Smart EQ Forfour: information, range, and price of the electric city car…

5-door, 4-seater city car, the Smart Forfour electric drive launched in 2017 and renamed EQ in 2020, has a range of 130 kilometers.

The Smart Forfour was born from a partnership between the Daimler group, which owned the brand at the time, and Renault. While Renault reaped the benefits by launching the third generation of Twingo, the German manufacturer built this Forfour. The two cars are thus similar in proportions and produced at the Ljubljana factory in Slovenia. Both have a petrol version but have also been designed to accommodate an electric version. The Smart Forfour ed (electric drive) was launched in 2017, then renamed EQ where it became the only version in the catalog, before ending its production in early 2022.

Dimensions and Design of the Smart Forfour EQ

Similar in size to the Twingo ZE or E-Tech, the electric Smart Forfour is identical to its petrol version. It measures 3.49 meters long, 1.66 meters wide, and 1.55 meters high.

Despite these very compact dimensions, the city car has a single 5-door body style and seats 4 (hence the name Forfour, “for four” in English). Space is limited, but the trunk has a volume of 185 liters, extendable to 975 liters with the rear seat folded down. In terms of style, the Forfour electric drive is recognizable by its very short front hood, square headlights, and small horizontal grille. In 2020, the facelift updated the headlight and taillight interiors, removed the grille, and added a front bumper in the shape of a mouth.

As for the interior, it’s characteristic of Smart, inspired by the small Fortwo. Rounded in design, it features a 3-spoke steering wheel, analog gauges with a small LCD screen, round air vents, and a small central touchscreen. It has not evolved between its launch in 2017 and the end of its life in 2022.

Motors and Performance of the Electric Smart

Like the interior, the mechanical part was frozen from the start to the end of the Smart EQ Forfour’s lifecycle. The motor is the same as the one in the electric Twingo, mounted at the rear, with 60 kW of power (82 hp) and 160 Nm of torque.

Thanks to a relatively low weight for an electric car, performance is not poor. The response to acceleration is lively in the first few seconds, even surprising, with a 0-50 km/h time of 5.2 seconds. However, reaching 100 km/h takes 12.7 seconds, and the car struggles more above that, reaching a top speed of 130 km/h.

Fairly agile and lightweight, the Smart Forfour electric drive is enjoyable to drive with its rear-wheel drive layout. The absence of a front motor also allows better steering of the front wheels, resulting in one of the tightest turning circles on the market: 9 meters.

Range, Charging, and Autonomy of the Smart EQ Forfour

The Smart Forfour electric, like its motor, offers only one battery option. Designed primarily for city driving or short daily trips like other Smart models, its capacity is modest. With 17.6 kWh, the lithium-ion battery provides a range of 116 to 130 km, depending on the WLTP cycle.

Charging the EQ Forfour can be done from a standard 220 V outlet in 8 hours 30 minutes (from 10% to 80%) or from a 3.7 kW fast charger. However, the maximum power is 4.6 kW if connected to a higher-capacity outlet or charging station, offering at best 3 hours 30 minutes of charging. An onboard 22 kW three-phase charger is available as an option on some models. With this charger, it is possible to charge the Smart to 80% in 40 minutes.

Prices and Versions of the Smart Forfour Electric Drive and EQ Forfour

At launch in 2017, Smart offered its range in three versions. The Pure is the base version, the intermediate Passion, and the top-tier Prime. Here are some of the equipment features for each level.

Pure : 5 airbags including knee airbag, ABS, cruise control, automatic climate control, electric front windows, central locking, power steering, 2-speaker audio system, auxiliary and USB ports, Bluetooth connection, and Android and iOS smartphone compatibility.

Passion : Pure + 15-inch alloy wheels, color-coded mirrors, split-folding rear bench, black/white or black/orange interior, vanity mirrors, fabric finishes, and storage nets.

Prime : Passion + two-tone alloy wheels, panoramic roof, automatic headlights and fog lights, heated leather front seats.

Note that the Pure was no longer available from 2020 on the EQ Forfour. Limited editions such as Proxy, Bluedawn, or Brabus have also expanded the catalog over the years with higher equipment levels and finishes.

Technical Data Sheet of the Electric Smart Forfour

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