Because the Premium shares its body-in-white with the Pro, there's nothing new to report on the silhouette — same roughly 2,900mm wheelbase, same 4.7m overall length, same planted, confident stance that doesn't try too hard to look aggressive. The full-width light bars front and rear are carried over unchanged, as is the panoramic halo roof, the frameless doors, the flush handles, and those slightly theatrical floating wheel caps.

The one visual tell, if you're looking closely, is on the wheels — the Premium rides on 20-inch rims versus the Pro's 19-inch, which fills the arches out just that little bit more and does a decent job of signalling "there's more going on here" without shouting about it.

This is where Smart actually spent the upgrade budget, and it shows the moment you sit down.

The single central touchscreen of the Pro is replaced by dual 13-inch OLED displays — one for the driver, one dedicated to the front passenger. It's a genuinely useful addition rather than a gimmick: whoever's riding shotgun can pull up navigation, media, or just scroll without leaning into the driver's view. OLED also means richer blacks and better visibility under harsh midday sun than the Pro's panel.

Rear passengers aren't forgotten either — dedicated rear air-con vents keep the back row comfortable independently of the front, and a USB-C port tucked alongside means device charging doesn't rely on cables snaking back from the front seats.

Overall, the Premium's cabin doesn't reinvent what the Pro already got right — it just makes the "small luxury SUV" feeling the Pro was chasing feel a lot more convincing.

No changes here — same shell means the same numbers: 630 litres in the rear boot, plus a 72-litre frunk up front. If boot space was a factor in your #5 decision, it plays no part in choosing between Pro and Premium. This one's purely about what's under the bonnet and in the cabin.

At 267kW and 358hp, the Premium has a clear edge over the Pro's 250kW output, and it's felt rather than just read off a spec sheet — throttle response feels a touch more eager, particularly in the mid-range where you'd normally reach for an overtake.

Combined with the larger 100kWh pack, Smart quotes 590km of range — a substantial jump over the Pro, and enough to meaningfully change how often you're thinking about the next charge on a longer highway run. Steering, body control, and ride comfort are all carried over unchanged from the Pro; the extra battery weight doesn't appear to have upset anything we could detect back-to-back. Still not a sports SUV, and still not trying to be one — the Premium simply does everything the Pro does, slightly better and slightly faster.

The smart #5 Premium is less a reinvention and more a "give me the good stuff" version of a car we already rated highly. The larger battery and 800V architecture solve the Pro's biggest practical limitation — range and charging speed — while the Nappa leather, ventilated seats, dual OLED displays, and vastly upgraded sound system push the cabin into genuinely premium territory rather than premium-adjacent.

The catch is the price: expect to pay around $40,000 more than the Pro for the privilege, which is not a small gap for a car that looks identical from the outside. Whether that's worth it comes down to how much you value range anxiety disappearing and a cabin that finally feels like it belongs next to the badge on the bonnet. For buyers cross-shopping against more expensive premium SUVs, the Premium makes a much stronger case than the Pro does — but if the Pro's 400km already covers your daily needs, it remains very hard to justify the difference on spec alone.