Skoda Kamiq

Škoda Kamiq at a glance

History and the Kamiq for China

Škoda previewed the car with the Vision X concept in 2018 and showed the production Kamiq at the Geneva Motor Show in February 2019. Sales started in June 2019, series production in July and deliveries in September 2019. Like the Karoq and the Kodiaq, the name comes from an Inuit word.

The Kamiq sold in China is a different car. It is larger and uses an older platform. It shares only the name with the European model, because each is the smallest Škoda SUV in its market. Škoda says the European Kamiq offers more rear legroom than the Octavia and the Karoq.

Sales figures for Europe (EU, UK, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland) rose from 12,215 in the short year 2019 to 75,559 in 2020 and 82,461 in 2021.

Design and the 2023 facelift

The first Kamiq had a more upright grille than the bigger Škoda SUVs, optional narrow LED daytime running lights and the "Škoda" name spelled out on the tailgate instead of the round logo, as on the Scala.

The facelift was unveiled in August 2023 together with the Scala. It brought:

• new front and rear bumpers with L-shaped rear reflectors;
• optional matrix LED headlights and new wheel designs;
• a redesigned climate control panel and more recycled materials inside;
• more standard equipment and new trim names (Essence, Selection, Monte Carlo);
• the end of the diesel engine.

Engines and performance

All engines are turbocharged petrol or diesel units from the Volkswagen Group. The 1.5 TSI has Active Cylinder Technology, which shuts down two cylinders at light load. The 1.6 TDI had SCR exhaust treatment with AdBlue and a particulate filter as standard.

ADAC gives the facelifted 1.0 TSI 95 with a manual gearbox 0–100 km/h in 11.0 seconds and a top speed of 183 km/h. Its WLTP consumption is 5.4 l/100 km (123 g/km CO2). In a 2020 test Autonotizen.de measured the 1.5 TSI at 8.3 seconds to 100 km/h with a factory top speed of 213 km/h. Its real consumption was 7.3 l/100 km against 5.0 l/100 km WLTP.

Dimensions and practicality

The rear bench does not slide, so the boot stays at 400 litres with five seats, according to the Autonotizen.de test. The Kamiq is shorter than the Octavia but has the longer wheelbase of the MQB A0 cars.

Kamiq compared with the T-Cross and the Scala

The Kamiq sits between two close relatives from the same Volkswagen Group platform family. The figures below come from the sources of this article; the differences are our calculation.

• The Kamiq is 133 mm longer than the T-Cross and its wheelbase is 100 mm longer, which explains the extra rear legroom.
• The Scala hatchback is 121 mm longer and offers 67 l more boot space, with almost the same wheelbase.
• The base 1.0 TSI 95 carries 17.6 kg per kW (1,231 kg and 70 kW); the 1.5 TSI test car carried 13.1 kg per kW.

Safety and reliability

Euro NCAP tested a 1.0 TSI Ambition in 2019. It scored 96 percent for adult occupants, 85 percent for children, 80 percent for pedestrians and 76 percent for the safety assistants. The rating expired on 1 January 2026; the car has not been tested again since.

The ADAC breakdown statistics count breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles by year of registration: 5.4 for 2020 cars, 3.6 for 2021, 2.5 for 2022 and 2.4 for 2023.

Prices in Germany

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