Smart’s Fortwo EV Leasing For $139/ Month; Affordable Leasing EV Style

Have you ever imagined yourself in one of those smooth, cool Smart cars? Or, even better, have you imagined yourself in one of the electric versions? Your EV dreams are alive, well, and affordable. You could be be driving around with a clear conscience thanks to new cost- and energy-saving options offered by Daimler (Smart’s parent company).

Chevy cut the Volt’s price. Nissan cut the leaf’s price. And now the electric version of the Smart Fortwo (Fortwo — kind of romantic) is available for less, as well. The Smart Fortwo Electric Drive is now available for $139 per month on a three-year, 30,000-mile lease. Whew, this is cheaper than my wireless packages. (By the way, if you live in the US and own a home, you actually have the chance to win a Smart Fortwo Electric Drive and a solar power system. Don’t miss out on that opportunity!)

Engadget has more details on the new leasing option:

“Specifically, it’s $139 per month on a three-year, 30,000 mile lease that includes its “battery assurance plus” program, an $80 per month option for purchasers. However, to get that special rate, you’ll have to put $1,999 down and sign paperwork either in California, Oregon or along the East coast. If you’d rather buy outright instead of leasing, Daimler’s compact division has incentives for you, too. In addition to any tax breaks you get from the state and or federal government, the company is knocking $5,010 off the ED’s already low $25,000 sticker price. It’s finally looking like your payments could match the electric two-seater’s diminutive stature.”

These Smart cars (not the EV versions, of course) began zipping and buzzing around in the US about 5 years ago. There is something about them — the cars must have made good impressions, created good vibrations, fit nicely into urban landscapes, or something else along those lines — as sales have quietly but steadily climbed.

The Smart Fortwo Electric is even better. It was ranked the 4th-most-efficient car in the US at the end of 2012, according to the EPA. The only cars above it were the 2013 Scion IQ EV (which is only being sold to campus and carsharing fleets), the 2013 Honda Fit EV (which also cut its lease price recently), and the 2013 Mitsubishi i-MiEV.

The Smart ForTwo EV has actually been available in Europe for years now. The company apparently thought the US market was ripe for the EV much more recently.

We’ve had our eye on the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive since details were announced in October of last year. (And we’ve had our eye on Smart’s electric scooter and bike for even longer.) As we noted in June, leasing the batteries seems to be going well for Smart/Daimler. We’re curious if other car companies will pick up on this battery leasing scheme and run with it.

This car is not the one for road-tripping — check out the train for that adventure. Yet, nothing quite beats this one for running those quick errands, going to work and back home, or taking other short trips in and around the city. Within its urban realm it’s the perfect drive, as it accelerates quickly and hops along fast with good torque.

The size, the size…

“The Smart Electric Drive is incredibly tiny, just like its Fortwo predecessor, which makes it ridiculously easy to park and make your way through the urban slalom without breaking a sweat. It’s also available as a convertible, the only drop-top production EV in the US,” Engadget wrote in March.

Affordable Fortwos are very cool. However, thinking of the young green family, I immediately think “What about a similarly cute EV for more bodies?” I found a close concept EV from Toyota!