Skoda Kamiq Run-Out 2024 review: Worth the money?

The COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on prices of the Skoda Kamiq small SUV.

When it arrived in Australian showrooms in late 2020 – as the public was emerging from lockdowns, and demand for new cars was on the up – the cheapest automatic Kamiq 85TSI was $29,990 drive-away.

The 85TSI ‘Style’ would be dropped about nine months later, and by the time it returned in mid-2022 – as demand was running even hotter, but computer chips needed to build modern cars were in short supply – the same car was $37,990 drive-away, with no extra equipment.

Now production bottlenecks have eased – and it no longer needs to maximise profit from the limited slots on the assembly line it has to work with – Skoda Australia has introduced a cheaper Kamiq Run-Out Edition with less equipment, priced from $32,990 drive-away.

It is not as cheap as the one-model-up Kamiq Style once was, though few goods or services are as cheap as they were pre-pandemic, and as the name suggests, it is only available for a few months before a facelifted Kamiq arrives in June.

However, it opens the Skoda Kamiq up again to buyers on a tighter budget, and is similarly priced to increasingly popular top-of-the-range small SUVs from Chinese brands. Should it be on your consideration list?

The Skoda Kamiq Run-Out edition is priced from $31,790 plus on-road costs – or $32,990 drive-away nationwide – with white paint and a standard automatic transmission.

It is $5000 cheaper than the next model up, the $37,990 drive-away Style, and is Skoda Australia’s most affordable car, after the Fabia city hatch was given a big price hike for the latest model.

Rivals include the Kia Seltos S ($31,990 drive-away nationwide), GWM Haval Jolion Ultra ($33,990 drive-away), Mazda CX-3 Pure ($29,450 plus on-road costs or an estimated $33,500 drive-away in NSW), MG ZST Essence ($33,990 drive-away), and Toyota Yaris Cross GX hybrid front-wheel drive ($30,000 plus on-roads or an estimated $33,500 drive-away in NSW).

Skoda is keen to highlight sharp finance deals available through the company’s in-house Skoda Choice division, which includes a guaranteed future value (GFV) program that locks in, at the start of the lease, the vehicle’s minimum value at its conclusion.

When estimated to equal terms – a four-year finance term, zero deposit, 15,000km annual allowance, and an equal balloon payment, where possible to set it on each brand’s website – the Kamiq costs $120 per week (at a 6.99 per cent comparison rate), a Seltos S is $129/week at 9.8 per cent, and a CX-3 Pure is $149/week at 10 per cent, according to each brand’s in-house finance.

Compared to the Style, the Run-Out misses out on 18-inch alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control with lane centring, a power tailgate, 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless smartphone charging pad, rear privacy glass and dual-zone climate control.

Standard features include 17-inch alloy wheels, dusk-sensing LED headlights, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, eight-speaker sound system, keyless entry and start, leather-trimmed steering wheel, fabric seats, seven airbags, and a suite of safety technology.

The Skoda Kamiq is small on the outside, but there is a respectable amount of space inside for passengers and cargo.

There’s enough space for a tall driver to get comfortable behind the wheel, with tilt and reach adjustment in the steering column, and manually adjustable front seats. I found it hard to settle into the seat – the padding was digging into my shoulder blades – but given others on the Drive team have previously complimented the Kamiq’s seats, this issue may be specific to my body shape.

There are traditional dials for volume and tuning, and in this Run-Out edition, three more dials to control the air conditioning – a refreshing change from the fiddly touch-sensitive buttons increasingly fitted to many more expensive new Skodas and VWs.

Much of the cabin is made from hard black plastic, but there’s some silver trim on the dashboard, and bronze-coloured contrast stitching on the seats, as well as soft covering on the door and centre armrests, the latter of which slides for improved comfort.

Storage for oddments is covered by a phone and wallet-sized compartment ahead of the gear shifter – where the wireless phone charging pad would be in more expensive models – plus bottle holders in the doors, and a modestly sized glovebox. There are two cupholders in the centre console, but they are on the small side, as is the storage compartment under the centre armrest.

Amenities include keyless entry and start, two USB-C charging ports, manual air conditioning, and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, plus an umbrella in the door, a Skoda trademark. The steering wheel and handbrake are leather-trimmed – not available in many rivals at this price.

In the rear, there is enough space for my 186cm (6ft 1in) frame to fit behind my driving position, with ample head room and toe room, and a finger width or two’s worth of knee room.

It is less accommodating for the middle passenger, due to a large central tunnel they are required to straddle, and a higher seat base than the outboard positions.

There are two USB-C ports, rear air vents, two map pockets, three child-seat top-tether points, two ISOFIX anchors, and space for bottles in the doors, but there is no fold-down centre armrest.

The 400-litre boot is bigger than many rivals with similar or larger external dimensions, offering more space than an MG ZS, Subaru Crosstrek or Mazda CX-30, but less than a Hyundai Kona, Kia Seltos or Volkswagen T-Roc.

It expands to 1395L with the 60:40 split-folding seats down. There’s a light in the boot, as well as pockets on the side and some bag hooks, plus a space-saver spare wheel under the floor.

The Skoda Kamiq Run-Out Edition is fitted as standard with an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen offering wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, AM/FM radio (but no DAB digital radio), and Bluetooth.

The system is not the newest, quickest or most contemporary in its graphics, but it is easy to use, backed by ample processing power, and retains physical volume and tuning dials. However, the touch-sensitive shortcut buttons on either side of the display are harder to use on the move than a normal switch.

There is no embedded satellite navigation, but Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be a substitute – once you plug your phone into the correct one of the two USB-C ports.

The rear-view camera quality is adequate, if not exceptional, and there are rear parking sensors.

The new entry-level Kamiq drops the Style model’s 10.25-inch widescreen instrument screen for analogue dials – which are clear and easy to read – and a small monochrome display that can show a digital speedometer, fuel use, the current song playing, and more.

The eight-speaker sound system punches above its weight, and delivers clearer audio quality than more expensive Skoda cars we tested on the same media test-drive event.

Skoda does not offer connected smartphone app functionality – which could allow for remote unlocking/locking of the vehicle, location tracking and other features – and has not announced a timeline to do so.

The Skoda Kamiq is covered by a five-star ANCAP rating based on testing conducted by European sister organisation Euro NCAP in 2019, based on now-superseded 2018–19 test protocols.

It earned scores of 96 per cent for adult occupant protection, 87 per cent for child occupant protection, 80 per cent for vulnerable road user protection (pedestrians and cyclists), and 76 per cent for safety assist crash-avoidance technology.

For the most part, Skoda has not skimped on safety features to hit the Run-Out Edition’s price, compared to more expensive models in the Kamiq range.

However, there is no adaptive cruise control in this model, only regular cruise control. It is activated using buttons on the indicator stalk and – without reading the owner’s manual – took us some trial and error, including plenty of accidental indicator flashes, before mastering how to use it.

As with all Skoda Kamiq models there is no speed sign recognition, nor AEB capable of detecting more than pedestrians, but it does offer a tyre pressure loss warning.

None of the Kamiq’s other active safety features were overzealous.

The Skoda Kamiq is backed by a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty – one of the longest in the car industry, and the only European manufacturer offering seven years of coverage as standard.

Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first, and amounts to $1573 over three years, $3107 over five years and $4254 over seven years, when paid at the time of each service.

Prepaid service packs are available – which must be bought before the first scheduled service – which cut the five-year/75,000km price to $2350, and the seven-year/105,000km price to $2650.

Unless the customer purchases a service pack, the Kamiq is expensive to maintain. Five years/75,000km of scheduled servicing costs $2118 for a Mazda CX-3 and $2082 for a 2.0-litre Kia Seltos, while over five years/50,000km for a turbo MG ZST it is $1708.

The Kamiq Run-Out is too new to appear on our go-to insurance quote calculator, but as a guide, a Kamiq Style is estimated at $1570 annually – while quotes for competitors include $1227 for a CX-3 Pure, $1307 for a Seltos S and $1463 for a ZST Essence.

These figures are based on comparative quotes for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

Skoda claims fuel consumption of 5.4 litres per 100 kilometres in mixed driving – split across a quoted 6.2L/100km in urban motoring, and 4.9L/100km in extra-urban and highway conditions.

On this initial launch drive – comprised of a highway run, as well as spirited driving on a hilly mountain road, but little city driving – the trip computer displayed 8.1L/100km.

It is high for such a small car with a tiny engine. Admittedly, our drive was not representative of a buyer’s regular use, but in a week-long test of a Kamiq Style last year, with the same engine as the Run-Out Edition, we observed 7.3L/100km.

On paper, the 5.4L/100km fuel-use claim is more efficient than most rivals – including the Hyundai Kona and Kia Seltos with 2.0-litre non-turbo petrol engines, and an MG ZST or GWM Haval Jolion with turbo four-cylinder petrol engines.

However, the Kamiq cannot match the 3.8L/100km claimed by a hybrid Toyota Yaris Cross.

As with most European cars in Australia, the Kamiq requires 95 or 98-octane premium unleaded petrol. Its 50L fuel tank delivers an estimated driving range of 1020km according to the highway fuel consumption claim.

The 85kW power output from the Kamiq’s 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine is not much, but its respectable 200Nm torque rating – available from just 2000rpm – gives it willing performance around town.

There is respectable punch in the middle of the rev range – when the turbo has spun up – and it doesn’t feel underpowered at highway speeds, though you will need to leave a larger gap for country-road overtakes than the more powerful 1.5-litre four-cylinder Kamiq.

It is accompanied by a pleasant and ‘thrummy’ note from the engine under acceleration.

The only main blot on the way the Kamiq drives is the dual-clutch transmission, which shifts quickly on the move but can be hesitant when accelerating from a standstill.

Combined with an auto stop-start system that turns off the engine when stopped to reduce fuel use, and some turbo lag from rest, the driver can sometimes find themselves falling behind other cars after the traffic light turns green.

The transmission can also occasionally ‘shunt’ during gear changes at lower speeds. The gearbox is better calibrated in the Kamiq than some other Skoda and VW models with this engine, and owners will likely adapt to it, but it is not as smooth as a conventional torque-converter automatic.

With smaller 17-inch wheels than other Kamiq variants, the Run-Out soaks up bumps well around town, and is settled over undulations in the road at high speeds, though small imperfections on broken city streets can be transmitted in the cabin, and it may be firmer than what some buyers are used to.

The trade-off is enjoyable handling on a winding road, with accurate steering that is direct just off the centre point, well-controlled body roll, good grip from the Goodyear tyres, and a general sense of agility.

Parking is easy thanks to light steering, rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera, the car’s small footprint, and good visibility from all windows.

The brake pedal is not too grabby or sensitive – but provides decent bite the more you push the pedal – and there’s not much noise intrusion from the outside world, aside from some tyre roar on coarse-chip roads common in Australia.

The Skoda Kamiq claims towing capacities of 1200kg braked or 610kg unbraked.

When driven unladen, the Kamiq is not a rocket-ship, so we would not want to be hitching up much more than a small box trailer often – or taking it beyond city limits.

The 1305kg tare mass and 1770kg gross vehicle mass (GVM) equate to a payload of 465kg, which is the maximum weight of fluids (oil and water), fuel, passengers, cargo and accessories the vehicle can legally carry.

The payload – which is likely to be closer to 400kg with fuel and engine fluids on board – may only pose an issue if all five seats are in use, as each passenger would need to weigh less than 80kg (on average) if the Kamiq is to remain legal on the road.

The Skoda Kamiq remains a well-rounded small SUV – it is a previous two-time Drive Car of the Year category winner ­– and the Run-Out edition makes it more accessible to buyers on tighter budgets.

While similarly priced Chinese cars impress with long equipment lists and flashy interiors, the Kamiq Run-Out is comfortable, pleasant to drive, spacious inside, and aside from lane centring and adaptive cruise control, isn’t wanting for any crucial equipment.

It’s not perfect – the value equation is diluted by higher servicing costs than rivals, particularly without a prepaid service pack, and the transmission remains rough around the edges at times.

And while this Run-Out edition is positioned competitively, the past three years have made their mark on the Kamiq range prices.

Still, the Skoda Kamiq remains a refined and likeable small SUV that is easy to recommend in this new Run-Out edition form.

The Kamiq Run-Out is our pick of the four-model range for value. The one-variant-up Style adds some useful features – particularly adaptive cruise control and lane-centring assist – but its $5000 premium is not easy to justify.

This new edition is only available for a limited time, so if you’re reading this after the facelifted Kamiq arrives mid-year, you may be out of luck.

We recommend taking a test drive at a dealership before signing on the dotted line. Find your nearest Skoda dealer via this link. Competing vehicles worth considering and test driving include the Hyundai Kona, Kia Seltos and Nissan Qashqai – though many of these are more expensive than the Kamiq Run-Out.

If you want to stay updated with everything that’s happened to this car since our review, you’ll find all the latest news here.