18We've seen some epic cars in our time, but none quite like this. It’s the all-new Skoda Epiq – the eagerly anticipated, all-electric alternative to the popular Kamiq. Yet not only does it offer more space, more striking looks and the latest tech, it costs slightly less than its petrol-powered counterpart, with prices set to start from only £24,950. That puts the Epiq slap bang in between two of its biggest rivals, the Renault 4 and Ford Puma Gen-E, and within a few hundred pounds of the Kia EV2 that just launched. However, all those cars receive a Government grant to help bring their price down, whereas the Skoda doesn’t (at least, not yet), and there’s an even more affordable model coming later. When the Epiq goes on sale in July, it will be available with one powertrain offering up to 272 miles of range and two specifications: SE L and Edition. There’s also going to be a limited First Edition, which gets some eye-catching red-orange details as a nod to the concept model we saw in 2024, and a more athletic-looking SportLine trim will join the line-up eventually as well. If there wasn’t enough pressure on this car’s broad, well-defined shoulders from having to take on some of the best small electric cars around, it also has to live up to the very high standards set by the Skoda Elroq – the reigning Auto Express Car of the Year, in case you’d forgotten! What’s more, this is the sister car to the Volkswagen ID. Polo and Cupra Raval superminis that launched recently. The trio are all based on the same MEB+ platform and cost a similar amount as their Czech cousin, too. Presumably so will VW’s own small SUV, the ID. Cross, that’s coming later this year. Don't want to wait for the new Skoda Epiq to arrive? You can get your hands on the larger Skoda Elroq for less than £29,000 through our Buy a Car service... 18We’re pleased to see the Epiq has stayed true to that original concept, balancing a sense of ruggedness from the chunky bumpers, roof rails and lots of plastic cladding around the car, with more contemporary elements like the ‘Tech-Deck Face’ and T-shaped light signature at the front and rear. Jounggeen Kim, senior exterior designer at Skoda, told us that the firm had to do a lot of research to figure out exactly how rugged they could make the Epiq without it feeling more like a Jeep, while at the same time ensuring that it retains the family-friendly feel that is so important for a large portion of the brand’s customers. The Epiq is actually the first car to incorporate all elements of Skoda new ‘Modern Solid’ design language, compared to the bigger Elroq and Enyaq that just got a few details here and there. The ‘Tech-Deck Face’ mask is a sleeker interpretation of Skoda’s traditional grille shape that’s used to hide all the car’s sensors. This has been carried over from its big brothers, but it’s now framed by those new T-shape running lights and the black loop that cleverly conceals the main headlight units beneath. Another of the more distinctive new details on the Epiq is the series of eight pill-shaped air intakes in the front bumper, which Kim revealed was not inspired by 4x4s, but by the grooves in a cycling helmet. Behind them are active shutters that help improve the aerodynamics and are flanked by air curtains that have been much more discreetly integrated. 18-inch alloy wheels come as standard, although the First Edition gets a set of 20-inch rims. At the back there are more of these pill-like shapes, a sizable spoiler for such a small car and a set of T-shaped tail-lights. 18The interior of the Epiq will be familiar to anyone who’s spent time in an Elroq or Enyaq, as they share a few elements such as the 13-inch central touchscreen, 5.3-inch instrument display, a row of physical shortcut buttons along the dashboard and various sustainable or recycled materials used throughout. That said, the Epiq does also include some new features inside, as the goal was to make the cabin feel as spacious, cozy and uncluttered as possible. So there’s a more horizontal dashboard layout incorporating ambient lighting, some metal-effect trim and soft-touch mottled material that continues onto the doors. This being a Skoda, there will be various interior design schemes for customers to choose from with different materials available. The interface on that big touchscreen may look similar to other Skodas, but the Epiq has a slicker new Android-based infotainment system that focuses on customisation and ease of use, and allows owners to download third-party apps. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come as standard as well, of course. Even in the prototype we got to examine in a studio before the Epiq’s world premiere, all the menus loaded quickly and we found it easy to navigate through them. The large icons and shortcut cut buttons certainly help with that. Somewhat disappointingly though, the Epiq doesn’t feature a proper set of physical climate controls like the Volkswagen ID. Polo. There are temperature controls on either side of the touchscreen, but to adjust anything else you have to use a separate menu or get friendly with Skoda’s virtual assistant Laura. Unsurprisingly for such an affordable electric car, there’s a fair amount of hard black plastic dotted around the interior, but the interior in no way feels cheap thanks to the other choices of materials. As you would expect of a Skoda, there are plenty of Simply Clever features dotted around the Epiq, designed to make life that little bit easier and help it stand out from its countless competitors. Some of these are familiar fare, including an umbrella handily hidden in the driver’s door, a parking ticket or permit holder on the windscreen and an ice scraper tucked in the bootlid. But a new one is a compact bag for the charging cables that attaches to the back of the rear seats and keeps them tucked up out of the way. 18At a little under 4.2 metres long, the Epiq is about the same size as the Renault 4, Ford Puma and the wacky next-generation Nissan Juke that’s launching in spring 2027. We found there is more than enough space for six-foot adults to sit comfortably in the rear, even if taller individuals do find their knees grazing the backs of the front seats. If you’ve got young kids rather than teenagers, you’ll be pleased to hear there are three sets of Isofix mounting points in this car and that the doors open very wide, so installing a child seat shouldn’t prove to be too much of a faff. Skoda claims there’s around 26 litres of storage space throughout the cabin, including underneath the floating centre console, which should be plenty for the odds and ends that family life accumulates. Meanwhile, boot capacity is a whopping 475 litres, which is not only 75 litres greater than the Kamiq, it also more than is offered by the Kia EV2 (362 litres), Renault 4 (420 litres) and, rather surprisingly, the Elroq (470 litres). That’s because while every Elroq has an e-motor under the boot floor, the Epiq is front-wheel drive and uses a more compact torsion-beam suspension system for the rear axle, which frees up extra luggage capacity. Fold the rear seats down, and you’ve got 1,344 litres to play with. The Epiq does offer some additional storage under the bonnet, but only 25 litres’ worth. The ‘frunk’ is barely big enough for a charging cable or even some knick-knacks. 18The top-spec Epiq 55 will be the first version to arrive here. It uses a 52kWh Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) battery that’s good for up to 272 miles on a single charge, which trumps both the Renault 4 and Ford Puma Gen-E. It also boasts a maximum charging speed of 105kW, which isn’t extraordinary by 2026 standards, but still allows for a 10 to 80 per cent top-up in less than 25 minutes. Its 208bhp electric motor, meanwhile, propels the car from 0-62mph in a peppy 7.4 seconds. One-pedal driving will be available on the Epiq, to make coping with stop-start city traffic easier. Coming later is the Epiq 40 that uses a smaller, less energy-dense but more affordable 37kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery that Skoda says should offer around 190 miles of range. Its 133bhp e-motor will provide enough oomph for 0-62mph in around 10 seconds. We expected there to be a hot Epiq vRS version, featuring the same 223bhp e-motor and limited-slip diff as the VW ID. Polo GTI and Cupra Raval VZ. However Skoda’s technical development boss Johannes Neft informed us that no decision has yet been made about whether to add this to the line-up. In the meantime, standard kit with SE L trim will include LED headlights, a Loft Grey animal-free interior, that 13-inch display, wireless smartphone connectivity, keyless start, parking sensors, adaptive cruise control and numerous other driver-assistance systems. Upgrading to Edition trim will bring the price up to £27,700 and add a reversing camera, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, cooled wireless charging pad, sat-nav, electric folding mirrors and Skoda’s Travel Assist Plus system, plus other luxuries.
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