Skoda Kamiq long-term test: Report 5

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 7319 List price £29,980 Target Price £48,252 Price as tested £31,175 Official fuel economy 47.5mpg Test fuel economy 46.8mpg.

10 October 2024 – Down the hatch

As a child, there's a strong temptation to pile your plate to Himalayan extremes when visiting a restaurant buffet, only to find yourself full after the first five or six mouthfuls. These thoughts came to mind when exploring my Skoda Kamiq's appetite for loads; will it wolf the lot down, or are its eyes bigger than its stomach?

The Kamiq is actually one of the smaller machines to have yet faced the John Bradshaw ultimate bootspace challenge, in which I fill them up to bursting with months worth of accumulated garden waste and garage detritus for a weekend tip run. And after manoevring the agile Kamiq into position by the garage door, and being reminded of its petite overall dimensions, my load-lugging expectations weren't high. 

You open and close the bootlid the old-fashioned way, without electrical assistance. It opens wide, but it doesn't afford much shelter from the elements when open. The parcel shelf is removable, rather than a roller-blind affair. That means you have to either leave it at home or sacrifice boot space to carry it. However, it does have a very useful net built in; I suspend my hi-viz jacket in this, making it easy to grab when I need it on shoots.

After removing the parcel shelf and dropping the rear seatbacks (a simple tug of two boot-mounted lever), I found myself staring into an abyss that was bigger that I expected – bigger than that of the similar-sized Ford Puma I once ran. The first massive bag of waste went in without touching the sides, and the second was swallowed with similar enthusiasm.

A third would prove too much, but, fortunately, that one was only half full, and the Kamiq accepted it. And, when closing the boot, I was grateful for the manual bootlid. The boot was overflowing to the extent that I had to force the tailgate home; an electric lid would no doubt have sensed a resistance and refused to close.

Really, my load of handily deformable bags of waste was an easy challenge, but loading big, heavy items might have been trickier; with no adjustable boot floor standard, there's a sizeable step up to the extended load bay when the seats are folded flat, and another at the boot entrance. The loading lip itself, though, isn't too high off the ground.

Overall, though, I was impressed by the Kamiq's appetite; it ate all its greens without complaint.

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