Smart car insurance

How much does a smart car cost to insure?

The amount you’ll pay for smart car insurance depends on the model you choose to buy. Your smart premium will also vary depending on which insurance group your model falls into. The general rule is the lower the insurance group, the lower your premium. Group 1 is the lowest and Group 50 is the highest.

For example, the EQ 82hp Prime Premium Plus sits in group 15, while the smart 60kW EQ Exclusive is in insurance Group 10.

While all smart cars are small in size, some have more powerful engines and this will be reflected in the cost of your car insurance. Older models such as the smart Roadster Coupe, built between 2003 - 2007 and with a distinctly sporty look, are placed in a relatively high insurance Group (20-26).

Nowadays, smart is more focused on what it does best: producing a ‘microcar’ that is efficient and green. All cars currently manufactured by smart are electric.

The range includes the smart EQ fortwo, the smart EQ fortwo Cabrio and the smart EQ forfour.

The company now offers technology to make electric driving as stress-free as possible. The smart EQ Control app allows you to keep an eye on important information such as your current battery status and range, all from your smartphone. The app works on all new smart cars.

Given the size of smart cars – even the four-door EQ forfour is attractively compact – you are unlikely to be hit with as large an insurance premium as you would with a larger, more powerful car. For instance, the average premium for the EQ fortwo Prime Exclusive is £387* and for the fortwo Grand Style MHD Coupe is £311*.

*These prices are an average based on the model, and all our customer quotes from 14 January 2021 – 14 June 2021. This includes different locations, driving background and other factors. Your own quote could be cheaper or more expensive depending on your personal circumstances.

All information on this page was last reviewed on 10 August 2021, see T&Cs.

smart forfour Passion

Launched in 2004 and manufactured until 2007, the smart forfour range (which included the Passion) proved that smart could produce a highly practical car at an affordable price, Until the arrival of the forfour, smart was viewed as something of a boutique brand, offering desirable but pricey cars.

The forfour changed this. smart was now in mass market territory and was geared up to give the likes of the Vauxhall Corsa, Peugeot 206 and the Ford Fiesta a run for their money.

As the years go by, the forfour Passion is becoming more of a collector’s item but if you do pick one up, the average insurance premium is £693*.

smart fortwo Pulse

The smart fortwo range was launched in 1998 at the Paris Motor Show, and was initially called the smart City Coupe. Place Title Here

The rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-passenger hatchback microcar proved popular to those who wanted a car that was easy to drive and park in the city – as well as hugely efficient with fuel.

Although most smart fortwo Passion cars are petrol driven, they’re cheap to run in terms of miles to the gallon. They also typically satisfy the recently introduced Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in cities like London.

Due to the small engine size, they are usually inexpensive to insure too, with the average premium for the smart fortwo Pulse 84 being £402*.

The smart EQ forfour

Fast forward to today’s smart car models and the smart EQ forfour is attracting plenty of attention.

The car offers intelligent charging and plenty of storage space. It is a fully electric four-seater for the city. The smart EQ forfour is the perfect city car for four people or lots of luggage. For urban drivers who are able to completely avoid the congestion charge and who are well serviced by electric charging points, the smart EQ forfour fits the bill nicely. To give you some idea of insurance costs, the average premium for the EQ forfour Prime Exclusive is £489*.

History and facts about smart cars

While smart cars may only have appeared on UK roads from 1998, the history of the company behind the car goes back to the late 1980s.

The makers of Swatch (yes, the trendy watch with colourful straps), SMH, started developing an idea for a new car. The CEO of SMH, Nicolas Hayek, believed that the automotive industry had ignored customers who wanted a very small but stylish car.

Initially the car was referred to as the ‘Swatchmobile’ – though not surprisingly this name was jettisoned further down the line.

In order to develop the concept further, Hayek approached several manufacturers about collaboration on his new ‘city car’. He finally reached an agreement with Volkswagen. However, this partnership was short lived as VW decided to terminate the project with SMH in 1993.

Hayek then approached other potential suitors including Fiat and Renault – with no joy. Eventually in 1994 he reached an agreement with Daimler-Benz AG, the makers of Mercedes-Benz.

By allying with Daimler-Benz, the Swatchmobile suddenly had a future – though the name itself did not. The German car giant did not like the name and instead proposed ‘smart’, an acronym for Swatch Mercedes Art.

Given the smart car’s association with efficiency and practicality for city drivers, the smart name was far more in keeping with this image.

The first smart car was launched in October 1998. However, Hayek was disappointed in the debut car’s design. While he wanted it to be a hybrid, the first smart car was instead a conventional fuel-powered car.

Since then, smart has continued to pioneer cleaner energy in car design to the point that the current models it manufactures are all electric-powered.