Used Smart Fortwo 2014-present reliability

Strange but true, seat and steering wheel height adjustment was standard on the basic Pure cars, but was a cost option as part of the comfort package on higher specification variants. When looking at used examples, make sure it has the comfort package; otherwise, it won’t have these essential items.

Despite its tight turning circle and good-sized mirrors, you should check the alloy wheels for kerb damage and bumpers for scrapes. The interior could be ordered in some rather light colours that will not hide dirt for long. It is also made with plenty of hard, scratchy plastics that might be easy to wipe clean, but could be scuffed for example by shoes or even jewellery.

There have been a few recalls on the Fortwo but the most major one relates to the possibility of the maintenance flap becoming detached from the car. In some cases, the locks might not be strong enough to withstand strong gusts of wind and could fly off and pose a risk to following road users. The fix was to replace the locks with stronger ones. This only affects Fortwos produced between April 2014 and October 2015 and most should have been fixed by now. However, it might be worth investigating this with your local Smart dealer to make sure this work has been completed on the car you are looking at.