Entry-level Smart #1 Pro SUV undercuts Vauxhall Corsa Electric

Smart has made the… well, ‘smart’ decision to introduce a new entry-level version of its #1 small electric SUV that undercuts even the Vauxhall Corsa Electric supermini.

It’s on sale now from £31,950 and the key to the Smart #1 Pro’s budget pricing is its smaller battery pack. While the already-on-sale #1 Pro+ gets a 62kWh battery for a range of up to 273 miles, the Pro instead gets a 49kWh pack that, according to Smart, is sufficient for a maximum of 193 miles before it needs to be plugged-in.

Despite the smaller battery pack, the #1 Pro still gets the Pro+’s rather potent 268bhp electric motor which means it can get from 0-62mph in 6.7 seconds. A maximum DC ultra-rapid charging speed of 130kW means it’s possible to complete a 10-80% top-up of the battery in under half an hour, provided you find a sufficiently powerful public charger.

One thing we praised the Smart #1 for here at DrivingElectric was its strong equipment list and yet, despite being the base model in the line-up, the #1 Pro gets the same bountiful level of standard kit. 

All Smart #1 examples get a 12.8-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated seats, a panoramic glass roof, adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree camera system and a powered bootlid. 

The arrival of the Smart #1 Pro comes shortly after the launch of the sleeker Smart #3 coupe-SUV, with which it shares many of its parts. Both cars also sit on the same underpinnings as the similarly inexpensive Volvo EX30 and represent Smart’s clever reinvention for the EV age, pulling away from making dinky city cars and instead focusing on more mass-market and stylish crossovers.