What is smart known for?
smart began as a European answer to a simple urban question: how small could a practical car be? Its best-known model, the Fortwo, made a virtue of its compact two-seat layout and easy manoeuvring in crowded streets. The name combines Swatch, Mercedes and art, reflecting the project’s origins in a collaboration between the watchmaker and Mercedes-Benz. Today, smart Automobile is a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely, with roots in Europe and a global outlook.
The brand’s range has changed with its ownership and ambitions. Early smarts were closely identified with tiny city cars; the newer # models are larger electric vehicles. That makes smart’s history a story of changing ideas about urban mobility, as well as a catalogue of distinct model lines.
Which smart models are listed?
The Fortwo is the longest-running name in this line-up, appearing from 2004 to 2025. Its two-seat focus gave smart a clear identity. The Forfour brought four doors and room for four, and appears from 2006 to 2023. The Roadster, listed for 2006–2007, was a short-lived sports-car-shaped departure from the city-car mould.
The newer line-up shifts to the #1, #3 and #5. The #1 spans 2022–2026, the #3 2023–2026, and the #5 2025–2026. Together they mark a move from the Fortwo’s tiny footprint towards a broader range of electric vehicles. In EU registration figures, the Fortwo leads among these models, with 1,405,278 registrations from 2010 to 2025. The Forfour follows with 401,542 from 2014 to 2023.
How has smart’s range developed?
The model names trace a shift from one defining city car to a varied range. The Fortwo and Forfour offered different takes on compact everyday transport, while the Roadster briefly explored a more playful shape. The newer # models carry the range into a larger, electric era. The change is visible in the sequence of names and years: the Fortwo and Forfour wind down as the #1, #3 and #5 appear.
The #1 recorded 25,396 EU registrations from 2022 to 2025; the #3 had 8,223 from 2023 to 2025, and the #5 had 3,089 in 2025. These figures describe their early presence in the European market, while the older Fortwo remains the defining name in the longer-running record.
Where are smart cars listed?
smart appears across several national and regional vehicle sources: European Union registrations, UK figures, French figures, and official US and Canadian fuel-economy sources. This gives readers a view of the marque on both sides of the Atlantic, though individual models and years vary by market.
Official consumption and emissions figures should be read in the context of their test procedure. European figures use WLTP or, for older vehicles, NEDC; the US uses EPA testing, while Canada uses its five-cycle procedure. Results from different systems are not directly equivalent.
Questions and answers
What is smart’s best-known model?
The Fortwo is smart’s defining city car: a compact two-seater designed around urban use.
Is smart an electric-car brand?
The newer #1, #3 and #5 are part of the range’s electric era. The listed model line-up also includes earlier Fortwo, Forfour and Roadster models.
Who owns smart?
smart Automobile is a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely.
Why do official consumption figures differ between countries?
The EU and UK use European test procedures such as WLTP or NEDC, the US uses EPA testing, and Canada uses a five-cycle test. Their results are not directly comparable.