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Smart 3 running costs and reliability
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Miles per pound (mpp) ⓘ
Electric motors, home charging | 6.5 - 7.1 mpp |
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Electric motors, public charging | 3.5 - 3.8 mpp |
Fuel economy ⓘ
Electric motors | 2.2 - 2.4 miles/kWh |
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- Competitively priced compared with rivals
- Charging at home can be cheap
- Entry-level driving range isn’t great
What are the running costs?
Like any electric car, cost can vary significantly on where you charge it. At home with a tariff designed to make use of off-peak tariffs can mean a few pence per kilowatt. Fast charging regularly at points at motorway services will be much more expensive than that. Our experiences with the #3 included an average efficiency of around three miles per kWh.
The Pro claims 202 miles on a charge, which is relatively small and only useful to those with home chargers. Pro+ and Premium are more competitive with 270 and 283-mile ranges respectively, with the Brabus claiming a 258-mile range.
As for charging times, Smart claims around half an hour to do a 10-80% charge regardless of spec at the highest DC charging rate. Pro and Pro+ can only charge to 7.4kW on AC home wallboxes or less sophisticated public chargers, meaning circa six-hour chargers for those. Smart says Premium and Brabus models can take up to 22kW AC, meaning a three-hour charge is possible.
Servicing and warranty
The #3 comes with a three-year, 30,000-mile warranty as standard. As part of its Integrated Service Package, your #3 also benefits from roadside assistance from the date of registration until its first service.
Reliability
Given this is relatively new technology and engineering, this area is a little unknown. Smart has technically been in business for 25 years now and, in its current guise, is part-owned by both Mercedes-Benz and Geely – both are brands that have been around a long time and know their way around how to build a car properly.
Ongoing running costs
Road tax | £0 |
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Insurance group | 33 - 41 |
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