Category Archives: Skoda

Used Car of the Year Awards: Electric cars

With living costs on the rise, getting a good deal on your next car is more important than ever. That’s where our Used Car Awards come in. These are our favourite electric cars…

Credit where credit is due: Elon Musk has led Tesla to become one of today’s most popular car brands. He’s no stranger to controversy in other matters, but Tesla’s Model 3 has proved to be an electric vehicle (EV) milestone.

This executive car has sold immensely well since its launch, and it continues to do so today, meaning the used market is flooded with them. Examples start with the Standard Range Plus, which can be found for a very tempting £23,000.

Skoda CITIGOe-iV (Image: Skoda.co.uk)
Skoda CITIGOe-iV (Image: Skoda.co.uk)

While this entry-level model can’t come close to matching the Performance’s 0-60mph time of 3.3sec (in our hands), it’ll still manage the sprint in a hot-hatch-like 6.1sec. You won’t see such acceleration behind the wheel of a Kia e-Niro.

The range is impressive, too: the Standard Range Plus officially travels 254 miles on a single charge, or 267 miles if you go for a post-2020 example. If you need 300-plus miles of range (more than any Jaguar I-Pace can offer), you can pick up a Model 3 Long Range or Performance for a few thousand pounds more; these versions have larger batteries.

The Model 3 is more reliable than the I-Pace, too. In the latest What Car? Reliability Survey, the Model 3 ranked eighth out of 20 cars in the EV class, with an impressive 93.9% score.

Read more: WhatCar

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Skoda CITIGOe-iV (Image: Skoda.co.uk)

Here’s 10 electric coupe crossovers on sale now or in the near future

They might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they just keep on coming

Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron

Audi’s first ground-up electric SUV, the Q4 e-tron, spawned a coupeified variant back in 2020, as the trend for sportier coupe crossovers started to gather momentum. No, we’re not sure why either.

At time of writing, it’s available in two flavours. The two-wheel-drive 40 Sportback e-tron gets a 77kWh (usable) battery mated to a rear 201bhp motor and electric range of up to 328 miles, while the 50 e-tron Sportback quattro gets the same battery but with an extra front motor for four-wheel drive, boosting power to 295bhp but reducing the official range to 318 miles.

Audi e-tron (Image: Audi)
Audi e-tron (Image: Audi)

As ever with coupeified crossovers, it sacrifices a little headroom and bootspace in favour of style compared to its full-size SUV sibling, while you can expect to pay around £1.5k extra.

Skoda Enyaq iV Coupe

Skoda’s five-seat electric SUV has won plenty of plaudits for its affordability, practicality, and family friendliness (not least from us), so it was only natural that a coupeified variant would follow.

The Enyaq Coupe iV 80 gets a 201bhp electric motor powering the front wheels and 77kWh battery for an all-electric range of up to 345 miles, while the 80x model gets a dual motor 261bhp set-up for four-wheel drive and the same-sized battery for up to 322 miles of electric range.

Read more: TopGear

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Plug-in vehicle leasing demand skyrocketed in 2019, according to Vantage Leasing

Vantage Leasing, the personal and business contract hire company, saw a 700% increase in demand at its business for plug-in vehicles last year.

Premium brand models made up the majority of the new plug-in vehicle contracts.

The Range Rover Sport PHEV was the most popular option, accounting for 60% of all plug-in hybrid models. Even more surprisingly, it was also the most popular version of the car, making up 59% of all Range Rover Sport lease contracts in 2019.

BMW X5 xDrive45e PHEV (Image: BMW)

The data points to a huge surge in plug-in vehicle interest and Vantage Leasing has now launched an ‘EV Chooser’ tool that compares key metrics for EVs – including range, price and efficiency.

Vantage Leasing has also created its own EV ranking based on how vehicles fair across those criteria, with the Skoda CITIGOe IV coming out on top.

BMW Group’s plug-in models performed particularly well. The second-most popular PHEV was the BMW 5 Series, closely followed by the BMW 3 Series and MINI Countryman. Plug-in derivatives accounted for 30% of 3 Series lease contracts and 67% of Countryman contracts.

Other strong performers included the Volvo XC90, with double the number of Twin Engine plug-in hybrid models leased in 2019 compared with 2018.

Read more: AM Online

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Skoda CITIGOe-iV (Image: Skoda.co.uk)

New Skoda Citigo-e iV 2020 review

We try out the top-of-the-range all-electric Skoda Citigo-e iV city car on British roads

Verdict 4 stars
If you’re in the market for an urban tool with minuscule running costs, and you don’t regularly need to carry more than a couple of small passengers, then the Citigo-e iV might just be the perfect choice. We’d urge you, though, to check your own usage profile first to see not only if an EV is right for you at all but also if you’re going to need much charging beyond what you can do on your own driveway. If you’re not then the cheaper version of the Skoda, without rapid charging, looks an even more appealing proposition.

There’s no shortage of electric offerings on the way – including three plug-in city cars from across the VW Group. We’ve already tried the VW e-up!, SEAT Mii Electric and Skoda Citigo-e iV abroad, but now we’ve had a chance to drive the Czech model on British roads – in the murky chill of a UK winter – to see how it stacks up.

Skoda CITIGOe-iV (Image: Skoda.co.uk)
Skoda CITIGOe-iV (Image: Skoda.co.uk)

To recap, the three models are as similar in electric form as they have been for the past eight years fitted with a petrol engine. There’s a single mechanical set-up: an 82bhp electric motor with a 36.8kWh battery that can deliver around 161 miles of range on a single charge. Even the pricing isn’t too different, with spec-for-spec models all costing between £19,315 and around £20,000 after the government plug-in car grant.

However, Skoda has gone its own way by offering a second, cheaper edition of the Citigo-e iV with a few fewer toys and, significantly for some, only conventional charging instead of the rapid DC CCS configuration that’s standard on all the other models. It’ll save you almost £2,500 over the regular model that we’re testing here, and for some people, who intend to drive their car around town with only domestic plug-ins most of the time, that will make it an astonishingly effective urban option.

Read more: AutoExpress

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Peugeot e-208 (Image: Peugeot)

2020 set to be year of the electric car as sales soar

Experts are predicting that 2020 will be the year of the electric car as sales continue to rise.

Figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that the number of battery-electric vehicles registered in November increased by 228.8 per cent compared to the same month in 2018 – with over 4500 new EVs hitting the roads.

So far this year, nearly 14,000 electric cars have been registered in the UK, compared to 38,500 plug-in hybrids and nearly 80,000 hybrids. Mild hybrids have also seen a dramatic increase in popularity, with registrations of mild-hybrid diesels increasing by more than 450 per cent last month.

Peugeot e-208 (Image: Peugeot)
Peugeot e-208 (Image: Peugeot)

Car manufacturers are rushing to launch new electric cars in a bid to meet new emission targets set by European Union legislators. By 2021, they face strict fines if their average CO2 emissions for each car exceed 95g/km. By selling more electric vehicles (with zero tailpipe emissions) and hybrids (with reduced tailpipe emissions), average CO2 emissions will drop.

Kia recently admitted that it has 3000 customers on a waiting list for the e-Niro – something it says it intends to clear in the first half of 2020, despite previously having to halt orders as it couldn’t keep up with demand.

Volkswagen is set to launch its new electric ID range with the ID.3 hatchback, while the Volkswagen Up, SEAT Mii and Skoda Citigo city cars are also going electric-only for 2020. Vauxhall’s new Corsa is available as a pure-electric model, as is the closely-related Peugeot 208.

Read more: Honest John

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Skoda Citigo-e iV (Image: Skoda)

Skoda Citigo-e iV priced from £16,955

The Skoda Citigo-e iV electric city car will start at £16,955 when orders open next month – undercutting rivals like the SEAT Mii Electric and Renault Zoe.

Based on the petrol Citigo, Skoda says the Citigo-e iV has been re-engineered to incorporate a compact battery pack and 61kW electric motor, giving it a WLTP electric range of up to 170 miles on a single charge.

Buyers will be able to choose from two trim levels: SE and SE L. Both models will have the same battery and electric motor, while the Citigo-e iV has the same luggage capacity as the standard car. That means 250 litres can be stored in the boot, increasing to 923 litres with them dropped flat.

Skoda Citigo-e iV (Image: Skoda)
Skoda Citigo-e iV (Image: Skoda)

Mounted in the chassis floor, the Citigo-e iV’s compact battery has a capacity of 36.8kWh. It consists of a total of 168 cells and delivers a range of between 140 and 170 miles on the WLTP cycle. Both models can be charged using a domestic or workplace wall box.

With a 7.2kW AC wall box, the battery can be charged to 80 per cent in 4 hours 15 minutes, or 12 hours 37 minutes using a lower-powered 3.6kW home‑charging station. The SE L model can be charged faster using a CCS (Combined Charging System) charging cable connected to a 40kW DC fast charger.

When recharging via CCS, the Citigo-e iV’s battery can be recharged to 80 per cent in 60 minutes. The Citigo-e iV can also be recharged using a standard household plug socket if a wallbox is not available.

Citigo-e iV’s electric motor produces an instantaneous 210Nm of torque, taking it to 62mph in 12.5 seconds, while top speed is 81mph.

The Citigo-e iV line-up starts with the SE model, which is priced at £20,455 before the Government’s £3500 plug-in car grant. SE models are equipped with climate control air conditioning, three spoke leather steering wheel and handbrake lever, plus Swing DAB radio and remote central locking.

Read more: Honest John

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Peugeot e-208 (Image: Peugeot)

More new models, tougher CO2 rules poised to boost EVs, plug-in hybrids

A lack of choice has been one reason that buyers in Europe have not fully embraced full-electric and electrified plug-in hybrid cars.

But that is quickly changing as automakers prepare to launch more models to prepare for tougher CO2 emissions regulations that start to take effect in 2020.

The number of EVs on sale in Europe will increase to 24 this year from 18 last year as new vehicles such as the Audi e-tron, Tesla Model 3, Mercedes-Benz EQC, Mini EV and full-electric Volvo XC40 crossover hit the market, according to LMC Automotive data — which excludes very-low-volume niche models. The number of plug-in hybrids will nearly double to 53 this year from 27 in 2018, LMC says.

But the real jump will come in 2020, when the number of full-electric cars on sale doubles to 48 and plug-in-hybrid choice reaches almost 100, according to LMC data.

Peugeot e-208 (Image: Peugeot)
Peugeot e-208 (Image: Peugeot)

Next year battery-powered cars underpinned by Volkswagen Group’s flexible MEB electric-car platform and aimed at the mass-market will go on sale. VW brand’s Golf-sized I.D. hatchback will come first but it will soon be followed by MEB cars from the Audi, Skoda and Seat brands. They will have ranges of more than 550 km (342 miles), to ease range anxiety fears among car buyers.

It’s no coincidence that 2020 is also when the EU will start fining automakers if they miss their stricter CO2 reduction targets that are being implemented to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions blamed for contributing to climate change.

“We have only one target, which is to be compliant for CO2 targets for 2020, so 2019 will be the launch of all our electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles,” Maxime Picat, PSA Group’s operations director for Europe, told journalists in January.

Read more: Auto News

Skoda announces EV offensive as Czech national EV network approved

Skoda is ramping up plans to launch four electric vehicles (EVs) by 2021 and a further two by 2025, including two SUVs and an image-boosting sports car.

The news comes as the European Commission approves the Czech Republic’s plans to launch a country-wide alternative fuel vehicle charging network, including recharging points for EVs, as it prepares for the upcoming EV revolution over the next decade.

First among Skoda’s EV plans will come the plug-in hybrid version of its Superb sedan in 2019, as well as an all-electric version of the small Citigo in the same year. Following this, 2020 will see the launch of Skoda’s first next-generation EV built on Volkswagen Group’s (VW’s) new MEB architecture, a model which has been unveiled in concept form as the ‘Vision E’ coupé-SUV.

This is expected to become the most expensive vehicle in the brand’s 122-year history and especially targets the surging Chinese EV market, where EV sales are expected to become mainstream first. The cost – around €44,000 (£40,000) – is due to the high number of batteries required to achieve Volkswagen Group’s ambitions for a 500km (310 mile) standard range for its EVs. While expensive for Skoda, it is still only half the price of the Tesla Model X. Alongisde other MEB vehicles, it is likely to be built at VW’s factory in Bratislava, the capital of auto-hub Slovakia, and due to Skoda’s success in China, it is being given almost the same priority as VW’s first MEB –based car, the Volkswagen ID.

Finally, in 2021, Skoda will add a second smaller EV more in line with the brand’s traditional pricing, which may carry the historic Felicia E name. This will essentially be Skoda’s version of the Volkswagen ID hatchback, including the rear-mounted 168bhp electric motor, and so will be smaller than the Octavia hatchback but roomy due to the clever MEB architecture.

Read more: Autovista Group