Kavaguti/Smirnov started the 2015–16 season with gold at a Challenger Series event, the 2015 Mordovian Ornament, and then gold at their first Grand Prix assignment of the season, the 2015 Cup of China, where they upset home favorites Wenjing Sui / Han Cong. They set a personal best overall score of 216.00 points and landed two quadruple throws in the free skate in China. At their next GP event, the 2015 Rostelecom Cup, they won the silver medal behind teammates Ksenia Stolbova / Fedor Klimov and qualified for the 2015–16 Grand Prix Final. In December, they won the bronze medal at the GP Final in Barcelona after placing second in the short and third in the free skate. At the end of the month, they took silver at the 2016 Russian Championships after placing second in both segments. On 20 January 2016, Kavaguti sustained a ruptured tendon in practice, resulting in the pair's withdrawal from the 2016 European Championships.