D5-Evo vs D5 SMART: which Centurion slider, and where the D3, D6 and D10 fit

On the gate, they do the same job: the same weight, the same force, the same daily work. The differences are in the box on the controller and what it lets you do:

• Setup. The D5-Evo has a setup wizard on its own screen, so a technician can set it up with nothing but the motor. The SMART has no display; its installer uses an app, and the owner manages remotes, phone users and time rules in another.
• Remotes and users. 500 remote buttons on the D5-Evo, against 1,500 remotes on the SMART plus phones as remotes. For a big household or a small complex, the SMART has room to spare.
• Your phone. The SMART opens from the MyCentsys Remote app, and a SMART+ can also join your Wi-Fi. A D5-Evo needs a GSM module such as the G-ULTRA to do the same.
• Gate length. On paper the D5-Evo covers a much longer gate, 100 m against 20 m. Few home gates come near either.

Choose the D5-Evo SMART if you want to open the gate from your phone, add and remove remotes yourself, or set time rules without calling anyone.

A D5-Evo already on your gate is no reason to replace it. It's a capable motor, and its display gives clear fault messages that make repairs quicker. If you want phone control on it, a GSM module is cheaper than a new motor.

Either way, the gate decides more than the badge. A 500 kg gate that drags on its wheels will tire either motor, and on battery Centurion's figures halve when a gate needs 17 kgf to move instead of 7. Get the gate running freely first.

The D3 is the lighter sibling, in both generations. Centurion rates the classic D3 for gates up to 300 kg and the D5 for 500 kg. In the SMART range:

So the D3 suits a light gate at a quiet house. A family with several cars, a gate that's heavy or long, or anything opening more often belongs on a D5. Centurion's D4 SMART+ sits between them at 450 kg and 75 operations a day. The details are on the D3 SMART manual.

The D6 SMART is the 24 V step up from the D5-Evo SMART: 600 kg instead of 500, a 100 m gate instead of 20 m, and up to 35 m a minute instead of 24, on two batteries instead of one, with a power-saving mode that stretches them in a long outage. Both take 150 operations a day. Choose the D6 for a heavier or longer gate, or for speed at a gate where waiting in the street is the worry. The full comparison is on the D6 SMART manual.

The D10 is the heavy-duty end of the range, and its variants trade weight for speed:

• D10 vs D10 Turbo: the Turbo is for light gates that must open fast, such as a busy entrance where cars queue in the road. Because of its speed, Centurion makes opening and closing safety beams and a sensitive edge on the gate mandatory on a Turbo.
• D10 vs D20: the D20 SMART+ is for gates the D10 can't move: twice the weight, more push, and slower.
• D10 vs D5: the D10 is for gates over 500 kg or entrances working harder than a home, at 750 operations a day against the D5's 150.

More on the D10 manual.

Shop prices are without installation. Prices checked October 2026. Our Centurion D5-Evo SMART sliding gate kit, installed, and what comes with it, is on gate motor prices. Your exact price is set in a free quote before any work starts. No call-out fee when we do the work. If no work is done, a R650 call-out fee applies.

Tell us the gate's size and weight if you know it, how many cars use it, and whether there's mains power at the motor, and we'll say which motor fits. We install and repair the whole Centurion D-series, old and new. All our spare parts are genuine, and every repair carries our six-month guarantee on our repairs. Other makes are compared in Centurion vs ET vs Gemini, and the classic D3 and D5 are on their own manual page.