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The Skoda Epiq has debuted as a cut-price European small electric SUV – but it's unlikely to be as affordable when it arrives in Australia.
Electric Cars
Skoda's smallest electric SUV yet – the Kamiq-sized Epiq – has debuted in Europe ahead of Australian showroom arrivals expected next year.
The 2027 Skoda Epiq electric small SUV promises price parity with the current, petrol-engined Kamiq in some European countries, starting from around 25,000 euros (AU$40,800).
However, the Epiq is unlikely to match the Kamiq in Australia, which currently starts from $33,990 drive-away – a similar cost to electric small SUVs from China, including the BYD Atto 2.
Drive has contacted Skoda Australia for an updated comment on the 2027 Epiq, which was confirmed for local showrooms in August 2025, "probably in 2027".
"The compact Epiq will come to our market, probably in 2027, which will sit in the small SUV segment underneath the medium Elroq," Skoda Australia head of marketing and product Kieran Merrigan said in August 2025.
Related to the Volkswagen ID. Polo and Cupra Raval, along with the upcoming Volkswagen ID. Cross, the Skoda Epiq is built on the new, lower-cost MEB+ front-wheel-drive electric-car architecture – instead of the rear-wheel-drive MEB platform in the larger Enyaq and Elroq.
The Epiq will be manufactured in Spain rather than Czechia, with the country becoming a production hub for Volkswagen Group's lower-cost electric vehicles, including the ID. Polo, ID. Cross and Raval.
At launch, Skoda will offer the Epiq in three configurations – 35, 40 and 55 – along with a First Edition flagship grade with orange accents inside and out.
The Epiq 35 and 40 feature a 37.5kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack for a 310km WLTP driving range rating and a 150km/h top speed, with the main difference being their electric motors.
An 85kW/267Nm front electric motor – identical in power to today's entry-level Kamiq three-cylinder turbo-petrol – features in the Epiq 35 for an 11.0-second 0-100km/h acceleration time, while the 40 upgrades to a 99kW/267Nm motor for a 9.8sec acceleration time.
The Epiq 55 moves to a larger 51.5kWh nickel-maganese-cobalt (NMC) lithium-ion battery, a 440km WLTP driving range, a 155kW/290Nm front electric motor, a 160km/h top speed, and a 7.1sec 0-100km/h acceleration time.
Skoda claims a 105kW DC maximum charging speed for the Epiq 55, allowing for a 10 to 80 per cent top-up "in under 25 minutes" – a time also claimed for the Epiq 35 and 40, but with an unspecified maximum fast-charging rate.
Both batteries are capable of 11kW AC home charging, along with bi-directional charging support for vehicle-to-load (V2L), vehicle-to-home (V2H) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G).
They also include regenerative braking with one-pedal driving support, and Skoda has equipped the Epiq with rear disc brakes, rather than the rear drum brakes found in its larger, rear-wheel-drive electric models.
Skoda says the front electric motor positioning means the rear axle does not use regenerative braking to slow the car down, unlike the Enyaq and Elroq, "resulting in more frequent use of the rear brakes and consequently limiting the oxidation of the discs".
A less sophisticated torsion-beam rear suspension setup features in the Epiq, instead of multi-link independent rear suspension.
Measuring 4171mm long, 1798mm wide and 1581mm tall with a 2601mm wheelbase, the Epiq is 70mm shorter, 5mm wider and 50mm taller than the Kamiq, with 50mm less distance between the front and rear axles.
Claimed boot capacity has risen from 400 litres to 475 litres, along with a 25-litre 'frunk' under-bonnet storage compartment.
The Epiq is the first Skoda vehicle to feature a T-shaped headlight signature, which the brand says forms part of its latest design language.
It has a drag coefficient of 0.275, aided by a flat underbody and active cooling shutters, and it will be offered with 18 to 20-inch alloy wheels or 17-inch steel wheels with covers.
A door handle protection film intended to prevent scratches from fingernails and other objects also debuts as a new 'Simply Clever' feature, joining the umbrella integrated into the driver's door and the plastic ice scraper in the charging flap, common across Skoda's range.
Inside, the Epiq includes a 13-inch central touchscreen with new Android-based infotainment software, featuring "updated graphics, redesigned controls, and a new home screen with a grid-based app layout".
Owners can also download and access third-party applications, such as Spotify, YouTube and Google Maps, although Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connections have been retained.
Available features include matrix LED headlights, a panoramic glass roof with an electric sunblind, digital key support for iPhone and Android devices, ambient interior lighting, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, heated front seats, and a heated steering wheel.
The Epiq also adds Skoda's new Travel Assist 3.0 semi-autonomous highway driving system capable of responding to traffic lights to bring the vehicle to a standstill, optional 'trained parking' and 'remote parking' functions, and a driver monitoring camera.
All grades include "animal-free" interior materials, with flagship grades adding a "durable, easy-care" synthetic leather instead of cloth.
Production of the 2027 Skoda Epiq will commence in Spain next month, ahead of Australian showroom arrivals expected by the end of next year.
The Epiq will be followed later this year by the Skoda Peaq seven-seat electric SUV, which will see Skoda's battery-powered model line-up double from today's Elroq and Enyaq midsize SUVs.
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Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
