New Smart EQ ForTwo and EQ ForFour now on sale in the UK

The updated and restyled Smart EQ ForTwo and EQ ForFour electric city cars are on sale in the UK now, priced from £16,850 and £17,285 respectively. First customer deliveries will take place in March.

Both figures factor in the government’s plug-in car grant of £3,500. The starting price of the EQ ForTwo will make it the cheapest electric car on sale, marginally undercutting the Skoda Citigoᵉ iV.

The entry-level 'passion advanced' trim is the first of four, providing 15-inch alloy wheels, cruise and climate control, a seven-inch touchscreen, sat nav and parking sensors. 22kW fast-charging is also standard across the line-up.

Stepping up to 'pulse premium' trim brings the EQ ForTwo’s starting price up to £18,000, introducing 16-inch alloys, a panoramic glass roof, a reversing camera and a storage net for the centre console.

Meanwhile, 'prime exclusive' trim goes further by adding full LED headlights and tail-lights, while the foglights are upgraded with a cornering function. Rain-sensing windscreen wipers, automatic headlights, an automatically dimming rear-view mirror and interior ambient lighting are also included, with prices starting from £19,105 for the EQ ForTwo.

Open-top cabriolet versions of both the EQ ForTwo and EQ ForFour are available from 'pulse premium' trim upwards: these are priced from £20,420 on the former, replacing the glass roof with a fabric draught stop.

Finally, the EQ ForTwo (bot not ForFour) is available in top-of-the-range Edition 1 trim from launch: it includes a Brabus styling pack that adds 16-inch alloy wheels in a unique design, a front splitter, side sills, a rear diffuser, gloss-black and red trim pieces, plus a special gearshift knob. The Coupe costs from £20,645, while the Cabrio is priced at £23,065.

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The new EQ ForTwo and EQ ForFour are powered by the same 81bhp electric motor, which Smart says will propel the ForTwo from 0-62mph in 11.6 seconds. Mercedes-owned Smart has carried over the battery pack from the previous EQ models, a 17.6kWh unit that gives a range of 83 miles between charges.

Both cars have been given a minor visual makeover, with more pronounced wheelarches and a large honeycomb grille flanked by new foglights. The LED headlight design is also new, with more aggressive air vents and a redesigned radiator grille completing the new look at the front.

Inside, the EQ ForTwo and EQ ForFour get a new centre console to free up space and a storage area in front of the gearlever, which is big enough to place a phone or two coffee cups.

A charging speed of 22kW means the new models' batteries can be replenished to 80% in 40 minutes, and there’s now an EQ control app for finding a charging point. Connectivity is key to the infotainment setup in the Smart, and it’s designed to be powered by your phone. The Smart EQ control app also allows you to manage your car’s key functions even when you’re not with the car.