Smart EQ ForFour EV Charging Cable

There is no rapid charging socket, and there never was

Nothing on this car takes DC. There is no rapid socket to fall back on, so the Type 2 lead is not an accessory you might use, it is the only route electricity ever takes into the battery. Buy a used one without a cable in the boot and it is a petrol car until you do.

Four things confirm it. The official owner manual charging table lists AC only, with no Mode 4 section at all. EV Database shows a dash for rapid charging on every 453 EQ entry. The UK price lists carry an onboard charger row and no DC row. And Zapmap states it directly: there is no rapid charging capability on the electric Smart range.

Where the DC myth comes from

smart marketing called the 22 kW AC charger a rapid charging function and quoted ten to eighty per cent in under forty minutes. The UK price list heads that row "at a wall box (22kW)". Some launch coverage then wrote it up as using a rapid charger. It is 22 kW AC, not DC, and the distinction matters because a CCS cable will never plug into this car.

It is worth saying plainly that the official literature contains an error here. Specification tables are generated from a shared template and occasionally print a value where the correct entry is a dash. Where the brochure and the sums disagree, we have gone with the sums and said why.

22 kW was standard on UK cars from 2020, not optional

This is commonly reported wrongly, and the confusion is a market one. On 2017 to 2019 UK cars a 7 kW single phase charger was standard and the 22 kW three phase unit was a £275 option, code 908. From the 2020 facelift the 22 kW charger became standard: the UK price list technical data prints "On-board charger in kW: 22 / 22 / 22" across the three bodystyles.

The widely quoted arrangement of 4.6 kW standard with 22 kW optional is the continental European specification, where Germany charged €990 for the upgrade. British cars were specified differently in both eras.

What either charger gives you at home

If you are looking at a car with the 22 kW charger option, understand what it does and does not buy. Twenty two kilowatts means 32 amps across three phases. A British house has one phase. The car takes 32 amps of it, arrives at 7.4 kW, and the expensive charger sits there being no faster than the standard one. It earns its money at a 22 kW public AC post and nowhere else.

EV Database spells the consequence out in its own footnote, that the 22 kW figure needs a three phase grid connection most homes and charge points do not have, and that in practice charge power will often be 7.4 kW for a two hour forty five minute charge. The earlier 7 kW single phase car reaches the same 7.4 kW at home, and drops to 3.7 kW on a three phase 16 amp public post, which is the opposite problem.

How long a full charge takes

Each figure is the pack size divided by the power actually drawn, with 13 per cent added for charging losses and the result rounded to the quarter hour. The range column is deliberately cautious, at 3.5 miles per kWh. Worked from the 17.2 kWh usable figure smart publishes in its own UK price list, of a 17.6 kWh gross pack with 96 cells.

WLTP range is 72 to 79 miles for the ForFour. Do not be misled by a 99 mile figure in the 2018 brochure: its own footnote says that is the New European Driving Cycle, and it is a common source of inflated used car claims.

Which length for a ForFour

The flap is on the offside rear three quarter panel, behind the rear door, where the petrol car put its fuel cap. That is the driver side in Britain and the road side when you park at a kerb, which is less convenient than it sounds for on street charging.

The car is 3.5 metres, so five metres reaches in most arrangements. Ten metres buys you freedom over which way round you park. The honest way to choose is to measure the real parking position and allow two metres spare.

How these cables are built

IEC 62196-2 construction, CE marked, IP55 sealed and tested from -30C through to +50C.

The three pin unit is IEC 62752 compliant, CE marked, IP67 against water and rated -30C to +60C. Two year manufacturer's warranty. Delivery is free and next working day, and returns are open for 30 days.

Looking at another Smart Car? Start with the Smart EQ ForTwo EV Charging Cable, or browse every model in Smart Car charging cables.

Smart EQ ForFour charging cable questions

Can a Smart EQ ForFour rapid charge?

No. No UK Smart EQ of any model year has a DC inlet. The 22 kW figure in smart literature refers to AC charging.

Was the 22 kW charger optional?

On 2017 to 2019 UK cars, yes, it was a cost option. From the 2020 facelift it was standard on all three UK bodystyles.

What does it charge at on a home wallbox?

About 7.4 kW. The 22 kW rating needs three phases, which a British house does not have.

Where is the charge socket?

Offside rear three quarter panel, in the petrol car fuel flap position.