Smart ForTwo hatchback (2014-2019) - Practicality & boot space

An obvious drawback of the small-bodied Smart ForTwo is that there's only room to carry two occupants, while cheaper alternatives – such as the Volkswagen up! – can seat up to five at a push. However, the Smart ForTwo is spacious as two-seaters go and might even be a sound choice if you never use your back seats. The boot is also large for a small city car and it should be easy to load.

Smart ForTwo interior space & storage

The Smart ForTwo has large, wide-opening doors and its tall body makes it easy to get in and out of. And – thanks to the added 110mm of width compared to the old car – it feels far more spacious inside than its exterior proportions suggest.

The driving position is also quite high, giving you a good view of the road ahead, but some people may need to specify the optional adjustable driver's seat and steering wheel. Most drivers should be able to get by without the optional rear parking sensors thanks to the car’s excellent visibility and short length. Beware that the leather seats aren't very supportive and let you slide around quite a bit, so we don’t think they’re worth the extra cost over the basic cloth seats.

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The door bins and glovebox aren't very spacious (we couldn't fit a large bottle of water in the former), but there's a handy storage bin beneath the centre console, which pulls out and adds useful extra storage space. For an extra £55, Smart will fit the car with a cradle to securely hold your smartphone.

Boot space

The Smart's 260-litre boot is a good size – bigger than you get in the Volkswagen up! or the Hyundai i10 – and it's simple to load and unload items, as there's no loading lip and a flat floor. The lower section of the split tailgate features a hidden 100-litre cubby, which is handy for storing smaller or more fragile items. The rear-engined layout does limit storage beneath the boot floor, though, and there is no luggage net as standard.