Feature
Smart #5 long-term test
Our subeditor needs a practical, comfortable electric SUV with enough range to cope with a long motorway commute and an active lifestyle
The car Smart #5 Premium Run by Chris Haining, Subeditor
Why it’s here To find out if Smart's flagship makes sense as a do-everything electric family SUV
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Needs to Be relaxing on the commute, fun at the weekend, and effortlessly practical – with a good range
Mileage 6984 List price £47,300 Best Price £45,300 Price as tested £47,300 Official range 366 miles Test range 325 miles
3 November 2026 – No corners cut
If you look at my Smart #5 when it’s parked, you might notice that the logo at the centre of each of its alloy wheels is always the right way up – just like is the case with a Rolls-Royce Phantom. That’s an example where two cars whose price tags are £400,000 apart show similar attention to detail.
And that’s the #5 all over. From day one, I’ve been dazzled by the way it’s been put together. After approaching it and touching a fingertip-shaped hollow on the flush-fitting door handle, it slides out to greet me and, as soon as I pull on it, the window glass immediately drops by half an inch. That’s because – unusually among SUVs – the #5 has frameless doors.
Chris Haining
Updated: 3 November 2026
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Stepping over the threshold, my eye is drawn to the polished stainless steel kickplates, into which is inset an illuminated Smart logo. I draw the weighty door to a close, and the glass rises again when it clicks shut, to ensure a perfect seal.
Looking around once inside, if the “Oak” trim of the doors and centre console isn't real, it certainly comes from a very convincing plastic forest; if it were any more realistic I'd be worrying about splinters. A Rolex engineer, too, would surely be impressed by the precise action of the electric window switches and the push-button door release. Elsewhere, the doors and most other surfaces are covered with soft, leather-like materials of fine and coarse-grain textures, set off with neat stitching that matches that of the seats.
What isn’t soft is the lozenged oblong dashboard which incorporates the digital driver’s display and – on another, floating level – side-by-side 12.3in infotainment screens for driver and passenger. The whole ensemble looks great, finished in gunmetal-effect plastic with bright aluminium inserts, and when I rap it with my knuckles, it sounds solid and dead rather than hollow and cheap. I can get a creak out of it if I grab it firmly by the hand, but frankly only magazine road testers do that. Anybody normal would just let it sit there in silence, admiring the view.
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All in all, I reckon the #5 punches well above its price when it comes to fit and finish; this electric family SUV is closer in cost to a Kia EV5 than a BMW iX3, and I think it’s more than a match for the latter where plushness is concerned.
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