Smart Car Hood Release
The only way to open a Smart Car hood is by using the release levers in the front of the car. But, don’t be surprised if you don’t see an engine in there.
Written by Matthew Lynaugh
Reviewed by Brittni Brinn
Opening your Smart Car’s hood is done entirely from the outside of the vehicle. All you have to do is pull the levers located on either side of your Smart Car’s grille until they are at a 90° angle to the grille, then pull up on the hood panel. Heads-up: the whole hood will come off the vehicle.
There comes a time in every Smart Car owner’s life when they must access the front compartment of their vehicle, be it to top up fluids like windshield washer fluid, or for larger car repairs like headlight replacement. But, accessing this area on a Smart Car is a little different than what you’ll find on other vehicles.
To put to rest any confusion, we’ve created this handy reference guide to the Smart Car hood release. We’ll show you how to get under the hood, what you’ll find under there, what to do if the hood latches break, and whether your
car insurance
will cover the cost of any necessary repairs.Where is the hood release on a Smart Car?
Let’s get this out of the way: there is no hood release lever inside a Smart Car. The only way to release the hood is by manually releasing the two latches located on the front of your Smart Car on either side of your vehicle’s grille.
When you release the latches, you’ll be able to remove the hood covering. That’s right—remove. The hood covering is not attached to the car with hinges like most vehicles, though it is tethered to the vehicle via a security strap.
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How to open the hood on a Smart Car
Once you’ve located your Smart Car’s hood release latches, follow these steps to
open your vehicle’s hood
:- Pull the latch lever on the passenger side of the grille until it is at a right angle to the grille.
- Pull the other latch lever found on the driver’s side of the grille until it is 90° to the grille as well.
- Pull up on the front edge of the hood, and remove the hood panel.
Once you get your Smart Car’s hood open, you may be surprised to find that there is no engine under there. It’s not because your Smart Car doesn’t have an engine—the Smart Car’s engine is located in the rear. So, if you’re looking to do a DIY
oil change
, you’re in the wrong place.You can find your Smart Car’s engine at the rear under the floor of your storage compartment.
What if the hood release latch doesn’t work?
If you’re having trouble unlocking the hood latches on your Smart Car, you’ll probably need to replace the latches themselves. In most cars, the hood latch is attached to a cable which is itself attached to a release lever in the car’s cabin. When the release cable breaks, typically the solution is to open the latch manually at the front of the vehicle.
But, because the only way to release the hood latch of a Smart Car is the manual way, if that isn’t working, well, they’re probably just broken and need to be replaced.
How to repair the Smart Car hood release
If your Smart Car’s hood release latches are kaput, your best bet is to take your car to an experienced mechanic as you’ll probably need to remove the whole front panel to do the job.
The good news is that this is a very, very cheap fix—about $55 to $60, labor included. If you take your Smart Car to a Smart Car dealership, they’ll use OEM components, which are high quality but the most costly. But, if you want to try to pay for the repairs using the change you found in your couch cushions, you can take your vehicle to an independent mechanic who is willing to use aftermarket parts, and save a few bucks.
If you have
OEM coverage
included in your car insurance policy, you might be able to get the cost of OEM parts covered. And if the damage is the result of an accident, your collision insurance
may cover all or part of the repairs. But, if you only have basic liability coverage
, you may be stuck paying for the repairs yourself."I had a great experience usingJerryfor the first time. Once my boyfriend buys his new car, we’ll use Jerry together to make sure he doesn’t end up overpaying on new insurance!” —Stephanie S.
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