2024 Skoda Kamiq revealed

Jun 19, 2023

On sale Early 2024 | Price from £23,500 (est)

While London remains a popular place to live, moving further afield can get you more space for your money. Similarly, the Skoda Kamiq is more spacious than many of the most popular small SUVs, while undercutting several on pricing. Its styling, equipment levels and engine range have just been updated, to help it stand out among an ever-growing number of rivals.

At the front, the most obvious changes are a taller, more upright grille and a sharper bumper design. The headlights have also been tweaked, and are now available with matrix LED technology as an option. This allows them to block out sections of their beam to avoid dazzling oncoming drivers. Meanwhile, the rear bumper now looks chunkier than before, while the ‘Skoda’ lettering on the tailgate appears slimmer and more angular.

Skoda has also made subtle changes to the interior. As standard, all Kamiqs now get an 8.0in digital instrument cluster, as well as an 8.25in central infotainment screen (up from 8.0in in the old car). Both of these can be upgraded; the former to a 10.25in display, and the latter to a 9.2in unit, which comes by default on cars fitted with sat-nav.

The discreet nature of these changes is no bad thing, though. The outgoing car had a high quality interior, with plenty of squidgy, appealing materials in places you’d see or touch regularly. However, we did note that it lacked the visual wow factor provided inside the Nissan Juke or Volkswagen T-Roc.

This updated Kamiq should be every bit as practical as the old model, and that's a good thing: that car offered plenty of room for even the loftiest of occupants in front and rear, not to mention a wealth of useful storage cubbies, and the boot was able to swallow up to seven carry-on suitcases. That’s one more than a Nissan Juke will take, and two more than a Volkswagen T-Cross.

Along with its cavernous interior, the outgoing Kamiq’s ride was a definite plus. It was second only to the T-Roc – our reigning Small SUV of the Year – when it came to gliding over potholes around town, yet managed to feel as agile as the Seat Arona on a twisty road.

Like the old car, the updated Kamiq can be had with Sport Chassis control. The latest iteration reduces the Kamiq’s ride height by 10mm, and allows you to stiffen or soften the suspension at the push of a button.

Under the bonnet, the refreshed Kamiq will be available with a choice of three petrol engines. As before, the range kicks off with a 94bhp, 1.0-litre engine which comes with a five-speed manual gearbox. In the previous car, that engine was sufficiently powerful for most journeys, but it needed working hard to get up to motorway speeds.

Anyone who regularly carries passengers, or does a lot of motorway journeys, will be pleased to know that the other two engines – a 1.0-litre petrol with 113bhp, and a 148bhp, 1.5-litre petrol – should prove rather more versatile. Both come with a six-speed manual (or optional seven-speed automatic) gearbox, so will likely allow for more relaxed motorway cruising than the entry-level combination can provide.

An updated version of the Skoda Scala – a budget-focused family car, based on the same underpinnings as the Kamiq – is also due to go on sale early next year. Like the Kamiq, the Scala has received tweaks to its headlights, bumpers and grille, and will come with the same range of engines as its SUV sibling.

Pricing for the updated Skoda Kamiq is yet to be confirmed, but it’s expected to cost from around £23,500. That would mean it’s significantly more affordable than both the Ford Puma and the VW T-Roc, which cost from £24,940 and £27,045 respectively.

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