CarPlay Radio Screen for Smart: compatibility and installation guide model by model

The Smart Fortwo is one of the most practical cars you can own in a city: it parks where nothing else fits, uses little fuel and moves through the centre without drama. Its weak point has always been the same, and it is not the mechanics: it is the audio system.

For space reasons, Smart fitted a small single-DIN radio for years, with a CD player and little else. The very car that is used most for short urban trips —where navigation with real-time traffic is worth its weight in gold— is the one that left the factory worst equipped. This guide goes generation by generation through what each Smart has and which Android screen with wireless CarPlay and Android Auto matches it.

Which Smarts come with CarPlay from the factory?

Practically none of those on the used market. What you normally find is:

• Single-DIN radio with CD: the one in the early W451. A single-line monochrome display, radio, CD and, on some trims, basic Bluetooth hands-free.
• Smart Audio System: the evolution of the above in the facelift. Better sound and USB, but still no touchscreen and no apps.
• Smart Media System: the optional navigation unit with a small screen. Its maps aged badly and updating them has never been worth it.
• Phone cradle and in-house app: on the 453 generation, Smart went in many cars for a cradle where you slotted the phone plus a brand app. In other words: the phone acted as the screen, not the other way round.

In none of these cases is there an update that adds CarPlay: the hardware is not ready for it. The real route is replacing the unit with a specific screen made for the Smart aperture.

The solution: a model-specific Android screen for Smart

Here the key detail is the aperture: the Fortwo dashboard is narrow and has a shape of its own, so the screen is built to measure for each series with its frame. Once fitted, the interior keeps its factory look. What you gain:

• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto: the phone connects on its own when you start the car, with no cables or cradles.
• HD touchscreen of a size that completely transforms this car's dashboard.
• Google Maps and Waze with real-time traffic: in town, the feature you notice most.
• Android with the Play Store: Spotify, YouTube, podcasts and all the usual apps.
• Steering wheel controls and warnings preserved through the model-specific CAN-BUS module.
• Hands-free with an external microphone, Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS and reversing camera input.

Smart compatibility: model by model

These are the series with a model-specific screen, with the product page and the guide for each one:

• Smart Fortwo W451 (2005-2010): see screen and installation guide. This is the first W451 series, with the single-DIN radio.
• Smart Fortwo W451 facelift (2010-2015): see screen and installation guide. Watch out here: even though the car looks the same, the dashboard and the connectors change compared with the earlier series, so they are not interchangeable.
• Smart Fortwo 453 (2014-2022): see screen and installation guide. This is the generation developed together with Renault, the one that in many cars came with the phone cradle.

If you have a latest-generation Forfour, it shares its platform and console with the Fortwo 453: write to us with a photo of your dashboard and we'll confirm whether that same reference fits you.

Not sure which series is yours? The quickest way to find out is a photo of the console on WhatsApp: we'll tell you for free.

What is the installation like on a Smart?

It is a plug & play fit onto the car's own connectors, and on this model the small dashboard is a blessing: there are fewer parts to remove.

1. Disconnect the negative battery terminal before removing anything.
2. Release the console trim with a plastic tool, following the clips. On the Fortwo these are small pieces: better little force and plenty of patience.
3. Pull out the original radio, undoing the screws or the side rails, and disconnect power, speakers and antenna.
4. Plug in the model-specific harness to those same connectors, without cutting or splicing any original wiring.
5. Connect the CAN-BUS module, which is what keeps the steering wheel controls and the car's warnings on the new screen.
6. Fit the microphone next to the rear-view mirror and, if you are adding a camera, run the cable to the tailgate.
7. Test everything before closing up: audio, wireless CarPlay, GPS, camera and controls.

Between 30 and 45 minutes in most cases. It comes with a manual and WhatsApp support while you do it.

How much does it cost to add CarPlay to a Smart?

At the official service, for a W451 the answer is simply that it does not exist: that unit does not support phone projection. And on the 453 what there was is a solution based on an app and the phone itself, not a car screen with CarPlay.

The model-specific screen arrives with everything in the same kit —frame, harness, CAN-BUS, microphone and GPS— and with wireless CarPlay and Android Auto included. Each product page shows the current price and the available memory versions.

Frequently asked questions

Does a large screen fit in such a small dashboard?
Yes. The units for Smart are built with the frame of each series, so they fit the original aperture without cutting any plastics.

I have the second-series W451. Does the first one's screen fit?
No. Even though the car looks very similar from outside, the dashboard and the connectors change in the facelift. Each product page states the exact year range.

Do I lose the steering wheel controls?
No, if your car has them they are preserved through the included CAN-BUS module.

My 453 uses the cradle with the brand app. Can I remove it?
Yes. With the screen installed, the phone connects on its own via CarPlay or Android Auto and the cradle is no longer needed.

Can I add a reversing camera?
Yes, every screen comes with a video input ready. For bay parking in town it is one of the most useful upgrades.

Will it pass the roadworthiness test?
Yes. It goes in the original aperture and does not alter any safety component, so no type approval is required.

See CarPlay screens for Smart

➡️ See all CarPlay and Android Auto screens for Smart and Mercedes · if your car is a W451, start with the Fortwo W451 guide.