2026 Smart #1: Facelifted EV Adds 800V Charging From $22,100

Smart, the electric-only joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely, relaunched its entry-level #1 crossover hatchback in China on August 6, 2026, at an event in Hangzhou. The automaker calls it a comprehensive mid-cycle update rather than a full redesign, but the changes run deep: a new 800-volt electrical architecture replaces the outgoing 400V system, charging time drops from roughly 30 minutes to about 12 minutes, and the cabin gains Geely's Flyme Auto operating system running on a 4-nanometre chip. Smart says the car carries more than 200 individual product and equipment changes over the previous generation, with 63 features it calls class-leading and 20 it calls class-exclusive. The facelifted #1 is a pure battery-electric vehicle, sold in China with a single rear motor, and it starts at roughly $22,100 before options. Two trims are offered at launch, badged 535 Max and 535 Ultra, both named for their CLTC-rated range.

Performance & Specs

The new #1 keeps a single rear-mounted motor rather than adding a second axle, but the motor itself is more powerful than before: peak output rises to 245 kW (329 hp), up from around 200 kW on the outgoing car, with 320 Nm of torque. Smart quotes 0-100 km/h in 6.7 seconds, helped by the switch to an 800-volt, silicon-carbide power architecture and a new 16-in-1 integrated electric drive unit that Smart says reaches 93.8 percent system efficiency. The 800V jump is the headline mechanical change of this facelift — the outgoing #1 topped out at 400V, which capped DC fast-charging speed regardless of how much power the battery could theoretically accept. Top speed has not been confirmed by an independent source at the time of writing and is left out of the spec sheet below rather than guessed.

Powertrain	Single-motor RWD BEV
Power	245 kW (329 hp)
Torque	320 Nm
0–100 km/h	6.7 s
Battery	61.52 kWh LFP
Range	535 km (CLTC)

POWERTRAIN TYPE	Battery-electric (BEV)
HORSEPOWER	245 kW (329 hp)
TORQUE	320 Nm
ACCELERATION	6.7 s (0-100 km/h)
TOP SPEED	TBA — not independently confirmed
DRIVETRAIN	RWD, single rear motor
BATTERY	61.52 kWh LFP
ELECTRIC RANGE	535 km (CLTC)

Dimensions & Practicality

Length	4,270 mm
Width	1,822 mm
Height	1,636 mm
Wheelbase	2,750 mm

The facelift keeps the outgoing #1's footprint essentially unchanged — this is a mid-cycle update, not a new body-in-white — so the compact hatchback-crossover proportions carry over: a short front overhang, a long 2,750 mm wheelbase relative to overall length, and a tall, upright roofline aimed at maximizing headroom for a five-passenger cabin. Cargo space is rated at 313 litres behind the rear seats, expanding to 976 litres with the second row folded flat, figures in line with what the #1 has offered since its original launch. Smart has not published a confirmed frunk capacity for the facelifted car, so that figure is left off the spec table below rather than estimated.

LENGTH	4,270 mm
WIDTH	1,822 mm
HEIGHT	1,636 mm
WHEELBASE	2,750 mm
CARGO VOLUME	313 L (976 L seats folded)

Charging & Battery

The headline change of this facelift is electrical, not cosmetic. The #1 moves from a 400V to a full 800V platform built on silicon-carbide power electronics, and the battery itself switches to a 61.52 kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) pack rated for 6C charging — notably smaller than the roughly 66 kWh pack Smart offered on some outgoing #1 variants, with the range held steady through the efficiency gains of the new drive unit and architecture. On a suitable 800V DC fast charger, Smart quotes a 10-80 percent charge in about 12 minutes, a large improvement over the roughly 30 minutes the previous-generation #1 needed for the same charge window on its 400V system. AC (Level 2/home) charging is comparatively slow on an LFP pack this size, with a full 10-80 percent top-up taking close to seven hours, so the 800V DC network is clearly the car's intended daily-use charging path.

BATTERY	61.52 kWh LFP
ARCHITECTURE	800V silicon-carbide
DC FAST CHARGING	6C-rated
DC 10-80% TIME	≈12 min

Design & Interior

Smart describes the facelift as an equipment and technology update rather than a styling overhaul, and the exterior changes reflect that: revised door handles, a handful of new exterior colors, and minor aerodynamic tweaks around the front fascia and mirrors, all layered onto the same rounded, bubble-shaped hatchback silhouette the #1 has worn since its 2022 debut. The roofline on the 535 Ultra now carries a small forward-facing LiDAR pod ahead of the windscreen, the most visible exterior giveaway that a given car is running the higher driver-assistance package. Inside is where the update is more obvious. The centrepiece is a new 15.4-inch 2.5K central touchscreen running Geely's Flyme Auto software on a 4-nanometre Dragon Eagle 6P chip, paired with a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10-inch adaptive head-up display. Audio comes from a 13-speaker Sennheiser system rated at 640 watts with 5.1 surround processing, a genuinely premium spec for a car starting around $22,100. Materials and seat design carry over largely unchanged from the pre-facelift #1, which already leaned on Mercedes-influenced trim and switchgear as part of the Smart brand's premium-small-car positioning.

Technology & Features

The new EEA4.0 electrical architecture is the backbone that makes most of this update possible — it is what allows the 800V power system, the faster charging, and the more capable driver-assistance sensor suite to work together on a single updated electronics platform rather than as bolt-on additions. Flyme Auto, Geely's in-house infotainment platform (also used across several Geely and Zeekr models), replaces the previous #1's software and is the main visible interface change for owners, running voice control, navigation, and vehicle settings through the new 15.4-inch display. The 4nm Dragon Eagle 6P cockpit chip is pitched by Smart as a class-leading spec for infotainment responsiveness at this price point. OTA software updates, a digital key, and remote-control smartphone app functions carry over from the pre-facelift car, now running on the updated EEA4.0 backbone.

Safety & ADAS

Driver-assistance hardware is where the two trims diverge most. The 535 Ultra comes standard with a roof-mounted LiDAR unit as part of a 31-sensor perception array, processed by an NVIDIA Orin-Y chip rated at 200 TOPS, running Geely's G-ASD H5 (Qianli Haohan) system with mapless navigation-on-autopilot for both city streets and highways. The 535 Max ships with a more basic package — adaptive cruise control, lane-centering, and a parking-assist suite — and buyers can add the full G-ASD H5 LiDAR package as a roughly 14,000 CNY (about $2,000) option. This trim-gated approach to advanced driver assistance mirrors how most Chinese-market EVs now structure their option sheets: basic L2 assistance standard, LiDAR-based mapless NOA reserved for the flagship trim or a paid add-on.

ADAS LEVEL	L2 standard (Max); L2+ mapless NOA available (Ultra standard, Max optional)
ADAS FEATURES	AEB, ACC, LKA, roof LiDAR (Ultra), 31-sensor array (Ultra), parking assist

Available Versions

VERSION	POWER	TORQUE	0-100	TOP SPEED	DRIVETRAIN	BATTERY	EV RANGE	COMBINED RANGE	PRICE	KEY DIFFERENCES
535 Max	329 hp	320 Nm	6.7s	—	RWD	61.52 kWh	535 km	—	$22,100	Base ADAS suite; LiDAR/G-ASD H5 package optional (~$2,000)
535 Ultra	329 hp	320 Nm	6.7s	—	RWD	61.52 kWh	535 km	—	$25,100	Standard roof LiDAR, Orin-Y chip, 31-sensor G-ASD H5 mapless NOA

Pricing & Availability

The facelifted #1 launched in China on August 6, 2026, with the 535 Max priced at a limited-time 149,900 CNY (about $22,100), against a longer-term guide price of 152,900 CNY (about $22,600). The 535 Ultra launches at a limited-time 169,900 CNY (about $25,100), guide price 172,900 CNY (about $25,600). Smart frames the launch pricing as part of a promotional package worth more than 25,000 CNY (roughly $3,700) in combined benefits, so buyers should expect the guide prices to become the standard sticker once the introductory offer period ends. The original Smart #1 first launched globally in 2022, but this specific 800V-equipped, EEA4.0 facelift is a China-only release for now; Smart and its parent brands have not announced pricing or a launch window for this updated generation outside China.

How It Compares

Against freshmotors' own catalog of electric hatchbacks, the Smart #1's positioning is clear: more power and more range than the budget-oriented MG4 EV, at a roughly $5,000 premium, for buyers who want the 800V charging speed and the premium Mercedes-linked cabin the MG4 doesn't try to offer. The Leapmotor Lafa 5 undercuts the #1 on power-to-price by a small margin and nearly matches its range for about $1,500 more, making it the closest direct rival on paper, though it lacks the #1's 6C ultra-fast charging and LiDAR-equipped ADAS option. The Chevrolet Bolt EV, still sold in some export markets, trails the #1 on both power and range while costing more, underlining how far Chinese-market compact EVs have advanced on raw specification even before accounting for the #1's faster charging hardware. None of these three are direct segment twins of the #1 in every respect, but together they frame what roughly $17,000-$27,000 buys in a compact electric hatchback today.