On its second attempt at the Australian market, smart - co-owned by Geely and Mercedes-Benz - is an all-electric proposition. Here we tested the smart #1 small electric SUV...

You may not have heard but smart, the brand famous for making tiny city cars from the early 2000s, is back.

Now co-owned by Chinese giant Geely and creator Mercedes-Benz, smart recently re-launched locally with two models: the #3 and #1, both competing in the small electric SUV segment. We recently tested the #3 and were quite impressed but does the slightly smaller #1 also measure up?

Priced from $54,900 plus on-road costs and offered in three models – Pro+, Premium and performance Brabus – we tested the mid-spec Pro, which is priced at $58,900 +ORC. While its Zeekr X cousin is $5,000 less, its other cousin the Volvo EX30 is $5,090 more and we think it’s well priced for the equipment on offer.

The #1 Premium is well equipped with a large panoramic glass sunroof (which actually opens, unlike the #3), ‘Duo Leather’ trim, heated electric front seats, 13-speaker Beats audio, a 12.8-inch touchscreen, wireless phone charging, configurable ambient lighting, a head-up display and a full suite of active safety kit including AEB, a 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise control, adaptive lane guidance and Matrix adaptive high beam.

Like its cousins, the #1 uses a Geely platform and a 66kWh NMC battery, which can be fast charged at up to 150kW for a 10 to 80 per cent charge in as little as 30 minutes. The claimed WLTP range for the single-motor #1 is a solid 440km, with claimed consumption of 16.7kWh/100km – we found that easy to beat and ended up on 15.8kWh/100km. Not bad.

Unlike the 315kW dual-motor Brabus version, the #1 Premium uses a 200kW/343Nm electric motor that’s mounted on the rear wheels, making it rear-wheel drive. With a claimed 6.7-second 0-100km/h time, the #1 Premium is surprisingly quick. A more efficient lower-powered version would be a good addition to the line-up for those who don’t need that much performance.

Like the EX30, the #1’s tight rear-drive chassis is quite fun to drive. The steering is a touch light, though weighs up nicely in sport mode and the ride is a bit firm but still quite comfortable. Brake feel is strong, though there aren’t any paddle shifters to adjust the regeneration – frustratingly it must be done through the touchscreen. Refinement is impressive, with low road noise levels, though there is a bit of wind noise thanks to the upright windscreen.

Aside from the smaller length and taller roof, the #1’s cabin design is nigh on identical to the #3 with a very Mercedes-like bridge centre console design, large touchscreen and – unlike its EX30 cousin – both driver’s and head-up displays. Quality is pleasing to the eye with lots of synthetic leather trim covering most services, while seat comfort is great and the driving position is quite adjustable.

Centre of the cabin is a 12.8-inch touchscreen that’s loaded with features: live services, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation with live traffic, digital radio and a store to download apps like Spotify. Screen quality is good and it’s quick to use, but its menu structure can be quite confusing, even after multiple uses. We also experienced CarPlay dropping out a few times, something that did not happen in our #3 test car, so hopefully it was just that particular #1.

The #1’s cabin is surprisingly spacious for such a small car – two six footers-plus will be quite comfortable in the rear seat because the tall roof gives excellent headroom, while legroom is adequate as well – plus, the rear seat slides and reclines for extra practicality. The boot’s 313-litre size is not huge, though it expands thanks to its big underfloor storage section. Folding the rear seats unlocks 986L and there’s also another 15L of space under the bonnet.

Like its #3 sibling, smart offers yet another way to stand out from the small SUV crowd – but it does it with a much better product this time around. The #1 is characterful, fun to drive, quick, fast charging, efficient and quite well equipped. Only its expensive service pricing and cumbersome touchscreen count against it, but it’s still worth strong consideration as the brand embarks on its comeback.

Model	smart #1 Premium
Price as tested	$58,900
Motor	200kW/343Nm
Battery	66kWh NMC
0-100km/h	6.7 seconds
Top speed	180km/h
Claimed range	440km
Efficiency (claimed/as tested)	16.7kWh/100km/15.8kWh/100km