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Want to be your own person? A real rebel? Well, this could be the car for you.
The 2026 Skoda Kamiq Select is a five-door hatchback designed for running the mean city streets (and those equally cruel suburban roads) in comfort, but without spending buckets of money.
While everyone is buying SUVs and dual-cab utes these days, there are still some people who think they don’t need to drive something the size of an apartment block to work every day.
Or, at least the household doesn’t need a second big car when only one person is driving it most of the time.
It is a small SUV called by the good people at Skoda, and I’m calling them out because it’s an hatchback like its brother, the Skokdan Scala. Just five centimetres tall, it’s a little more ground clearance than the Scala and is just under its weight. So at best, a high-riding hatchback is so it’s.
They’re trying to tell you it’s a small SUV because people want SUVs. But really, as you’ll soon find out, this is the car of most people.
Skoda has based the Kamiq on the company’s MQB A0 platform as the quirky Czech brand within the Volkswagen Group, which is shared with at least a dozen models across four brands – the VW Polo, Audi A1, and the Scala mentioned above.
While cynics will think this is just penny-pinching on the part of Volkswagen Group and its brands, what exactly does this platform actually mean for buyers to spend Audi levels of money?
But are you really getting Audi quality for Skoda money? Let’s find out.
How much does the Skoda Kamiq cost?
This is the most affordable variant in Kamiq lineup – and it costs $33,990 before on-road costs, as well as the price of closely related Skoda Scala.
| Model | Drive-away price |
| — | — |
| 2026 Skoda Kamiq Select | $33,990 |
| 2026 Skoda Kamiq Monte Carlo | $44,990 |
| 2026 Skoda Kamiq 130 Years Edition | $44,990 |
But at the time of writing, Skoda is offering the Kamiq for $29,990 drive-away for a short period (about 16 per cent off average drive away price) and that car has been much more value than usual.
To see how the Skoda Kamiq lines up against the competition, check out our
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What is the Skoda Kamiq like on the inside?
One of the best things about Kamiq is that the cabin – and, in fact, shouldn’t it be one of most important when buying a new car?
I don’t think you’re sitting in a Cupra or an Audi, so close your eyes and it is no bad. Volkswagen Group models are a bit of cross-roads at this end of the price range, and – along with the company’s accountants Skoda buyers is the ones that benefit most.
Not only are the quality materials, but the manufacturing has been done to a high level so no weird rattles or abstract parts that look like they might be ‘problem in the future’.
What’s more, everything falls to hand easily and is relatively intuitive to use.
a central 8 is located in the middle of s. Infotainment touchscreen 25-inch works well with the eight-speaker sound system, while 8- inch infotanment is good. This is 0-inch digital display ahead of the driver, which provides plenty of information in an easily read format.
Also of note is Ergonomics a long commute to work or painless jaunt to the nearest shopping centre. I loved the seats and the pared-back cloth upholstery, which was particularly popular with s.
“This is all I need,” was the overriding thought every time I jumped behind the wheel.
I only annoy the pedals, too close together with . Not to the extent that it would turn me off buying one, but in my week it raised a red flag dozens of times with Kamiq. My feet are a little wider than most, and my foot coordination isn’t about to get me into the Bolshoi Ballet role.
A breeze was able to get the Skoda, especially for those with some laugh lines around their eyes or people who have limited mobility due to its slightly raised ride height that meant jumping in and out of the car.
It’s fine to carry small people over short distance with the back seats like most small hatchbacks (and light SUVs, if you insist that it is called that) like some small car-sized hatchers. Anything else than that is a , and your passengers may be mutiny.
Unless you’re using the back seats, boot space is 400 litres and 1395L with the seats down. This segment is about par (good enough for a few big bags and Ikea flat packs) but good enough to fit in this segment.
| Dimensions | Skoda Kamiq |
| — | — |
| Length | 4241mm |
| Width | 1793mm |
| Height | 1521mm |
| Wheelbase | 2650mm |
| Cargo capacity | 400 litres (5-seat) 1395 litres (2-seat) |
To see how the Skoda Kamiq lines up against the competition, check out our
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What’s under the bonnet?
A 1 is the power of Skoda Kamiq, a . Two-cylinders petrol engine with 0-litre turbocharged engines of 85kW and 200Nm, which was driven by the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
| Specifications | Skoda Kamiq Select | Skoda Kamiq Monte Carlo |
| — | — | — |
| Engine | 1.0L 3cyl turbo | 1.5L 4cyl turbo |
| Power | 85kW | 110kW |
| Torque | 200Nm | 250Nm |
| Transmission | 7-speed DSG | 7-speed DSG |
| Driven wheels | Front-wheel drive | Front-wheel drive |
| Weight | 1310kg | 1340kg |
| Fuel economy (claimed) | 5.5L/100km | 5.6L/100km |
| Fuel economy (as tested) | 6.0L/100km | 6.1L/100km |
| Fuel tank capacity | 50L | 50L |
| Fuel requirement | 95 RON | 95 RON |
| CO2 emissions | 125g/km | 126g/km |
| Emissions standard | Euro 6 | Euro 6 |
| Braked tow capacity | 1200kg | 1250kg |
To see how the Skoda Kamiq lines up against the competition, check out our
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How does the Skoda Kamiq drive?
It was a revelation that when Volkswagen introduced the dual-clutch transmission, I’m old enough to remember. It suited for the Mark V Golf GTI, and was “the first proper development in transmission technology since the sixth gear came into being.”
Then, the Volkswagen Group fitted it to pretty much every car across all of its brands.
That was about 20 years ago, and more traditional automatic transmissions are doing a better job than VW’s DSG did – at least for commuting. And yet, the German auto giant insists that it is used – even when we know only for some cars.
Unfortunately, the Kamiq ain’t one of them.
The dual-clutch is no doubt a marked improvement in recent generations and has become much more user friendly at low speeds. But not always a good person, but rather than being the best one can ever be – like an automatic it’s great sometimes and sub-par most of the time.
My Kamiq second drive pushed me out into heavy, fast-moving traffic after my two drives. And, I thought that there was only a gap between s and no problem just came to me.
I found a gap, squeezed the throttle… squeezeed. little more… nothing… and then the turbo kicked in and the tyres squealed like I’d put them an inappropriate picture on my phone.
And that was repeated in the coming days by that situation, as it became known. It quickly disappeared, putting me in danger and annoying the cars around me (or worse) because perfect acceptable gaps in traffic were not enough to keep up with my perfectly reasonable demands.
The 1 . The three-cylinder petrol engine, which is very laggy and has a very real (and noticeable) break between what it asks of the car and what its promises. This dual-clutch automatic transmission is used to help none of which helps the .
For this delay, the temptation is to push down harder on the throttle; when the turbo kicks in, it’s now running maximum boost and suddenly front wheels are traction – making you look like a fool or risking your licence in Australia where wheelspin is capital offence.
A feature like the automatic start-stop – which cuts the engine when stopped to save fuel and reduce emissions just adds up the delay for an autophraser, adding that it will only make sense at a stop. While the actual time on a stopwatch would be minimal, at ‘green light in peak-hour it feels like if you are millennium.
Supposed advantage of a three-cylinder turbocharged engine is that it can power four-cycles but with the fuel economy of an all-wheel, three wheel engines? However, I managed just 6 in my time with the Kamiq. A litre per 100 kilometres – nearly 22 per cent above the claim.’ It is really not better than most four-cylinder engines, but it does so much more to say that there are no good s for this claim 7 liters per hundred metres (or less) of petrol and diesel engine numbers?
In the case of a larger engine, where I probably would have been torque off-the-line instantly, the turbo was pushing the small engine harder – negating the advantages.
In the general scheme, annoyances were relatively minor, having said that. While the powertrain was not my personal driving style, I don’t doubt there are many people out there who would be perfectly acceptable.
The Skoda screams lovely, once you’re moving. shifts are responsive, the engine – when on boost – is responsive and strong; while in a much higher price range it has more on-road dynamics.
Perhaps it was because I was enjoying my Kamiq Select so much that those problems with the powertrain were amplified more than they should have been.
Besides engine, the Kamiq actually rides and handles really well, and seems to be an ideal commuter car for suburban commutes.
The suspension is well-damped, but still offers a relatively good response and feedback at all speeds; it also has the easier ingress and egress – the raised ride height certainly makes it an advantage over more traditional small hatches.
And the brakes are also decent, confidence-boosting, all of which – after moving ‘adds up to an authentic fun driving experience’.
To see how the Skoda Kamiq lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
What do you get?
Most features are available in today’s entry-level Kamiq Select, which can add more technology and styling with the $5200 Signature Pack.
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Kamiq Select equipment highlights :
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- Auto LED headlights
- LED front fog lights
- LED tail-lights, rear fog lights
- LED ambient lighting
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
- Keyless entry and start
- Power-folding exterior mirrors
- Auto-dimming driver’s side mirror
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster
- 8.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Wireless Apple CarPlay
- Wireless Android Auto
- 8-speaker audio
- 4 x USB-C ports
- Dual-zone climate control
Optional Signature Pack ($5200) adds:
- Travel Assist
- Lane Assist with Adaptive Lane Guidance
- Adaptive Cruise Control
- Electric tailgate with hands-free operation
- Park Assist
- 18-inch black alloy wheels
- Rear privacy glass
- 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
- LED ambient lighting
- Chrome roof rails
- Chrome window surrounds
- Fabric upholstery (lodge interior)
Kamiq Monte Carlo adds:
- Auto LED Matrix headlights with Dynamic Light Assist
- 9.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- 10.25-inch Virtual Cockpit
- 10-speaker premium audio
- Gloss black exterior trim and badging
- Aluminium pedals
- Power-adjustable driver’s seat
- Heated front sports comfort seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Panoramic glass roof with electric sunblind
To see how the Skoda Kamiq lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
Is the Skoda Kamiq safe?
The Skoda Kamiq is unrated, according to the Australasian New Car Assessment Program – better known as ANCAP – with its previous five-star score from 2019 expired in the time between us driving the car and publication.
Standard safety features include:
- 7 airbags incl. driver’s knee
- Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) incl. pedestrian detection
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Lane Assist
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Reversing camera
- Tyre pressure monitoring
- Driver fatigue detection
Kamiq Monte Carlo adds:
- Lane Assist with Adaptive Lane Guidance
- Adaptive cruise control
- Travel Assist (adaptive cruise control and lane centring)
To see how the Skoda Kamiq lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
How much does the Skoda Kamiq cost to run?
The Kamiq is covered by Skoda’s seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
In addition, Skoda provides service packs of five or seven years for the Kamiq ($29990 and $3990 respectively), with maintenance lasting 12 months or 15,000 kilometres (whichever comes first) each year.
| Running costs | Skoda Kamiq |
| — | — |
| Warranty | 7 years, unlimited kilometres |
| Roadside assistance | Up to 7 years (service activated) |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000 kilometres |
| Capped price servicing | 7 years |
| Total capped price service cost | $3990 |
To see how the Skoda Kamiq lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
childcareman.xyz’s Take on the Skoda Kamiq
The Skoda Kamiq is a good deal, and with its low-time $29,990 drive-away value it’s essentially reelative bargain in this space.
I like the exterior styling, but it’s pretty generic by today’ – though that same pared-back philosophy makes the interior of the Kamiq beautiful to spend some time in the air.
The style is a generation-old, however, and the quality of the cabin is about as good as it gets for ‘s design. add in the price of that sub-$30k drive-away, and it is really a very likeable car indeed.
There are compromises, but there are exceptions to . But I was always frustrated with the powertrain, which seemed less suited to city driving than that of rest of the package. My boot was stuck into the throttle because I wanted more than what it could give me.’ The fuel economy also sucked, probably due to my stick-into-fuel economy and likely as such?
What is the reason I think Kamiq Monte Carlo with 1? That is the one you really want to be, 5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine. But that’s not a small change at $44,990 drive-away, as .
My opinion is that I would rather be able to just pocket the money and learn to live with the Select’s flaws for a 50 per cent premium on some performance and styling changes.
And that’s just comparing the Skoda Kamiq Select to the Kaminq Monte Carlo. While it borrows a lot more than ‘likes of magic from the likes for Volkswagen, Cupra and Audi’, the Skoda is one of the most impressive and popular cars in this bracket.
It’s a very exclusive club, with one or two Japanese cars and dozens of Chinese vehicles.’ The Kamiq’ cost is the only way to be priced as such; it has been described by its own label ‘The Kaminq was originally part of ‘one or more private clubs that were shared in Japan (and some other car owners) who had their original license for this particular Club on sale at an affordable rate. The Kamiq is one of the best value cars on the market – certainly from European manufacturers, as it looks like parking the Skoda next to some of those in the price segment.
Owners are able to see it flying in the face of the mid-size SUV trend. The ride is not a Harley-Davidson for sometimes being’regular’, but it’s the Czechia hatchback that can be used to cruise around in cruising around.
At Christmas – If you’re looking for a cheap car that doesn’t make you feel like skate every time you drive it – and something you would be happy to park next to your in-laws’ BMW X3, then the Skodat Kamiq will have been hard to look past.
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