2024 Skoda Kamiq review: Australian first drive (2024)

The Skoda Kamiq is already the Czech car maker's best-selling model in Australia, but having faced supply issues during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, its sales numbers probably could have been higher.

The small SUV has had a high sticker price in recent years as a result, but that's no longer the case.

Following on from the recent introduction of the Kamiq Runout edition earlier this year, which brought the price down to $32,990 drive-away, Skoda has positioned this newly arrived facelifted model competitively to try and win back customers in what is already quite a crowded segment.

How is it going to do that you ask? Well, a new low price only a smidge over the asking rate for the car it replaces is one way, but also by offering a lot of bang-for-your-buck value in a stripped-back range.

The updated Kamiq even in its lowest-priced form is now packed with a lot of features in a neat package aimed at singles and young families.

The updated Skoda Kamiq range consists of two model grades. Replacing the previous mid-range Style is the now entry-level but highly specced Select, with the Monte Carlo still sitting one rung above – while the outgoing Runout special and top-spec Signature have been dropped.

Starting from $33,990 drive-away for the Select and rising to $44,990 for the Monte Carlo, the updated Kamiq is only $1000 more than the Runout edition, which was introduced to give Skoda a cheaper offering after a period of high prices due to shortages and supply issues during the pandemic. However, the updated Kamiq is packed with more goodies than the car it replaces.

Even without the Runout variant, though, the Kamiq’s price is sharp and makes it very competitive amongst the top-sellers in the small SUV pack. While it’s more expensive than a base-spec Kia Seltos S, it comes in cheaper drive-away than the equivalent versions of the Hyundai Kona, Mazda-CX-30 and Toyota Yaris Cross.

For the Select, there’s the usual: keyless entry, push-button start, dual-zone climate control, LED headlights, an eight-speaker sound system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an 8.0-inch instrument cluster, and 8.25-inch infotainment screen.

There are also four USB-C ports, two in the front and two in the back, rear air vents, two map pockets and space for bottles in the doors.

For an extra $4200, buyers can get an optional Signature Pack for the Select, which adds extra safety features such as travel assist and lane assist with adaptive lane guidance, as well as adaptive cruise control.

The pack adds a few more thrills to help bridge the gap between the top and the bottom of the range, such as a more luxurious Suedia upholstery compared to the Select’s standard Krepp cloth fabric, rear privacy glass, and bigger 10.25-inch instrument cluster.

On top of the Select, the Monte Carlo adds a panoramic glass sunroof, 18-inch alloys, sports chassis control, glossy black highlights on the badges, mirrors, front grille and rear diffuser, tinted rear windows, and a larger 9.2-inch infotainment screen with satellite navigation.

It also gains Skoda’s 10-speaker premium sound system, a powered driver’s seat, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, as well as a black fabric cloth carbon-look upholstery with some funky GTI-esque stripes running down it to remind you this is the sporty model, just in case you’ve forgotten.

Of course, there are a few little Skoda trademark touches in there as well, including an umbrella, handy smaller cutouts for smartphones in the backs of the front seats, a ticket holder on the windscreen next to the A-pillar, and a funnel for filling up the windscreen washer fluid.

No small SUV is going to give you a cavernous boot that goes on for days as you’d get in a medium or even large SUV. But in the Kamiq there is a lot you can do with what’s on offer thanks to Skoda’s clever use of space.

The boot cavity is large enough to accommodate a sizeable but not segment-leading 400 litres, which is enough for a full-sized pram, two kids’ backpacks, your backpack, and four full-to-the-brim bags of groceries if you remove the parcel shelf.

Fold the rear seats down 60:40 and that storage space swells to 1395L, which would allow for a decent tip run or airport run if needed.

It fares okay in this regard amongst its rivals, bested by the Seltos offering the most at 468L, but comes close to the Kona with 407/1241L and leaves the CX-30 lagging well behind at 317L. While the Yaris Cross offers a 390L boot, it’s less useful when the seats are folded only giving 1097L.

And crucially for busy parents with their hands full, if you get either the Select with the Signature Pack or the Monte Carlo it has a powered tailgate.

The entry-level Select variant gets an 8.0-inch instrument cluster and 8.25-inch infotainment screen, or if you add on the Signature Pack you can upgrade the cluster to a bigger 10.25-inch unit.

Meanwhile, the Monte Carlo gets a larger 10.25-inch instrument cluster paired with the 8.25-inch infotainment screen. The system is well laid out in a grid system showing all the main essential features you need access to without poking through a series of menus. It looks neat and has been designed to be deliberately simple and it operates effectively.

The Kamiq now comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (as well as wired), though the former does seem to drop out a lot and take a while to reconnect, as I found throughout the two days spent with the car at launch.

The Select uses an eight-speaker sound system, while the Monte Carlo gets Skoda's more premium 10-speaker system. Both perform well, the 10-speaker ringing slightly clearer, but unless you're a true audiophile you'd be happy with either one. The Kamiq also has AM/FM radio (but no DAB digital radio) and Bluetooth.

The Skoda Kamiq was given a five-star ANCAP safety rating when the new model arrived in Australia in 2020, though it is dated back to 2019 as it was sold in New Zealand first.

At the time it received an adult occupant protection rating of 96 per cent and 87 per cent for child occupant protection. Vulnerable road users fared slightly worse with an 80 per cent ranking, while its safety assist technology was given a 76 per cent pass mark.

The safety rating is due to expire, however, in December 2025.

Both the Select and Monte Carlo grades get a decent level of safety kit, with no difference at all between them as regards active safety features – including things like electronic stability control, multi-collision braking and hill hold control.

As for the driver-assistance systems, the Select gets most of what Skoda offers, such as advanced driver fatigue, front assist, lane assist and side assist, only missing out on a few others like lane assist with adaptive lane guidance and park assist.

The Kamiq also has three child-seat top-tether points and two ISOFIX anchors on the outboard rear seats.

However, there is no speed sign recognition, nor AEB capable of detecting more than pedestrians and cyclists, but it does offer a tyre pressure loss warning.

The Skoda Kamiq is backed by a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty – one of the longest in the car industry, and the only European manufacturer offering seven years of coverage as standard, with servicing required every 12 months or 15,000km.

Prepaid service packs are available, but unless the customer purchases one, the Kamiq is expensive to maintain – even with one, the five-year/75,000km cost is higher than its key competitors.

The Skoda Kamiq will cost $1497 per annum to comprehensively insure based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circ*mstances.

Officially, in Select form the Kamiq will sip just 5.5 litres of petrol for every 100 kilometres it travels on the WLTP combined cycle or 5.6L/100km for the Monte Carlo.

I only had the car for a short period of time at launch, but I found on average it used 7.0L/100km when tested through a mix of local roads, highway and freeway driving, and some twisty bends through the Dandenong Ranges thrown in for good measure.

This varied mix of roads in such a short space of time, coupled with testing out the different driving modes – of which there are four: Eco, Normal, Sport and Individual – skewed my consumption figures and real-world or longer-term driving would likely achieve a much better fuel-use figure.

One big selling point in these challenging times, with the cost of living being so high, is that the Kamiq’s fuel economy is considerably better than all of its main competitors bar the hybrid Yaris Cross that uses 3.8L/100km.

The Seltos and Kona are the highest, with the CX-30 not far behind.

Like the model that went before it, the small SUV is offered with a choice of a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine or a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol, both mated with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and both driving just the front wheels.

Offering 85kW/200Nm in the 1.0-litre or 110kW/250Nm in the 1.5, the new Kamiq isn’t the most powerful small SUV you can get, but it’s no slouch either.

The Seltos and Kona both use punchier four-cylinder engines, either a 2.0-litre petrol or 1.6-litre turbo petrol making 110kW/180Nm or 146kW/265Nm respectively, but mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) for the former or eight-speed auto for the latter.

Meanwhile, the now hybrid-only Yaris Cross uses a three-cylinder 1.5-litre hybrid engine and CVT to offer 85kW paired with 120Nm petrol and 141Nm electric assistance.

All three can be had in all-wheel drive as well as front-wheel drive (depending on the variant) – which the Kamiq cannot.

One minor disappointment here is that the Kamiq still goes without any form of electrification, with several key players in its segment, such as the Toyota Yaris Cross or Hyundai Kona, offering hybrid or fully electric options.

Of the two powertrains – the 1.0-litre 85kW in the Select or 1.5-litre 110kW in the Monte Carlo – the 1.5 is definitely the better performer, and it’s kind of a shame both engines aren’t offered on both grades so you can mix and match.

Yes, the 1.5 uses a teeny bit more fuel, but it’s smoother off the line, quieter, and generally more urgent.

In the Select, trying to quickly accelerate from the lights, there is an obvious lag that leaves you waiting around longer than you’d like, which is reduced in the 1.5 thanks to the power and torque bump it gets.

The seven-speed dry dual-clutch transmission is a solid performer as before, with no obvious hesitancy and it works well, especially when paired with the 1.5.

At low speeds, neither the Select nor Monte Carlo suffers from intrusive wind or tyre noise, but kick the speed up to over 80km/h and the din gets a little loud. Nothing whacking up the sound system won’t fix, but it penetrates the cabin nonetheless.

The 1.0-litre can be a bit noisy under hard acceleration, though.

The steering feel also strikes a fine balance, being light enough for the Kamiq to feel direct and agile, but also heavy enough for a bit of feedback and sensation in a corner. It handles itself beautifully in tight corners, and makes twisty roads a lot of fun without the need to put your foot down too much.

There’s no obvious dead spot either, and the grip of the leather steering wheel is excellent.

The suspension is also reasonable soaking up bumps and road imperfections well, and only feeling a little firm over the harshest surfaces.

The drive modes on offer also change things up a little, but honestly, there’s not that much difference between them.

Eco mode is the smoothest, dulling throttle response, while Sport mode dials things up a notch, quickening inputs but only sharpening a little. Normal mode is the middle ground between both and the one I spent most of my time in, offering a nice comfortable balance.

There is also Individual mode that you can tailor to your tastes, but the Kamiq doesn’t really need any of these options.

Yes, but not very much. The Skoda Kamiq has a rated braked towing capacity of 1200kg for the Select and 1250kg in the Monte Carlo, with an unbraked towing capacity of 610kg for the former and 630kg for the latter.

For a family on a tight budget, there are cheaper SUVs out there. But for those with a little more to spend and after something with a touch more class than the cheap and cheerful, it’s certainly a contender and has a healthy equipment list for that $34K drive-away starting price.

On many fronts it ticks all the boxes for a family hauler – low fuel useage, a decent boot for its class, especially with the seats folded down, it drives well, and it looks good.

In fact, the Select could even be the pick. It’s brighter inside, uses less fuel, is more comfortable and it looks good, just without a lot of the nice-to-haves in the Monte Carlo. Though the 1.0-litre is a little underpowered compared to the 1.5, it’s not a deal-breaker and could be that memory-making car you’re looking for.

With the Kamiq, Skoda is targeting singles and young families with a dog or one or two kids, looking for a city car they can run around town in during the week, and then take out to stretch its legs in the country at the weekend.

The next step on the purchase journey is to check the Skoda website for stock of your preferred Kamiq variant. You can also find Skodas for sale at Drive Marketplace.

We strongly recommend taking a test drive at a dealership before committing because personal needs and tastes can differ. Find your nearest Skoda dealer via this link. We’d also recommend test-driving the Kia Seltos S or Hyundai Kona to test their similarities and differences in both performance and styling.

If you want to stay updated with everything that's happened to this car since our review, you'll find all the latest news here.