smart #2 EV Begins Testing Ahead of 2026 Debut

The long-awaited smart ForTwo’s successor, the smart #2, begins testing ahead of its planned debut later in 2026.

Following several teasers and rumours earlier this year, smart has finally unveiled the first official images of its upcoming entry-level EV, the smart #2. Billed as the long-awaited successor to the original smart ForTwo, the #2 is slated to make its debut sometime later in 2026.

From these official images, we can see that the upcoming #2 retains the super-compact footprint made famous by its predecessor, featuring a two-door supermini hatchback bodystyle with a strictly two-seater layout inside, the automaker confirms.

With the prototype almost fully-draped in a camouflage wrap, we can’t get to see all the details of this new supermini EV, although the automaker said that the #2 is a “reinvention” of the Fortwo that will sport a “fresh identity,” with Mercedes-Benz still in charge of designing them.

Size isn’t the only thing that separates the new #2 from the current crop of smart EVs, as the supermini EV will underpin smart’s new Electric Compact Architecture (ECA) platform. Jointly developed by parent companies Geely and Mercedes-Benz, the ECA is being built with a rear-wheel drive (RWD) configuration in mind, in a bid to bring the same “core driving dynamics” of other bigger smart models to the small #2.

While further technical details are yet to be confirmed, smart CEO Dirk Adelmann told Autocar UK that the ECA platform could also accommodate a dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) powertrain configuration, which is quite impressive given its small footprint.

Adelman further continued by saying that the development of this new ECA platform isn’t cheap and suggested that another vehicle underpin it in order to justify the huge development cost, thus fuelling rumours of the revival of yet another smart’s past nameplate, the ForFour.

With smart now putting out the #2 EV to test, it may indicate that it won’t be long before we get to see this supermini electric hatch make its official debut, which will take place sometime later next year. As of now, the smart #2 is only confirmed for the European market, although cars of the similar size and stature are also quite popular in markets like China and Japan.

Once it debuts, the #2 will be positioned as the new entry-level model for smart, slotting below the #1 and #3 crossovers, as well as both the #5 SUV and the upcoming #6 sedan.