Remember “smart” cars? You know, those cute little cubey things you could park across a supermarket aisle? Well, the brand that began as a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and watchmaker Swatch is back as an all-EV partnership marrying the German style of Benz with the Chinese manufacturing might of Geely.

I drove the smart #3, a zesty urban “SUV coupe” that attempts – rather well – to make the EV driving experience a bit of a laugh.

If you’ve driven a few EVs, they’re quite a novelty but the driving experience is fairly similar. They’re all bloody quick, beautifully quiet and pretty pleasant to ride around in.

My one complaint about the EV revolution is they’re all a bit the same, really – all delivering what’s arguably a better mode of transport but without much personality.

I think this problem has been addressed very well in the smart #3, which offers more than just another very well-appointed EV.

It starts when you hop in and are greeted by a cheetah on your dash screen, which is a lot nicer to look at than many EVs’ digital AI assistants and has a lot more personality. Gimmicky? Maybe, but definitely fun.

Even the “beep-beep” locking sound is pleasant.

The #3’s styling is loosely Benz-ish but altogether its own thing, with its swoops, bulges and curves. It has a nice floating roofline, a “shark nose”, high hips and is a lot bigger than it looks at 4.4m long and 1.5m tall.

Its cabin is refined, classy but funky in its application, focusing on giving you a smile as well as a thrill.

The proof of my theory is the fact you can get a Brabus edition of both the #3 and the smaller #1, adding performance and styling cues from the legendary Benz tuning house to turn these functional and practical little EVs into proper beasts.

My tester was black, with a striking light trim inside. It was a bold combination and added to that “swatchy” vibe. I think buyers should lean into these funky spec combos because this is a car built with a sense of fun that deserves to look the part.

The #3’s fastback styling is set off with beefy 19-inch wheels wrapped in aerodynamic, power-saving wheel covers you can actually pop off to reveal the alloys underneath.

Life in the suburbs is a good test for any family car, and the Tomlinson tiddlers are alway raring to get stuck into whatever I bring home.

The smart #3 got a big endorsement for a few reasons, but first was the 13-speaker Beats stereo, which pumped out the K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack for the 9000th time at a suitably high volume.

The boys also loved the ambient lighting, which, like many of these systems, wraps around the cabin and footwells, but its party trick is that it’s integrated into the seatbacks, too.

For me, one of the most welcome technical inclusions for the driver was a one-touch shortcut to preferred settings for all the gizmos on board.

AT A GLANCE

SMART #3 PREMIUM

PRICE: $61,900 (plus on-road costs)

WARRANTY: 5 year, 150,000km

DRIVE-TRAIN: Single motor, RWD, 66kWh lithium battery

POWER: 200kW, 343Nm, 0-100km/h in 5.8 seconds

RANGE (WLTP): Up to 455km, DC charging 150kW, AC 22kw

MY RATING: ★★★★☆

Many cars treat you like a student in detention, but this shortcut lets you turn off all sorts of chimes, warnings and alerts with one touch.

The #3 had plenty of power, packing 200kW and a 0-100km/h time of 5.8 seconds. I loved the onefoot driving mode, which stops the car when you’re not accelerating. With some practice, you can pull up at lights without touching the brakes.

The all-glass halo roof is a bold choice in the Queensland heat. It looks great, but with no blind underneath, the #3 will need a garage to avoid becoming a sauna. That said, you can get the aircon going from your phone before you hop in.

One big test for me was charging, and the #3 passed with flying colours. The 66kWh battery has up to 455km of range and the charging architecture is a 400V system with a maximum DC intake of 150kW, which means you can top up from 10 to 80 per cent in under 30 minutes.

Overall, the smart #3 does a great job taking a popular segment and elevating it. It is a zippy, high-quality performer that brings back a sense of fun and novelty to a segment that’s quickly become rather same-same.