This Small Skoda Might Become One Of Europe’s Most Popular EVs

• Skoda teases upcoming Epiq electric crossover with camouflaged prototype photos.
• The model is built on the MEB+ platform that underpins the VW ID. Polo, Cross and the Cupra Raval.
• The Skoda Epiq will go on sale later this year with a starting price of €25,000 ($28,900).

There’s a new wave of small electric vehicles from the Volkswagen group that are right around the corner. They include the VW ID. Polo and ID. Cross, the Cupra Raval and there’s also a Skoda model called the Epiq.

Like the others, the Epiq rides on the VW MEB+ platform, which is simplified and front-wheel-drive to reduce costs and keep these vehicles affordable. VW is launching both a hatchback and a crossover, while Cupra has opted to only build a hatchback on this new platform. Skoda is only making a crossover, as this body style is what even subcompact buyers in Europe are looking for.

Skoda released a series of photos showing a camouflaged Epiq prototype, and its upright stance screams mini-SUV. The camo leaves little to the imagination, and we can clearly make out the design of its front fascia, which Skoda calls the Tech-Deck Face, featuring high-set LED eyebrows and separate headlight projectors lower down.

It may not look particularly aerodynamic, but Skoda says the Epiq has a drag coefficient of just 0.275. That’s very good for something that looks like an SUV, and it helps the vehicle post strong range results even with relatively small batteries.

Base cars come with a 38.5-kilowatt-hour LFP battery pack with a usable capacity of 37 kWh and either 114 horsepower or 133 hp, and a WLTP range rating of 196 miles (315 km) for both power outputs. The long-range Epiq has a larger 55 kWh NMC pack (51.7 kWh usable), which pushes the claimed range to 267 miles (430 km) and the power jumps to 207 hp.

This allows the quickest Epiq to sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 7.4 seconds. The official electricity consumption is identical for the two lower-powered variants at 4.78 miles/kWh (13 kWh/100 km) and it only rises slightly to 4.74 miles/kWh (13.1 kWh/100 km) in the big-battery model. That’s not surprising given that it only weighs 4.4 pounds (2 kg) more than the base LFP version.

The NMC battery allows for the quickest charging out of all the variants, with a peak DC fast-charge rating of 125 kW, which makes the 10% to 80% charging dash happen in 23 minutes. The midrange Epiq 40 model charges at 90 kW and goes from 10% to 80% in 28 minutes, while the base Epiq 35 has a more modest peak of 50 kW and no official charging time yet.

Unlike vehicles built on the regular rear-wheel-drive MEB platform, which get drum brakes on the rear even in higher-powered models, cars built on MEB+, like the Epiq, feature four-corner disc brakes. It also doesn’t skimp on safety or automated driving tech and has up to nine airbags. You can even get it with matrix LED headlights that don’t dazzle oncoming traffic, which is unusual for vehicles in this class, which typically only have a more rudimentary automatic high beam function.

Skoda doesn’t let us see inside the Epiq yet, but we are told it will have a 5.3-inch driver’s display and a 13-inch infotainment screen as standard. There are several upholstery options for the seats, all of which are from 100% recycled plastics, and higher-trim models also get ambient lighting.

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The big advantage of the tall design is that it offers a lot of interior room. The trunk capacity is 16.8 cubic feet (475 liters), which Skoda points out is 2.7 cu-ft (75 liters) more than what the manufacturer’s same-size combustion crossover, the Kamiq. Folding the rear seats unlocks a cavernous cargo area of 47.5 cu-ft (1,344 liters), complemented by an additional 0.9 cu-ft (25 liters) of interior storage spaces.

With a projected starting price of €25,000 ($28,900), the Skoda Epiq is affordable enough to live up to its name and become a hit across the continent. One of the best-selling EVs in the European Union last year was the Renault 5 E-Tech, reflecting Europeans’ preference for small electric city cars. A more direct rival to the Epiq will be the Kia EV2, which was recently unveiled, offering a similar blend of capabilities in a similar form factor.

Skoda hasn’t announced when it will reveal the Epiq or when it will go on sale, but it should hit the market by the end of the year.