Skoda Citigo-e iV (2020 – 2021) Review

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.

There are few cars as easy to drive as the Skoda Citigo-e iV. Its steering is light enough to turn with one finger, it’s really agile, and its tiny size and fantastic visibility make parking an absolute doddle. Add in usefully nippy acceleration and zipping through urban areas can be good fun.

There’s no lack of comfort, either. The ride is nicely smooth on bumpy, potholed city streets, while the squishy seats also help soak up rough roads. There’s barely a hint of noise inside the car from the electric motor, wind or road surface.

You won’t feel hesitant about venturing out of town in the Skoda Citigo-e iV, either. It remains just as light, agile, smooth and quiet on country roads, although it’s not as much fun as a Mini Electric. It even feels perfectly solid and stable on motorways, although it’s held back by somewhat sluggish performance at speeds above 30mph. The batteries drain quickly at higher speeds as well.

The Skoda Citigo-e iV is powered by an electric motor that drives the front wheels and generates a fairly modest 83PS. Yet there’s also a significant 212Nm of torque, which makes for very swift acceleration from a standstill. It makes the Skoda Citigo-e iV adept at getting away from the lights in a hurry, or squirting into a gap in traffic.

Out of town, performance is obviously less sprightly. Accelerating from 0-62mph takes 12.3 seconds – quite slow by electric car standards, albeit still respectable for this size of car. Top speed is limited to 81mph.

An automatic transmission is fitted. By selecting Drive or Reverse you’re actually just telling the electric motor to turn towards or backwards.

The 34kWh battery pack is modest in size, but provides a decent range of 161 miles. It’s less than you get from some small electric cars such as the Peugeot e-208, but more than overtly urban-focused rivals like the Honda e. Most people would get at least a week’s commuting out of a Skoda Citigo-e iV before needing to recharge.

When the petrol Skoda Citigo was originally assessed by the safety experts at Euro NCAP back in 2011, it was awarded a full five-star rating. Of particular note were the very high marks it scored for protecting both adults and child occupants in a crash, which many city cars don’t achieve.

The Skoda Citigo-e iV was assessed separately in 2019 and was downgraded to a three-star rating. The car is actually just as safe as it ever was, again scoring high marks for occupant protection. However, NCAP has changed its assessment criteria, putting more emphasis on a car’s safety features. Most significantly, the Skoda Citigo-e iV doesn’t have an automatic emergency braking system, which Euro NCAP now considers essential.

There are plenty of other safety features fitted to the Skoda Citigo-e iV, though, including lane-keeping assist, anti-lock brakes and stability control.

At 3.6 metres long, 1.6 metres wide and 1.5 metres tall, the Skoda Citigo-e iV is tiny. Yet its interior is much roomier than you might imagine such a car would be.

Let’s start in the front, where there is sufficient headroom and legroom to accommodate someone over six feet tall in reasonable comfort. The car’s narrow width means there isn’t a great deal of shoulder room, though.

There are only two rear seats, but fortunately the Skoda Citigo-e iV has five doors – so getting into the back is relatively easy (some petrol Skoda Citigos had three doors). If two average-sized adults are sat in the front, there’s enough space for two more in the back. Younger children can stretch out, and there are two sets of Isofix mounts if you need to install a child seat.

It’s worth noting that the back seat seat is mounted a couple of inches higher up than in a petrol Skoda Citigo because the battery pack is beneath it. That restricts headroom a little, although it does mean kids have a better view out of the car.

For a small city car, the Skoda Citigo-e iV is pretty spacious inside. It’s certainly more so than electric rivals such as the Honda e and BMW i3.

Even the boot is a decent size, its 250-litre capacity matching that of petrol-powered rivals like the Hyundai i10, and significantly bettering the EVs mentioned above. Four big bags-for-life will slot in, or so can a couple of carry-on suitcases, plus a soft bag or two. For most single people and couples, it will be more than practical enough.

On those occasions you need to fill the car with bulky stuff, the back seats fold down to create 923 litres of space. It’s easy to load larger objects, too, thanks to the large and square opening.  

There are lots of electric cars with an interior that looks and feels like the bridge of a spaceship. That’s not the case in the Skoda Citigo-e iV – and it’s all the better for it. The layout isn’t intimidating, you don’t feel like you’re being bombarded with tech, and that makes the Skoda Citigo-e iV an easier first step into electric motoring than gadget-laden rivals such as the Honda e.

The interior of the Skoda Citigo-e iV is virtually identical to that of petrol Skoda Citigo models. The main difference is that the rev counter has become a gauge showing how much energy is being used at that moment. Also, what was the fuel gauge shows how much charge is left in the battery. There’s also a technical-looking pattern on the dashboard of the top-grade SE L.

The dashboard layout is very easy to learn your way around. You’ll work out what the buttons and knobs do in moments. The plastics used where you see and feel them most often are of a higher quality than you might expect to find in this kind of car.

The seats are very comfy, and the SE L has plusher upholstery, plus a leather-wrapped steering wheel, gear knob and handbrake. It’s not a premium product, but nor does the Skoda Citigo-e iV feel like it’s from the bargain basement. There’s a lot of light inside, too, let in by relatively large windows. Above all, the interior is a really pleasant place in which to travel.

It’s very well made, too. Everything feels really solid, so you’ll have no qualms about making the Skoda Citigo-e iV work hard for its living.

The infotainment set-up in the Skoda Citigo-e iV is a bit old-fashioned. There’s a stereo unit with DAB/FM/AM radio integrated into the dashboard and that’s it. At least it’s touchscreen-controlled, so it looks and feels like 21st century technology. There’s also an aux-in port for streaming music from your phone.

However, that’s not the end of the story. There’s a universal smartphone mount on top of the dashboard that is plumbed into the stereo. With Skoda’s Move&Fun app you can then use sat-nav, call up your playlists and contacts and view all sorts of vehicle-related information. Many of the app’s functions can be controlled via the stereo’s touchscreen.

There’s another app that is useful to download: Skoda Connect. It shows all sorts of useful info like the car’s charging status and location. You can even turn on the climate control remotely, to warm or cool the car before you drive.

When it was on sale, the Skoda Citigo-e iV was one of the cheapest electric cars available in the UK. The entry-level version was priced at just £20,455, with the top model at £22,815.

Now that it’s only available to buy as a used car, the Skoda Citigo-e iV remains relatively cheap. Prices range from about £12,000 to £18,000, depending on the model, mileage and condition. About £14,000 will get you a really tidy example with fairly low mileage. That’s not much money for an electric car from this decade.

Finding a Skoda Citigo-e iV can be an issue, though. It was only in dealerships for six months and not many were sold. However, if you include the near-identical SEAT Mii Electric and Volkswagen e-Up in your search, the selection of cars available is much bigger. 

How long it takes to charge the battery in a Skoda Citigo-e iV depends on which type of charging cables it comes with – some of them were only available as options. The vast majority of cars would have been specified with the necessary cable to charge using a 7.2kW wallbox, of the type you may have at home. This delivers an 80 percent charge in four hours and 15 minutes.

The car will also likely come with a CCS charging lead, compatible with public rapid chargers. This can accept electricity at a rate of 40kW, which can boost the battery up to 80 percent of its capacity in an hour.

Whichever type of charger you use, refilling a Skoda Citigo-e iV’s 34kWh battery won’t cost much. Private owners don’t have to pay vehicle excise duty (VED, or company car tax), while company car benefit-in-kind tax rates are negligible.

Servicing is likely to be very inexpensive as well. The car was covered by a three-year manufacturer’s warranty that will run out sometime in 2023. However, Skoda does offer extended warranties for up to five years after the car is first registered.    

There are two models of Skoda Citigo-e iV to choose from: SE and SE L. Both come pretty well equipped for a small and affordable city car.

Let’s look at SE first. You can spot it by its 14-inch wheels with Indus trims. Inside, the steering wheel, gear knob and handbrake are wrapped in leather. Comfort features include climate control air-con, front electric windows and a height-adjustable driver’s seat.

For entertainment, there is a touchscreen-controlled stereo with DAB radio and six speakers, plus a universal smartphone holder on top of the dashboard. You can download Skoda’s Fun&Move app to use sat-nav and music streaming services via the car’s stereo unit. Safety features include anti-lock brakes, stability control, lane-keeping assist, front and rear fog lights and two sets of Isofix child seat mounts in the back.

SE L adds to the above with 16-inch Scorpius alloy wheels, body-coloured door handles and side mirrors, plusher seat upholstery, chrome interior door handles and ambient lighting. There’s also a useful pocket on the side of each front seat for your phone.

Extra features fitted to SE L include heated front seats, rear parking sensors and electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, along with automatic headlights and wipers.