The German “Öko-Trend” environmental research institute has awarded its environmental certificate for cars to the Smart fortwo micro hybrid drive (mhd). In extensive analyses by experts from the Wuppertal-based independent institute the Smart fortwo mhd scored top marks for all environment-related criteria.

According to the institute’s findings, the 52 kW (71 bhp) petrol variant which has been available in certain markets since October 2007 scores excellent ratings in terms of fuel consumption, exhaust and noise emissions. The manufacturer’s ecological credentials are also found to be exemplary with regard to production, procurement, logistics and recycling.

The start-stop function of the Smart fortwo mhd came in for particular praise from the Öko-Trend institute. This feature uses each idling phase – at traffic lights, level crossings or in stop-and-go traffic, for example – to shut down the engine completely. As soon as the driver releases the brake pedal, the engine restarts automatically and the journey can continue immediately without a noticeable delay. “That works perfectly smoothly in practice, providing for a pleasant calm and quiet while the car is stationary and reducing fuel consumption.” All previously examined Smart models have received an “excellent” rating for all test criteria.

The Öko-Trend environmental certificate for cars is a further development of the Öko-Trend annual car environmental ranking that has been compiled since 1997. The first generation Smart fortwo was one of the first vehicles to be awarded this certificate.