Smart #1 – From $198/ week*

#1 Pro Plus

#1 Premium

#1 Brabus

#3 Pro

#3 Premium

#3 Brabus

Smart #3 From $209/week*

The Smart #3 is the second fully electric vehicle from Smart, following the launch of the Smart #1. It represents the next phase in Smart’s evolution, with a focus on expanding the brand’s presence in the electric mobility space. The Smart #3 is a larger electric SUV than its predecessor, designed to appeal to a broader audience by offering more space, power, and advanced features.

Here’s a detailed overview of the Smart #3:

Design and Size

SUV Crossover Styling: The Smart #3 is a compact to mid-sized electric SUV with a sportier, more aggressive design compared to the #1. Its exterior has a sleek, modern look with smooth lines, a wide stance, and a prominent grille (even though it’s an electric vehicle). It leans more towards the coupe-style crossover, with a sloping roofline for a more dynamic silhouette.

Dimensions: It’s larger than the Smart #1, offering more room for passengers and luggage. The Smart #3 is designed to be practical for families and individuals who need more space but still want a compact footprint suitable for urban driving.

The front features LED headlights with a distinctive light signature, while the rear is equipped with a full-width LED light bar.

Powertrain and Performance

Electric Motor: The Smart #3 features a dual-motor all-wheel-drive (AWD) setup in certain versions, providing a more performance-oriented driving experience compared to the rear-wheel-drive Smart #1.

Power Output: Depending on the specific model, the Smart #3 can generate up to 422 horsepower (315 kW) in the top-spec variants, which allows for quicker acceleration and improved performance, making it one of the most powerful models in Smart’s lineup.

Acceleration: The top-tier Smart #3 can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) in about 3.7 seconds, which is significantly faster than the Smart #1, positioning it as a high-performance electric SUV within its segment.

Battery and Range

The Smart #3 uses a 66 kWh battery (similar to the Smart #1), providing a range of around 400 to 500 km (approximately 250 to 310 miles) on a single charge, depending on the driving conditions and the specific model.

Charging

It supports fast charging via DC fast-charging, which can charge the battery from 10% to 80% in around 30 minutes, depending on the charger. Home AC charging typically takes around 8-10 hours for a full charge.

Interior and Technology

Interior Design: The cabin of the Smart #3 emphasizes luxury and technology, offering a modern and spacious feel. It’s equipped with high-quality materials, including leather and soft-touch surfaces, with an emphasis on comfort and practicality.

Infotainment: The Smart #3 comes with a large 12.8-inch touchscreen and a digital instrument cluster, offering the latest in connectivity and infotainment. It integrates features such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and cloud-based navigation. The interface is designed to be intuitive, with the aim of keeping the driving experience simple and streamlined.

Driver Assistance and Safety: Like the Smart #1, the Smart #3 includes a full suite of driver-assistance systems (ADAS) like adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and more. These features are designed to improve safety and convenience.

Driving Experience

Handling and Performance: With a more powerful motor setup and an all-wheel-drive system (in higher-end models), the Smart #3 is designed to provide a more engaging driving experience compared to the Smart #1. Its performance is enhanced by the low center of gravity from the battery placement, making it stable and agile on the road.

The Smart #3 is tuned to offer a balance between performance and comfort, making it suitable for both city driving and longer trips.

Sustainability

As a fully electric vehicle, the Smart #3 produces zero tailpipe emissions, contributing to Smart’s overall sustainability efforts. The car is also designed with recyclable materials and energy-efficient manufacturing processes, which aligns with Smart’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

The interior materials include sustainable textiles and finishes, enhancing the eco-friendly appeal of the car.

Conclusion

The Smart #3 takes Smart’s electric vehicle lineup in a new direction by offering more power, more space, and a higher level of performance. It’s designed for those who need a bit more room and driving capabilities without going for larger, more expensive electric SUVs. With modern technology, strong performance, and an eco-friendly design, the Smart #3 is a compelling choice for consumers looking for a practical yet exciting electric SUV.

*Includes finance, fuel/charge, registration, insurance, servicing and tyres. Based on a 5-year lease a $90K salary & traveling $15,000kms per year.

Information about our EV Novated Lease Calculator

New government legislation aims to use Novated Leasing to make EV’s as affordable as possible. However the main question still needs to be answered, “What is this car going to cost me out of my take home pay?”. A good Novated Lease calculator will provide this information up front. Vehicle Solutions Novated Lease calculator tells you in seconds the cost to your take home pay for any vehicle value you enter up to the FBT exempt amount of $84,916.

But what does all this mean?

When looking at any Novated Lease calculator it is important to understand what is included and importantly what is not included. On a Novated Lease calculator the provider can change the way fuel/charge, tyres and scheduled services are calculated which will reduce the amount allocated to the running costs to make their quotes look cheaper, but in the end you could be paying a lot more. It is very important to understand what is in each of the running cost budgets and how they are calculated.

The Calculations

Charge Allocation (Was the old fashioned fuel)

In our Novated Lease calculator we have included an allocation of $750 per year for charging your vehicle. This can be changed prior to starting the lease or at any point during the lease term depending on usage.

Tyres

In a Novated Lease calculator a tyre budget is a little harder to estimate simple because tyre prices can vary so much depending on the type of tyre the driver wants, for example a lower profile tyre maybe more expensive, but important to the vehicle driver. In our Novated Lease calculator we research an average cost for each of the vehicle categories we use. We simple apply this cost to an average tyre change time period and the budget is set.

(Average cost of a tyre X 4) = Cost of a set of tyres.

Your annual kms travelled X the lease term in years = Total KMs

Total KMs/35,000kms (average tyre change period) = Sets of tyres required.

Sets of tyres required X Cost of the set / years of lease = Total tyre budget per year.

Example – Mary drives 15,000kms per year and is about to start a 5 year lease. The cost of a set of her tyres is $850.

15,000 X 5 = 75,000kms /35000 = 2.14 sets of tyres X $850 per set = $1,819/5 years = $363.80 per year.

Maintenance

Most cars need a service every 10,000 to 15,000km and the cost of this service depends on the type of vehicle you choose. However EV’s in general require less serving so we have set an allocation of $350 per year.

Registration and Insurance

For registration and insurance renewals we use an estimate again depending on the type of vehicle chosen.

Finance

The finance is on a standard novated lease calculation with a few small variations.

1. The lease is two months in arrears. This means that the payments for the first two months are $0.00. These payments are spread over the balance of the lease term. For example if you are wanting to take a 5 year (60 month) lease then there will be 60 payments, however the 1^st and 2^nd month will be $0.00 and then 58 payments of $400 for example. This structure allows the Salary Packaging company such as Vehicle Solutions Australia to establish the service including the payroll deductions and collect several deductions prior to the first real payment is due.
2. The first years Comprehensive Car Insurance can be financed if required. This means that you never have to come up with the cash for your insurance. When the insurance fall due again in 12 months simple send in the renewal and the Salary Packaging provider can pay this out of the funds in your Novated Lease account.

Residual Value

There is always a lot of talk about the balloon payment that falls due at the end of your lease. This is call the residual value or the final value (for tax purposes). The ATO allow you to pay for your car through your employer. This arrangement saves you take and is very convenient to run. However for tax purposes only, because your employer is paying for the car from money deducted from your salary you can’t get any equity in this vehicle. That means it needs to be paid back to a realistic market value at the end of the lease.

GOOD NEWS! Because there is a residual value at the end, your repayments are cheaper during the lease term. Most people use these cheap finance payments to get into a more expensive car.

The residual value is a ATO set percentage based on the lease term, but has a buffer of approximately 5% either side of required rates. Please read a more details article and view the ATO set percentages by clicking HERE.

Loan or Lease

For most people buying a car means they need some form of finance. One of the most common questions is wouldn’t I be better off putting the car on a normal car loan? To get a true comparison of the difference between a loan and a lease please read our article by clicking HERE.

Finance Approval Conditions

After you have finished used our Novated Lease Calculator and being happy that you can afford the deduction from your salary the next step is getting the finance or lease approved. In general getting a Novated lease approved is a little easier than normal finance. The reason for this is simply because the financier is getting the repayments directly from your employer before you even get taxed. This gives the financier more confidence that their loan is going to be repaid.

To get a pre-approval started click HERE. The pre-approved will provide you with an approval in principle on the vehicle you choose. This approval is not binding and we never put any pressure on you to use this approval. The approval will provide you with a better negotiating position in the vehicle purchase. People who are ready to buy and have the funds in place can request a cash price for immediate delivery.

We hope that you have found both our Novated Lease Calculator and information on each aspect of the calculator helpful.

However if you have any questions regarding the numbers or would like to discuss the process please feel free to call us during office hours on 1300 990 880 or click the button below to send us an enquire form.