km (roughly 62,000 miles) from first registration:
- Registered 2018: battery covered to 2026, or 62,000 miles if sooner.
- Registered 2019: battery covered to 2027, or 62,000 miles if sooner.
- Registered 2020: battery covered to 2028, or 62,000 miles if sooner.
- Registered 2021: battery covered to 2029, or 62,000 miles if sooner.
- Registered 2022: battery covered to 2030, or 62,000 miles if sooner.
- Registered 2023: battery covered to 2031, or 62,000 miles if sooner.
- Registered 2024: battery covered to 2032, or 62,000 miles if sooner.
Two owner warnings matter more than the warranty dates. A flat or failing 12V battery can leave the main battery unusable, and replacement packs are now hard to get, so check the 12V battery’s age and keep the car charged. And a crash hard enough to fire the airbags can lead to the battery being replaced, which can cost more than the car is worth: run a history check.
Recalls
- Emergency braking (R/2020/195): 2,296 petrol and electric smarts built May 2018 to September 2019 could have automatic emergency braking software outside specification. A software update addresses this.
- Battery welding (R/2020/080): one EQ example built in May 2019 whose battery cell connections could have been welded incorrectly.
- Windscreen (R/2021/265): five fortwos built in November 2020 could have windscreen bonding outside specification.
- Steering knuckle (R/2017/252): 1,878 fortwos and forfours manufactured March to June 2017.
Check the specific car on GOV.UK’s recall checker.
Safety
Euro NCAP awarded fortwo and forfour four stars in 2014, assessing the petrol models on which the EQ versions are based.
What owners report
Across approximately twenty owner and buyer threads, chiefly discussing the fortwo:
- In town: owners value its agility and ability to park anywhere. Most examples also offer generous equipment, including heated seats.
- Range: suitable for brief daily journeys, though real range falls well below official figures and drops around a third in winter.
- Charging: charging problems are the leading complaint, and app-based charge scheduling is also unreliable.
- Long-term: concerns about battery component availability, 12V battery failures and accident write-offs, although servicing costs only around £200 a year.
What to pay
Most advertised electric fortwos and forfours have asking prices between around £7,000 and £12,000. The breakdown groups them by body style and year:
| Cars | Share of adverts | Median asking | Typical range | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EQ fortwo coupe, 2018 | 6% | £7,499 | £6,506–£11,185 | 16,688 |
| EQ fortwo coupe, 2020 | 9% | £7,974 | £7,632–£8,646 | 22,450 |
| EQ fortwo coupe, 2021 | 6% | £8,500 | £7,927–£10,028 | 10,000 |
| EQ fortwo coupe, 2022 | 11% | £9,348 | £8,425–£9,996 | 17,989 |
| EQ fortwo coupe, 2023 | 10% | £10,995 | £10,788–£11,995 | 7,355 |
| EQ fortwo coupe, 2024 | 7% | £11,598 | £11,099–£11,747 | 9,663 |
| EQ fortwo cabrio, 2019 | 7% | £8,461 | £7,900–£8,763 | 15,343 |
| EQ forfour, 2020 | 7% | £7,445 | £6,495–£7,818 | 19,083 |
| EQ forfour, 2021 | 7% | £7,248 | £6,821–£7,945 | 19,071 |
| EQ forfour, 2022 | 11% | £8,847 | £8,439–£9,966 | 8,884 |
Treat these as asking prices rather than valuations. Prices increase steadily with the year, while a forfour costs less than an equivalent-age fortwo despite its additional seats. A cabrio example commands slightly more money than a coupe.
Questions to ask the seller
- Has it got the 22 kW charger, and has it ever had a charging fault?
- When was the 12V battery last replaced?
- Has it ever been in an accident?
- How much of the battery warranty is left?
The print-out checklist
Take this checklist along. It covers checks specific to the smart EQ; our general used EV buyer’s guide covers the checks relevant to every used electric car.
Alternatives worth a look
- Renault Twingo Electric: the forfour’s sister model, manufactured alongside it.
- VW e-up!: a small four-seater offering greater range and rapid charging. Read our used e-up! guide.
- Fiat 500e: greater range and rapid charging, plus a cabrio option. Read our used 500e guide.
- Honda e: a stylish urban car offering rapid charging. Read our used Honda e guide.
- Dacia Spring: the least expensive route into a four-seat electric car. Read our used Spring guide.
Unsure whether it meets your driving needs? The EV Matchmaker matches the car against your own week, while the Used EV Finder shows the alternatives available within your budget.
Sources & further reading
- smart UK
- Euro NCAP
- GOV.UK – Check if a vehicle has been recalled
Founder of EVcarsguide. Web technologist and data specialist tracking the UK EV market.
