Smart #5 review (UK): What Car?'s Family SUV of the Year — the full picture

Smart Automobile Co., Ltd (智马达汽车有限公司) is a 50-50 joint venture between Geely Automobile Group and Mercedes-Benz, headquartered in Ningbo, China, with production at Geely's Xi'an plant. The brand, design language and engineering quality carry genuine Mercedes-Benz input — this is not a badge-engineered product. Brand-survival risk is low: the dual corporate backing gives it more resilience than most purely Chinese-funded entrants to the UK market.

The Smart #5 range starts at £39,800 and runs to £51,800 for the Brabus performance model. The Pro (£39,800) uses a 76kWh battery on a 400V architecture with 150kW peak DC charging. Every other trim steps up to a 100kWh battery on an 800V architecture capable of 400kW peak DC — unlocking 18-minute 10–80% charge times. The Pro+ at £43,800 is the consensus best-buy: it adds 78 miles of official WLTP range over the Pro and fast charging without AWD complexity.

Beyond the Pro+, the Premium (£47,300) and Pulse (£47,300) add dual motors and AWD; the Summit Edition (£48,800) includes an off-road bodykit and electric tow hitch. The Brabus (£51,800) tops the range with 637bhp and a 3.8-second 0–62mph time — impressive numbers, but Auto Express notes the Brabus receives no chassis or suspension upgrades to match the power, making it rapid in a straight line but unremarkable in corners.

Two battery options define the Smart #5 range. The 76kWh (usable) battery in the Pro tops out at 288 miles WLTP on a 400V, 150kW charging architecture. All other trims use a 100kWh (usable) battery on 800V, supporting 400kW peak DC and an approximately 18-minute 10–80% charge time — quicker than most rivals at this price. AC charging of up to 22kW (3-phase) is available across the range, which is rare for a family SUV and useful for overnight workplace charging. Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) at 3.3kW is standard on all trims.

The honest caveat is real-world efficiency. Auto Express testing in winter motorway conditions returned 2.4 miles per kWh — giving the 76kWh Pro an effective range of roughly 179 miles. The Kia EV5 achieved 3.1 mi/kWh and the Tesla Model Y 3.6 mi/kWh in the same test. The 100kWh models soften the blow through raw capacity, but the Smart #5 is not an efficient car by class standards. Budget for more charge stops than the official range suggests on long motorway runs.

The Smart #5's cabin is the standout selling point. What Car? calls the interior quality good enough to mistake for a traditional luxury limo, and Auto Express notes it uses soft-touch materials that place it above the Audi Q4 e-tron. The 630-litre boot expands to 1,530 litres with seats folded — generous for this class. A 72-litre front storage compartment is available for cable storage. With a 2,900mm wheelbase, rear legroom is proper adult-sized, and rear doors open wide for child-seat access.

A few niggles are worth noting. There are no physical climate controls — temperature and seat heating are buried in touchscreen menus, which multiple reviewers find frustrating when driving. The front seat height adjustment raises the entire seat squab at an angle rather than lifting the base alone, which can feel awkward for tall drivers. Push-button door releases instead of conventional handles confuse passengers new to the car. The AI assistant 'Leo' (a lion avatar) is divisive. Dimensions: 4,695mm long, 1,920mm wide, 1,705mm high. Turning circle of 11.2m is tighter than the Tesla Model Y's 12.1m.

The Smart #5's technology stack is ambitious. Higher trims feature dual 13-inch AMOLED screens, a 10.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 25.6-inch augmented-reality head-up display. Standard across all trims is wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging and USB-C ports. The Sennheiser Dolby Atmos 20-speaker system (available on Premium and above) earns consistent praise.

The UK infotainment is a localised version of the Chinese system. In China, Smart added Doubao AI (ByteDance's large-language model) via OTA in early 2026; the UK equivalent is 'Leo', an AI voice assistant represented by a lion avatar. Leo can answer questions and help navigate menus, but reviewers note the voice system can interrupt conversations inadvertently and the menu structure is cluttered with unnecessary settings.

One practical point: battery pre-conditioning for rapid DC charging activates automatically only when a fast charger is set as a destination in the built-in navigation. It cannot be triggered via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto — use the car's own nav on long trips to ensure maximum charging speed.

The Smart #5 was awarded five stars in Euro NCAP testing in 2025. Auto Express (Jan 2026) reports adult occupant protection of 88%, child occupant protection of 93%, vulnerable road user protection of 84% and safety assist of 92%. These are strong scores across all categories and give the #5 meaningful safety credibility for family buyers.

Smart UK offers a 3-year unlimited-mileage warranty on the vehicle — the shortest in class for a Chinese-brand SUV at this price. Xpeng provides 5 years on the G6, BYD 6 years on the Sealion 7. For a £40,000-plus purchase, buyers should factor this in and consider Smart's own extended-service plans.

Battery warranty is 8 years. The mileage cap is disputed between sources: Smart UK's official documentation states 100,000 miles; What Car? and EV Database both cite 125,000 miles. Verify the exact terms with your Smart dealer or in the current warranty booklet before signing.

Insurance groups run from 41 (Pro) to 46 (Brabus), per Auto Express (Jan 2026). These are reasonable for a large premium SUV — the Xpeng G6 Standard starts at group 43 for comparison.

For company-car drivers, all zero-emission BEVs attract a 4% BiK rate in 2026/27 (HMRC). On the Pro at £39,800 P11D, a 20% income-tax payer pays approximately £318/year in company-car tax; a 40% taxpayer pays approximately £637/year. The Pro+ at £43,800 P11D costs around £350/year (20% taxpayer) and £701/year (40% taxpayer).

The Smart #5 sells in China as the smart精灵#5 at RMB 189,900–239,900 (approximately £21,000–£26,500 at mid-2026 exchange rates), giving the UK model a price ratio of roughly 2.7× versus the Chinese market — not unusual for European-specification models.

On 车质网 (China's official consumer-complaint register), the Smart #5 has accumulated 28 complaints across 2024–2026 with a complaint-to-sales ratio of 35.1 per 10,000 units — mid-table. Reported issues include infotainment connectivity failures (most common), seat faults, side-mirror faults, one battery case and one inaccurate range-display report. There are no patterns suggesting systematic mechanical defects. UK buyers should note the UK and Chinese infotainment systems are different implementations, so Chinese connectivity complaints may not transfer directly to UK experience.

The Smart #5 is an accomplished family SUV that earns its What Car? Family Electric SUV of the Year 2026 award. Interior quality genuinely impresses — it rivals premium German SUVs on fit and finish. The 800V fast-charging architecture on Pro+ and above is best-in-class at this price. The 630-litre boot, V2L standard fit and 22kW AC charging round out a strong practical case.

Two meaningful caveats: real-world efficiency and warranty length. At 2.4 miles per kWh in winter motorway conditions, the Smart #5 trails the Kia EV5 and Tesla Model Y by a meaningful margin — buyers who cover high annual motorway mileage should factor in more frequent charge stops. The 3-year vehicle warranty is the shortest in the segment at this price; longer-term peace of mind requires one of Smart's service plans or a dealer-provided extended warranty.

For most family buyers who charge at home and use the car for mixed urban and suburban driving, the Smart #5 — particularly the Pro+ at £43,800 — is a compelling, well-rounded choice. The brand is well-supported and not going anywhere; the quality is genuine. Start with the Pro+ and step up to AWD only if your driving specifically demands it.