Skoda's first pure electric car, the Citigo-e iV, will cost £16,955 after government grants when it goes on sale in the UK next month.
Effectively Skoda's updated version of the Volkswagen e-up, the new city car comes with headline figures of 81bhp and a range of up to 164 miles under the WLTP testing protocol.
Order books for the Citigo-e iV will open on 10 December, with the car offered in two trim levels. The machine is priced at £20,455 before the £3500 government grant is taken into account. The post-grant price of £16,955 is substantially cheaper than the £19,300 price of the closely related Seat e-Mii. Pricing for the e-Up has yet to be revealed, but is expected to start from around £23,000 pre-grant.
While we're promised that the two upcoming Skodas that will sit on the Volkswagen Group's forthcoming MEB pure electric architecture are more adventurous, the Citigo-e is much more traditional. The body-coloured radiator grille is the most obvious sign of the different power source from the regular car. All Citigo-es will have five doors, and there will be two trim levels – SE and SE L – in the UK.
As in the e-Up, power comes from a single electric motor driving the front wheels and supplied by a 36.8kWh lithium ion battery positioned underneath the floor; 155lb ft of torque should ensure peppy responses. Skoda claims a 0-62mph time of 12.5sec, but the top speed will be limited to 81mph. Expect it to be very close to the e-Up’s 1229kg kerb weight.
Entry-level SE models can support charging at up to 7.2kW using a standard AC port, while a 2.3kW domestic wallbox can also be used. Models also come with air conditioning, a leather steering wheel, 14in alloy wheels, DAB radio and central locking. Using the standard AC port, a 7.2kW system will take just over four hours to deliver the same level of charge; a 2.3kW domestic wallbox will take around 12 and a half hours.
The higher-spec SE L trim, which starts at £22,815 pre-grant (£19,315 after grant), features a Combined Charging System (CCS), allowing use of a DC fast-charger at speeds of up to 40kW. The trim also features 16in alloy wheels, ambient lighting, heated front seats, parking sensors and body-coloured mirrors.
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So the entry model is cheaper
It's great that EVs are becoming available at lower costs but I still think they need to be a fair bit lower.
GRRR...ill(e)
Getting sick of lazy e-car designers slapping a Darth Vader face plate on the front of every standard design in order to give it e-cred. How hard is it to think of something more interesting to do with a car nose? Skoda gang, book a trip on the Tardis to 1970’s Citroen.
Theojw71 wrote:
Agreed, that grille covering is cheap and disastrous. Obviously a modification to an original design.
Like you say, it shouldn't stretch Skoda's designers ingenuity too much to have the front end redesigned.
Why no 3-door? Skoda already
Why no 3-door? Skoda already do this version in the range so it cant be hard to offer this choice to customers. Another vehicle that could have been on my shopping list, but now won't be.
3 door cars? Nobody wants them, apparently!
Unless you're prepared to settle for a 5 door, a crossover or an SUV, you might as well not bother visiting any dealership. The fact that we're all supposed to want to trade up to ever larger models completely ignores people of my age, 67, or greater who want a smaller car because we don't need something massive to impress the neighbours. As for the Skoda, I'll give it a look, especially since the local dealer is conveniently close to my home and I like to deal locally.