Skoda Epiq review

When a film is regarded as an epic, viewers will expect it to have been produced under an enormous budget, granting it spectacular visuals. It might also be expected to have a long run time. 

The word Epic (albeit creatively re-spelled) now also relates to the new Skoda Epiq electric SUV, and in order to be a box-office success, it needs to do much more than simply look good – without costing a fortune. A lengthy runtime would still be good, though. 

Skoda Epiq video review

Sharing its underpinnings with the Volkswagen ID Cross, the Epiq is scheduled to arrive later this year as what is effectively an electric counterpart to the combustion-engined Skoda Kamiq, as a rival to the Citroën ë-C3 Aircross, Ford Puma Gen-E and Renault 4 (R4). 

But how does Skoda’s new entry-level electric SUV stack up with its siblings and rivals? Read on to find out…

How fast is it and which motor is best?

So far, we’ve driven a prototype of the Epiq 55, which has a 208bhp electric motor powering its front wheels. It’s certainly not short on go, getting you up to motorway speeds quickly, with a burst of pace always on hand when you need it. Its 7.4sec official 0-62mph time beats those of the Citroën ë-C3 Aircross, Ford Puma Gen-E and Renault 4. 

You can also get the Epiq in 40 guise too, giving it 133bhp and a 0-62mph sprint time of 11.0sec. We suspect that’ll be your only option with the entry-level SE L trim, but that’s yet to be confirmed.

Is it agile and is the ride comfortable?

The Epiq’s suspension strikes a good balance between control and suppleness. Even on the largest 20in wheels, it’s more comfortable at low speeds than the Puma Gen-E, proving more settled and soaking up potholes more gracefully. 

Even as speeds increase, the suspension keeps body control in check over undulating roads and ensures you don’t sway around in your seat – a trait of the ë-C3 Aircross.

Our drive of the prototype was limited to motorway and town driving, so we’ve yet to explore how the Epiq responds when the roads get twisty. However the light steering suggests it’s been tuned to make effortlessly threading through town a priority.

Is it quiet and how easy is it to drive smoothly?

Even at motorway speeds, the Epiq is hushed, with very little road noise and only a small amount of wind noise around the front pillars – you’d easily drown that out when the radio is on. 

At slower speeds, the Epiq is really quiet and produces no motor whine or suspension noise as you drive through imperfections.

Compared with Volkswagen Group’s other electric cars, including the Skoda Enyaq, the Epiq’s brakes are more feelsome and make slowing to a smooth stop far easier. It’s far better than the sharp brake pedal in the Renault 4, but still doesn’t give you as much feedback as the well-weighted brake pedal in the Ford Puma Gen-E.

To help you slow down, the Epiq has three different levels of brake regeneration – low, medium and high – but even in the highest setting, it doesn’t feel particularly strong. If you want strong regenerative braking, you’ll want to use the one-pedal B mode instead.

What’s the range and efficiency like, and how quickly can it charge?

As well as bringing a more powerful motor, the Epiq 55 increases the battery size from 37kWh to 52kWh (usable capacities). Preliminary tests imply official ranges of 196 miles and 267 miles respectively; if confirmed, this would give the Epiq the edge over its equivalent rivals. 

The bigger battery can be charged at rates of up to 133kW, which should mean a 10-80% boost in around 23 minutes. The smaller battery, on the other hand, charges more slowly; accepting up to 90kW. That means that a 10-80% charge should take around 28 minutes.

“During my short drive of the Epiq prototype, I didn’t get to try it on any country roads but suspect it’ll be better suited to town driving - something it’s very good at and comfortable, too.” – Dan Jones, Senior reviewer

What does the interior look like and is it well made?

Inside, the Skoda Epiq aims to be open and airy, meaning that it’s simple and uncluttered. You’ll find plenty of soft touch materials all over the dashboard and any scratchy plastics are kept quite low down, mainly dominating the centre console. For the price, it’s impressive.

You can have the interior in a few different colours, too. As standard SE L and Edition both come with Loft Grey, which gets artificial leather, grey fabric and grey stitching. If you go for Edition trim, you can swap that out for the optional Loft Mint interior, which includes mint fabric and grey artificial leather, or the optional Suite interior for brown artificial leather and brown microsuede.

Is the driving position comfortable and is it easy to see out?

If you’re after a lofty driving position, the Epiq might not appeal because it doesn’t sit you that much higher above the road than a typical family hatchback. Both the Citroën ë-C3 Aircross and Kia EV3 perch you higher. 

Regardless of that, the driving position itself is comfortable and has plenty of steering wheel and seat adjustment, allowing you to easily find our preferred seating position. 

Visibility is good, too. You can see plenty out of the front, thanks to the short bonnet, while the slim windscreen pillars don’t get in the way at junctions. When it comes to rear visibility, the large back window means that you can see plenty behind you, while the big rear windows give you a good view when you look over your shoulder. 

To help with parking, SE L comes with rear parking sensors, while Edition adds front parking sensors and a rear-view camera.

Is the dashboard and infotainment system easy to use?

Every Epiq comes with the same 5.3in digital driver display as the Skoda Elroq, and a 13.0 central infotainment touchscreen. Both displays are clear and easy to read at a glance, and the infotainment system reacts to your prods quickly. 

Entry-level SE L trim misses out on built-in sat-nav, but that shouldn’t be an issue because every version comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring, allowing you to use your favourite music and navigation apps on the screen. 

As with most other Skodas, you’ll have to rely on the touchscreen when you want to change things like temperature and fan speed – luckily, they’re permanently displayed on the edge of the touchscreen.

If you want to make more in-depth changes, you’ll have to use the climate menu proper, which you can do by using the handy physical shortcut buttons that are underneath the touchscreen. That row of buttons gives you a few other options too, including the parking camera feed, driving modes and others.

“I found the two-spoke steering wheel very comfortable and like that it comes with physical buttons on it, as opposed to the touch sensitive ones we’ve seen on other VWG models.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews editor

How much space does it have for people?

A pair of broad six footers will have no issues getting comfortable in the front, with plenty of head, leg and shoulder room.

Likewise, in the rear, there’s enough head room in the outer seats to prevent tall people touching the rooflining, while leg room is more generous than in the Renault 4. There’s plenty of foot space underneath the front seats, too. 

As with the R4, shoulder room will be tight if you try to fit three adults in the rear and, while they’ll probably be comfortable for short trips, it wouldn’t be great for long journeys. What’s more, the middle seat is slightly raised, reducing head room to the point that six footers will be touching the ceiling. At least the floor in the back is completely flat, giving the middle seat passenger lots of foot space.

How much room does it have for luggage?

Every Epiq gets a 475 litre boot. For context, that’s more than you’ll find in the back of most rivals, including 100 litres more than the R4, and even 15 litres more than in the larger Kia EV3. If boot space is high on your list, the Ford Puma Gen-E will be an even better choice, though, because that rival offers a whopping 523 litres of space and managed to swallow nine carry-on sized suitcases in our tests. 

For extra space, you can split the Epiq’s rear seats in a 60/40 configuration and fold them flat. It’s a shame that there’s no ski hatch, meaning you have to sacrifice one of the outer rear seats if you need to load long items through from the boot, but that’s not something you’ll find on many of the Epiq’s rivals, either. 

As is often the case with Skoda’s models, you can add some clever options in the boot, to help you organise your bits and pieces. On this occasion, they include a variable boot floor (which has storage space underneath, even when you have it in its lowest position) and a couple of cable storage bags that can be velcroed to the back of the rear seats. On top of that, you can also add an optional frunk beneath the Epiq’s bonnet.

“Given the fact Skoda majors on handy features (an umbrella in the door, for example) I think it’s a shame that the Epiq’s frunk is an optional extra.” – Shafiq Abidin, Content editor

How much does it cost and what equipment do you get?

Skoda had said that it was aiming to make the Skoda Epiq cost the same as the petrol-powered Skoda Kamiq. However, the entry-level version will actually cost you less to buy as a cash purchase – and that’s before you consider the potential £1500 electric car grant from the Government (that’s yet to be confirmed, though).

For reference, it means that, before the grant, the Epiq costs less than the Ford Puma Gen-E and lots less than the Kia EV3. Without the grant, it’ll cost you more than the Renault 4 but that gap becomes non-existent once it’s included.

You’ll be able to have the Epiq in one of three different trim levels, including a limited First Edition version at launch. No matter which you go for, you’ll get plenty of standard equipment, with even entry-level SE L getting LED headlights, start/stop and adaptive cruise control.

Stepping up to Edition adds some extra niceties, including keyless entry, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, while the special First Edition gets bespoke styling and some other bits that are yet to be confirmed.

Is it reliable, and how long is the warranty?

As you might expect, with the production ready Epiq still some way off, we don’t have any reliability data for it as a model.

Meanwhile, Skoda as a brand placed 16th out of the 30 manufacturers included in the 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey. That puts it way below Kia and Citroën, but above Renault, Ford and MG, which sat at the bottom of the table.

We expect that the Epiq will be covered by the same standard warranty as all other Skodas, giving you cover for three-years/60,000-miles. That’s a match for what Ford and Renault offers, but a far cry from Kia’s seven-year/100,000-mile warranty.

Like Renault, Skoda covers the electric battery with a separate warranty, which lasts eight-years/100,000-miles.

How safe is it, and is it easy to steal?

The safety experts at EuroNCAP are yet to test the Epiq, so we can’t tell you how it fared in the various tests.

That said, it’ll come with plenty of standard safety equipment, including nine airbags, automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane assist, traffic sign recognition and a new Cross Assist 2.0 system, which can assist when you’re entering blind junctions, warning you of oncoming traffic or cyclists. 

“I’m looking forward to spending some time in the finished version of the Epiq, largely because it looks like it’ll be great value for money.” – Eleanor Cooper, News writer

Buy it if...

-You’re after an electric SUV that’s comfortable and easy to drive

-You want plenty of standard safety equipment

-You want an electric SUV that should be good value for money

Don’t buy it if…

-You want an electric small SUV with the absolute biggest boot

-You’re after the most reliable electric SUV (based on Skoda’s rating) 

-Having the fastest charging times is important to you

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