Skoda Kamiq long-term test

The car Skoda Kamiq 1.5 TSI 150 SE L Run by John Bradshaw, chief photographer

Why it’s here To find out if a small SUV can deliver a decent blend of comfort, practicality and economy 

Needs to Tackle long trips with ease, carry bulky loads and be frugal at the pumps

Mileage 103,24 List price £29,980 Target Price £28,252 Price as tested £31,175 Official fuel economy 47.5mpg Test fuel economy 46.9mpg. Dealer price now £21,500 Private price now £18,808 Running costs (excl. depreciation) Petrol £1544

9 December 2024 – Elasticated waistband

The word Kamiq is Inuit in origin, and it means "something that fits perfectly in every situation – like a second skin". When applied to a car, it sounds like so much marketing hyperbole, doesn't it? Truth is, though, where my Skoda Kamiq is concerned, it's actually not far off the truth.

As senior photographer for What Car?, the demands I place on my daily driver are pretty tough. On a given day, my Kamiq doesn't know what's in store for it. In all honesty, it comes as a surprise to me sometimes, too, and I just have to roll with it. As a result, I need my car to be adaptable, reliable and effortless to live with. And, in all those regards, the Kamiq has been a very agreeable working partner.

As far as marketing is concerned, the Kamiq is a small SUV. In reality, though, it has a weaker claim to that title than, for example, a Volkswagen T-Roc. While the two models occupy roughly similar patches of Tarmac, the T-Roc is considerably taller and you sit rather higher up. If you're a small car that gives you a commanding view of the road ahead, the Kamiq isn't the small SUV for you. If, though, you find regular small cars (such as the Skoda Fabia) a little too low-slung and tricky to get in and out of, the Kamiq might be just the job.

The Kamiq does ride a touch higher than the Fabia, too, and that's something I've been glad of. Photoshoots frequently see me leaving the smooth Tarmac and venturing down rutted tracks that a regular small car might wince at. The extra bit of ground clearance I have in the Kamiq puts me more at ease when negotiating the puddles and potholes that tend to appear around typical shooting locations.

With 400 litres of boot capacity when the rear seats are in use, its boot is pretty generous by small SUV standards – if smaller than the T-Roc's 445-litre effort. Our road testers managed to fit seven carry-on suitcases below the load cover in my car. My photographic gear, though, is rather more varied in the shapes and sizes that it comes in, and it won't all go in at once without folding the seats down (which I'd rather not have to do).

This means I have to pack specifically for every shoot I go on, and take only the kit that I know I'll need. Inevitably, though, that's led to moments when I wish I'd brought something I left behind – my stepladder, for example.

Truth is, though, it was only such practicalities that served to remind me just how compact the Kamiq is, because – from behind the wheel – it has many of the trappings of something with a rather higher station in life. The dashboard has a grown-up feel to it, with pleasingly soft materials in all the places where my fingers frequently roamed, with harder plastics being sensibly reserved for those locations where their function is more important than their form. The lower parts of the doors, for example, where they're likely to meet the kicking feet of kids.

I also appreciate the proper, physical climate control knobs and buttons; familiarity has enabled me to operate them by touch alone without taking my eyes from the road. The infotainment system, too, is easy to navigate, even though the absence of a BMW-style rotary controller means I'm reliant on the touchscreen and the voice control.

The latter, incidentally, answers to the name of Laura, and doesn't always understand what I'm saying. It also sometimes thinks I'm talking to it, even when I'm not. Still, the on-screen graphics are crisp and clear, and the menus make sense.

Thankfully, where the Kamiq certainly hasn't imitated bigger SUVs is in its running costs. My calculated average of 46.8mpg over 12,000 miles isn't far off the official figures, and comfortably beats that of the plug-in hybrid Range Rover Evoque that I ran recently. It'll be the Kamiq's second owner, though, who looks set to get the best deal of all. Indications are that, were I to buy my car from a Skoda dealership today, with 10,500 miles on the clock, it'd cost about £8000 less than it was brand new. 

As the sun sets on my time with the Kamiq, then, I find myself grateful for its companionship. It's generally been very easy to live with. But was it the perfect fit that its name suggests? Well, there's really no such thing as a one-size-fits-all car. But if the Kamiq's boot could be that bit bigger when I needed it to be (like trousers with an elasticated waistband are comfier after a Sunday Roast), it could be all the car I'd ever need.

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