Skoda’s latest edition to its all-electric lineup has been teased – and it’s an electric vehicle (EV) more people should be able to afford.
The Epiq crossover is due to be fully unveiled in 2025, but we already know some of its vital statistics, including its proposed price.
It is expected to ring in at €25,000 – which works out at just over £21,000 – which will make it Skoda’s cheapest electric car by some margin.
With recent reports suggesting that EVs will be cheaper to produce than petrol cars by 2027, and the imminent arrival of Dacia’s first electric model in October with a low price of £15,000, could we be seeing the first wave of affordable next-generation battery-powered vehicles?
The Skoda Epiq – a city SUV crossover electric vehicle – is due to be fully unveiled in 2025. Here’s a preview of how it could look and – more importantly – what it will cost…
Is the Epiq another sign of EVs becoming more affordable?
Currently, the least expensive all-electric model from the Czech brand is the Enyaq family SUV, which starts from a relatively bank-busting £38,970.
It means the Epiq could almost half the entry price of a Skoda EV when it emerges next year.
Its arrival could see Skoda tackle head-on one of the biggest hurdles that is preventing Britons from switched to EVs en masse.
Alongside concerns about a sparse, unreliable public charging network and range anxiety, the premium up-front price of electric cars has seen public demand for them drop significantly in recent months.
Official figures show that sales of EVs to ordinary drivers fell by almost a fifth in the first two months of 2024.
Of nearly 40,000 new electric cars registered in January and February, just 6,500 were purchased by individuals.
The remaining 33,500 (which represents around 84 per cent of all registrations in the two months) were snapped up by fleet and leasing companies as a result of lucrative tax benefits, including the salary sacrifice scheme.
Expected to ring in at €25,000 (which by today’s exchange rate works out at £21,360), this will be the cheapest electric Skoda by quite some margin
But market research business Gartner this month predicts EVs could become more appealing to private car buyers from 2027, when lower manufacturing costs should translate to more affordable EV prices.
It claims that new manufacturing methods will reduce production costs below those for a comparable car with an internal combustion engine within the next three years. As such, EVs should have price parity with petrol cars sooner than predicted.
The predicted fall in EV prices couldn’t come soon enough.
Currently, Britons will struggle to find many electric cars when shopping with a tight budget.
In fact, there are just seven electric cars (not including the £8,495 Citroen Ami quadricycle) on sale in the UK today priced £30,000 or less.
This includes the Vauxhall Corsa Electric (from £26,895), BYD Dolphin (from £25,490), MG4 (from £26,995), Fiat 500e (from £28,195, though dropping to £25,195 with Fiat’s e-grant scheme), Nissan Leaf (from £28,495 while stocks last), Mazda MX-30 (from £28,995) and next-generation Mini Cooper E (from £30,000).
However, Dacia is set to lower the pricing benchmark for EVs with the arrival of its first battery-powered car this year.
The Spring EV is due to arrive in UK dealerships in October. And the budget-friendly brand has already confirmed it will start from £14,995.
That will make it Britain’s sixth least expensive new car across all fuel types and should – in theory – force the hand of rivals to slash their own EV prices in order to compete.
Volkswagen has also previewed its forthcoming ID.2, which is expected to arrive in 2026 with the same €25,000 starting price as the Epiq.
The Epiq follows Skoda’s new ‘Modern Solid’ design language that ‘combines robustness, functionality and authenticity’ – and is minimalist and sleek with some funk features
The compact EV should also be practical. It will manage about 248-miles of range and have bi-directional charging
What we know about the Skoda Epiq…
It will be the second of six new EVs scheduled for launch in the coming years to transform the manufacturer’s all-electric lineup.
Skoda naturally want the Epiq to be focused towards families, but is hoping to hit the all-important lifestyle-oriented customer, too.
Despite being a city car, the Epiq will have much more range than is needed for urban driving.
Skoda is quoting a single-charge distance of 248 miles.
Usefully – and efficiently – the Epiq will also supports bidirectional charging, so the car can feed excess electric energy into the customer’s home or power domestic appliances.
As a crossover SUV you can expect family-friendly space with 490 litres of boot capacity. It’s a bit shorter than the Enyaq – at 4.1 metres long – but there should still be plenty of space for five people.
While Skoda isn’t traditionally the brand you’d go to for glamorous design and head-turning looks, the Epiq is surprisingly stylish.
Following its new ‘Modern Solid’ design language that ‘combines robustness, functionality and authenticity’, the Epiq will have a sculpted bonnet with the new Skoda wordmark, a ‘Tech-Deck Face’ – the latest Skodaism for a grille – as well as swooping lines to its profile, roof and rear-window pillars.
The lights, both front and back, are in an all-new T-shape and the front bumper has rectangular cut outs to give an additional funky feel, as does the contrasting-trim wheel arches.
There’s going to be a large floating touchscreen and the Epiq will come with wireless charging, as well as a mobile digital key so owners can have a smart device experience
The ‘Flashy Orange’ accents on the dash and seats mimic those on the outside, and the two-spoke steering wheel has the same new Skoda lettering as the exterior
‘Simply Clever’ cubbies for flexi overpacking are dotted around inside and in the boot. This is a very popular feature across the Skoda range to boost versatility
Skoda has said it is following a ‘minimalist’ look for the Epiq, especially its cabin.
The brand is becoming a market leader for futuristic tech, and its cheapest EV is due to have a large floating touchscreen display as well as the addition of wireless charging.
A mobile digital key is also set to debut to give owners a smart device experience.
Durable, practical and sustainable materials line the cabin. It has sibling overlaps with other Skoda EV models, but it’s without a doubt much more open, clean and crisp.
The cabin looks to be one big storage space with many open compartments, a floating centre console, and the ‘Simply Clever’ cubbies for flexi overpacking are dotted around inside and in the boot – always a firm family favourite feature.
The ‘Flashy Orange’ accents continue inside, and the two-spoke steering wheel has a combination of physical buttons as well as haptic scrolls – the latter not proving all that popular in other VW-Group models on sale today, such as the Mk8 Golf.
While the Epiq isn’t due to be showcased in full production form until 2025, the new Elroq – a larger electric SUV – will be the first vehicle to be launched as part of the upcoming electric model campaign, with its debut scheduled for later this year.
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