- The Skoda Epiq is a small EV with unusually strong practicality: 475 liters of trunk space, plus frunk and cabin storage.
- It shares its front-drive EV platform with the VW ID. Polo and Cupra Raval, with up to 273 miles of WLTP range.
- Orders are open in Europe from €32,100, but the base model is expected to start closer to €26,000.
Skoda has gone for all-out practicality with its new Epiq small electric crossover. It’s mechanically related to the Volkswagen ID. Polo and the Cupra Raval, but its taller, boxier body highlights it focuses more on practicality.
It looks like a shrunken version of Skoda’s larger electric crossovers, the Elroq and Enyaq, with the same familiar face and details borrowed from the 7S concept, like the vertical strakes on the lower bumper. Browsing through the press photos in the gallery, where there isn’t another car next to it for context, the Epiq looks like a bigger vehicle than it actually is.
It measures 164.2 inches (4,171 mm) in length—exactly the same as a Fiat 600e—but it’s slightly taller at 62.2 inches (1,581 mm). Skoda says the Epiq’s interior provides “a generous amount of space for passengers and luggage” thanks to a 16.77 cu-ft (475-liter) trunk complemented by 0.9 cu-ft (25 liters) of frunk space and an additional 1 cu-ft (28 liters) split between the glovebox and the central armrest cubby.
The Skoda Epiq is built on the same MEB+ platform, the cheaper front-wheel drive version of the MEB architecture, as the electric Polo and Raval. It gets the same 38.5-kilowatt-hour lithium iron phosphate battery with 37.5 kWh usable capacity as standard. A higher-capacity 55-kWh nickel manganese cobalt pack with 51.5 kWh of usable capacity is available. Skoda expects the LFP pack to deliver 192 miles (310 km) on WLTP, while the longest-range variant should go 273 miles (440 km) on a single charge.
How quickly it charges depends on the battery pack and vehicle version. The base Epiq 35 has a peak DC fast-charging rate of 50 kilowatts, so it needs 33 minutes to charge from 10-80%. The mid-level Epiq 40 can do 90 kW, which drops the time to 25 minutes, while the range-topping Epiq 55 does 105 kW and needs just 24 minutes.
With just 114 horsepower, the base 35 model takes 11 seconds to accelerate from a standstill to 62 mph (100 km/h). The 40 ups power to 133 hp and shaves over a second off the sprint time, while the 55 with its 208 hp is considerably quicker at 7.1 seconds.
Just single-motor, front-wheel-drive variants are offered because the platform hasn’t been designed to support all-wheel drive.
The list of standard equipment includes a 13-inch infotainment screen running an Android-based operating system, 17-inch wheels (which go up to 20 inches), and a center airbag between the front seats. Optionally, you can add Travel Assist 3.0, which “can respond to traffic lights and can bring the vehicle to a standstill when required.” It comes also comes with automatic parking.
You can order a Skoda Epiq today in Europe from €32,100, but that’s likely for the well-equipped First Edition model. The base model, with the least power and the smallest battery, will cost around €26,000.
