New Skoda Epiq puts the ‘cheerful’ into cheap and cheerful with new wrap

If teamwork is dreamwork VW’s snappily titled ‘Brand Core Group’ with Seat and Skoda is – finally – delivering the goods when it comes a new generation of affordable electric cars. Built on shared battery and motor tech, we’ve already had confirmation of VW’s ID. Polo and its ID. Cross Concept SUV spin-off. This is the Skoda version of the latter.
• Pay attention at the back – Skoda’s electric SUV line-up is expanding! Where the Enyaq plays premium and the Elroq is a smaller, more affordable version of the same this new Epiq is built on new, more affordable foundations shared with VW • Smaller than the Elroq, the Epiq is equivalent to the existing petrol-powered Kamiq in terms of size, and will be priced at a similar level as well • Skoda boasts the Epiq will do 264 miles on a full charge, which is three miles more than the ID. Cross Concept on which it is based – in your face, VW! • The Epiq will be on sale by next year, the starting price likely in the £25,000 ballpark

It’s still – officially – a concept, but Skoda isn’t really making any pretence about this being a flight of fancy, the CEO describing it as a ‘concrete’ vision of what’s to come. While it’s certainly adopted some suitably earthy tones we’ll assume the chunky looking bodywork isn’t made of actual concrete, though. Despite having already refreshed its range under what’s known as the ‘Modern Solid’ design ethos the Epiq is apparently the first Skoda entirely developed as such, though it inevitably shares its basic shape and proportions with the ID. Cross Concept on which it is based. Nothing wrong with that, given the crossover stance will work well in urban environments and the square lines are good for visibility and interior space. Ahead of its formal unveiling Skoda has teased more information for the Epiq with this lairy-looking camo wrap that we – genuinely – hope is offered as an option on the production version!

Still no interior pictures as yet but a lot of talk of Skoda’s typically functional and practical features, with bag hooks, underfloor storage and a generally no-nonsense theme. Which we like in a car likely to be used and abused for the school run, kids’ club runs and stuff like that. Like the ID. Cross Concept expect a bigger driver display than the Enyaq and Elroq, paired with a large central screen and – we’re promised – a mix of physical controls and touch-sensitive equivalents. We’ll hope for more of the former. We’ll have to wait and see if all these features are standard or – rather – saved for higher trims or options packs but Skoda says the control systems and scope for the driver assistance systems are the most sophisticated yet seen on any of its cars. Where fitted, the Travel Assist 3.0 has wider scope for the Advanced Adaptive Lane Assist while automatic braking can respond to traffic lights and stop signs. A Cross Assist system in the bumper can also help when emerging from unsighted junctions, detecting vehicles and cyclists alike.

With apologies for all the acronyms where models like the Enyaq and Elroq are built on VW’s rear-wheel drive MEB platform this Epiq and others in the new EUCF – which is to say VW’s Electric Urban Car Family– use the new front-wheel drive MEB+. We now have some more info batteries and range, with three power outputs for the Epiq 35, Epiq 40 and Epiq 55, the latter featuring a bigger 55kWh battery over the 38.5kWh of the two base models. That’s relatively small by EV standards but helps keep cost and weight down, the 195-mile range of the two cheaper models perfectly sufficient for school-runs, commutes and town use while the 267 miles of the top version is there if you regularly do longer journeys. Pays your money, takes your choice.

Skoda says the new Epiq will be priced equivalent to the combustion-powered Kamiq it will sell alongside. The monthly figures people actually use to spread the cost of their cars will be harder to calculate right now but, for reference, that equates to a bottom-line starting price of under £25,000. Hopefully.

Well, nothing has been said yet but given VW has built a new Polo based on this tech we’d place a bet on Skoda creating an electric Fabia using the same. You heard it here first. Possibly. Going the other way Skoda has also confirmed a new flagship seven-seater called the Peaq, which we’ll see later in the year.

The market for small, urban-friendly and affordable electric cars is – at last – really kicking off. There are already strong players in the class like the Volvo EX30, the Epiq also set to compete with its close relatives like the VW ID. Cross Concept, Kia EV2 an others.