Skoda Citigo-e iV (2020 – 2021) Review
Skoda Citigo-e iV (2020 – 2021) At A Glance
If you want to make the leap into electric car ownership, but are put off by the futuristic design and technology many of them have, the Skoda Citigo-e iV city car, a rebadged Volkswagen e-Up, might be just what you’re looking for.
Why is that? Well, until 2020, the Citigo was only sold with petrol engines. Then Skoda binned the engine, gearbox and fuel tank, and replaced them with an electric motor and battery. There are no wacky design flourishes, and the interior hasn’t been filled with touchscreens. The petrol Skoda Citigo was always one of the easiest cars to drive, and that remains true – perhaps even more so – of this electric version. The Skoda Citigo-e iV is an entirely conventional car that just happens to be electric.
There are two models to choose from: the Skoda Citigo-e iV SE and SE L. Both come with climate control air conditioning, DAB radio, a height-adjustable driver’s seat and electric front windows. A smartphone cradle sits on top of the dashboard and works in conjunction with a dedicated app to bring music streaming and sat-nav into the car.
SE L models have a more upmarket look and feel, thanks to 16-inch alloy wheels, plush seat upholstery and an attractive pattern on the dashboard. Extra features include heated front seats and rear parking sensors.
Power is provided by a single electric motor that drives the front wheels and produces 83PS. There’s also a substantial 212Nm of torque, which contributes to really very nippy acceleration around town.
The Skoda Citigo-e iV is in its element driving around urban environments. That responsiveness, combined with ultra-light steering, great visibility and the car’s tiny size, means darting through traffic and scooting down narrow side streets couldn’t be any easier. It even rides smoothly for a small car.
Out of town, the Skoda’s performance becomes more sluggish, but it remains agile on twisting country roads and stable at speed on motorways.
A 34kWh battery pack is fitted to the Skoda Citigo-e iV, which delivers a range of 161 miles. You should see usefully more if you mostly drive in town, but quite a lot less on the motorway. If you use the car for commuting, you’ll potentially only need to recharge it every couple of weeks.
There’s a pretty generous amount of space inside the Skoda Citigo-e iV – comfortably enough for four average-sized adults. It’s quite practical as well, with a boot big enough to accommodate a couple’s luggage for a weekend away.
The Skoda Citigo-e iV was one of the most affordable electric cars when it was available new in 2020, and it remains so as a used buy. A budget of £14,000 gets you a very nice example with low miles. Your main issue will be finding one. It was only on sale for six months and relatively few were sold.
There are very few EVs that anyone could just get into and drive, possibly without even realising that it’s an electric car. The Skoda Citigo-e iV is one of them, and it makes the switch to electric motoring very easy.