Smart #1 2023 electric car owner review

Smart #1 2023 electric car owner review

Craig Stark drives a Smart #1 Brabus 66kWh (62kWh useable) 2023.

This is Craig’s second electric car, he’s owned the Smart #1 less than a year and drives 5,000-10,000 miles annually. The current mileage of the car is between 5,000-10,000 miles and he achieves 220 miles from a full charge.

 

Why did you choose the Smart #1 Brabus?

The Smart brand has always held a special place for me. I’ve dreamed of a Brabus version of a Smart car and the #1 Brabus doesn’t disappoint, it packs an impressive power output. When you need performance, it delivers, but it also transitions seamlessly into a smooth, efficient cruiser for long drives. Loaded with tech, it competes with the likes of Tesla in terms of innovation, while the premium fit and finish elevate the whole experience, making you feel something special every time you get behind the wheel. Despite great reviews, it hasn’t become a mainstream choice for many EV buyers, which only adds to its rarity and uniqueness on the road. Ultimately, driving the Smart #1 Brabus makes you feel unique, and that sense of individuality is probably the biggest appeal.

 

Positives

  • The character
  • styling
  • power.

 

Smart #1 2023 electric car owner review

 

Negatives 

  • Infotainment can be fiddly to use when driving, a simple software update could fix a lot of issues
  • the app could do with some work – improved functionality & features
  • fake engine sounds – I love them but on lower RPMs the tone can be annoying and I end up turning it off!

 

Compared to when you first bought the car, does your battery still charge at the same rate & do you still get the same range?

I’ve only had the car a few weeks but I am getting a consistent charge. The presence of a heat pump has prolonged the range, making it easier to live with in the winter.

 

Have you experienced any faults with the car? If so, what have they been?

Two faults that I need to get fixed which are both a common issue on the new hashtags. The fold out door handle on the passenger side is not fully retracting. Also, on the rear passenger door handle the LED light has stopped working. I have no doubt that Smart will be able to fix these under warranty.

 

Smart #1 2023 electric car owner review

 

What are the standout technological features of the car?

The driving assist systems are amazing. Once you get use to them, they allow you to enjoy your journey more. Smart Pilot controls the steering wheel on motorways and the lane change assist is great. I also need to say that the engineering of the dual motors that produce 428 bhp is nothing short of amazing. Being able to produce that amount of power in such a small form factor is one of the reasons I bought the car.

 

Tell us something people wouldn’t readily know about this electric car 

Comfort – being a Brabus, people may think that it’s a firm ride and uncomfortable, but it’s not. It’s very planted on the road and I can easily do long distances in comfort.

Practicality – it has a small boot, I’ll give you that but it’s flexible. You can slide the rear seats forward to give you more space. Under the boot, there is loads of space. I have both my charging cables and parcel shelf under there. And a lovely little feature is the fold-away hook that you can find in the glove box that lets you hang a bag. Genius!

 

What’s the biggest or funniest myth you’ve heard about EVs?

Biggest – that EVs aren’t practical or reliable. People think they don’t have enough range, will die on you when you need to go somewhere or can’t be charged anywhere. All of that is completely wrong. I’ve been driving electric for over a year, and both my EVs have been nothing but dependable.

 

Funniest – that one day soon, China will take control of my car. 🤷

 

What electric car(s) are you interested in next and why?

I currently drive a Skoda ENYAQ and a Smart #1, and for me and my partner, these are the perfect cars. I have no plans to change them anytime soon. If I were to choose two different EVs, my first pick would probably be the newer, higher-spec model of the Skoda ENYAQ. The ride comfort in my current ENYAQ is fantastic but I’d appreciate one with more features and a longer range.

 

For the second, I’d go with the new Smart #5 due to be released this year. It seems to offer greater practicality compared to the #1 and the Brabus version is bound to be incredible.

 

Home charging unit

Pod Point Solo 3

 

Positives:

  • It’s the tethered version so I don’t need to plug the car’s cable in when I need to charge
  • the app is easy to use
  • it looks sleek on the front of our house.

 

Negatives:

  • My version doesn’t speak to our PV panels, meaning I can’t use the solar to charge the cars. But I know the Solo 3S has this feature.
  • no screen on the front of the unit
  • You need to manually input your entry tariff pricing. It would be so good for it to pull this data from my energy provider, Octopus.
  • On a public charging front, I hate Pod Point’s ‘top up and charge’ system, just bill me for the energy that I would use.

 

Electricity supplier & tariff

Octopus Intelligent Go

 

Positives:

Well, it’s just amazing, 7p for off-peak charging is so cheap. And it’s not just the cars, it’s for the whole house. Meaning I can put on the washing machine and dishwasher and still take advantage of the low unit price.

 

Negatives:

If I were to be nitpicky, I would say the ‘smart charging’ isn’t bomb-proof. It sometimes fails on me and won’t charge the car up to full when I need it too. I’ve reverted back to just scheduling the cars via the Pod Point app. Also, I can’t connect 2 cars via the app, only one.

 

What public charging networks would you recommend to others and why?

I don’t public charge that often but when I do, it’s usually ChargePlace Scotland.

 

Positives – the pricing is lower than some of the other networks.

 

Negatives – On occasions I’ve been to charge and it’s not recognised my card or not authorised the transaction, meaning I need to call them up and get them to activate it at their side. A little annoying, but their customer service is always super friendly and they get it sorted.

 

Insurer

For our Skoda ENYAQ we are with Churchill. No complaints, we got a good price for our insurance with no issues.

 

For the Smart #1, we had to change insurers as they couldn’t insure the Brabus model. They never gave a reason, just that they couldn’t insure it. So we went with Hastings Direct and we got a good price and it was easy to set up.

 

Please itemise where you’re saving money (or not) owning & running a Smart #1 Brabus

Currently car tax is free (obviously set to change in April) but we’ll be £195 for both cars come April.

 

Energy cost – on average we are about £10 a week to top-up the cars, that’s £40 a month. When we had ICE cars, it was about £80+ a month on petrol.

 

Insurance – It’s actually really cheap for us, about £350 for each car, which is roughly what we were paying before.

 

Servicing – I’ve only had to service the ENYAQ once, this was about £260. But that is the only cost I’ve had with the car for over a year.

 

I can’t really put a price on what we are saving. I would say that we have ‘upgraded’ to two very nice EVs with next to no increase in cost to us.

 

See other Owner Reviews here

 

 

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