Skoda Citigo-e iV Review 2023

The Skoda Citigo-e iV is a breeze to drive, while the low noise levels and brisk urban performance are backed up by quick steering and a comfortable ride to make it an ideal choice for city dwellers. Low running costs are a big plus too, once you get past the initial purchase price. Anyone looking for a near-perfect city car should give it serious consideration, even if you do have to undertake longer journeys on occasion.

As for rivals, its in-house competition from the Volkswagen e-Up and the SEAT Mii Electric are different only on price and looks, while the Renault Zoe is a little bigger and more expensive, but offers a more grown-up cabin, better performance and increased range, making it suitable for a wider audience.

Unlike the Mii Electric, the Citigo-e iV is available in two specifications. The basic trim is the Skoda Citigo-e iV SE, and comes with climate control, a height-adjustable driver’s seat and a DAB radio with touchscreen display. The more expensive SE L version adds better seat fabric, a smarter dashboard panel as well as automatic headlights and windscreen wipers. 

Most crucially, however, the Skoda Citigo-e iV SE L comes with Combined Charging System as standard - only an option on the SE - which means you can use public fast-charging points and get an 80% charge in an hour. It’s £700 to upgrade the SE to the CCS system, but we would say it is an essential piece of kit however you spec your Citigo-e iV.

Look no further than the SEAT Mii Electric and Volkswagen e-Up if it’s similarity you’re looking for, so consider all three before making a choice at the bare minimum. The Mii Electric and e-Up are single-model ranges unlike the Citigo, so it’s easy to compare price and specification before taking the plunge.

The other main rival in the small EV sector is Renault’s Zoe, and although it is a slightly bigger car and therefore more expensive, it comes in a choice of two power outputs, two charging modes, and three trim levels, so it’s easier to pick the car you need.

Although it’s no spring chicken, the Citigo-e iV stands comparison with newer rivals in some aspects of its quality and finish. It’s based on a city car, so the relatively sparse cabin feels quite stripped back compared to some rivals. Some of the materials feel hard to the touch but appear tough rather than cheap, and you still get a reassuring click when operating the controls, giving off strong vibes that this is a quality product.

There is a sizeable step in how luxurious the Skoda Citigo-e iV SE feels in comparison to the more expensive Citigo-e SE L. The amount of dark coloured trim and fabrics is a reminder that you’re in the basic version, and although the SE L isn’t much brighter there is a bit more flair in terms of the design on the seats and the dashboard. 

It’s also helped by leather on the steering wheel and gearlever as the main contact points. Unfortunately, there’s also nothing on the options list to add to the interior other than practical features, so you’ll need to go for a bright exterior colour if you want a bit more life in the cabin.

As standard both versions of the Skoda Citigo-e iV get a DAB radio with touchscreen operation and six speakers, and a smartphone cradle which connects via Bluetooth to give you phone operation and audio streaming, as well as a host of other features through the Fun&Move app, available for both Android and iOS devices.

The Fun&Move app adds a great deal of functionality to the Skoda Citigo-e iV, and is even more useful with an electric motor. It includes a car finder so you can recall the location of your car as well as the address and time you parked, remote charging operation and control of the air conditioning and also a remote departure timer, so you can ensure your car is charged and even warmed up or cooled down ready for you to drive away. It even allows you to defrost your windscreen on cold days so you can leave when you want to on a frosty morning.

As an option, the Skoda Citigo-e iV is also available with a multimedia holder, an adjustable case for tablets that allows rear seat passengers to view the screens hands-free.

The Skoda Citigo-e iV has almost no changes to the bodywork in its conversion to electric power, so it remains a design that has interior space as a number one priority - hence the squared-off looks and chunky proportions. It’s also important to note that ditching the engine for electric hardware hasn’t impacted the space a great deal either; the batteries are under the rear seat, which is 5cm higher than before, but that has little impact on overall headroom.

Even though it is an old design now, it’s still impressive to witness just how much space is available in the front seats. A driver of any height can get comfortable behind the wheel, even though the steering only adjusts for reach, with plenty of head and legroom. Shoulder room is decent too, despite the Skoda Citigo-e iV not being particularly wide. The feeling of space is helped by the relatively stripped-back interior and the large glazed area, all of which maximises the amount of light coming into the cabin.

Rear seat space is less generous, but it’s more than acceptable given the exterior dimensions. The rear seats are mounted 5cm higher than those in the front, so there’s a fraction less headroom, while legroom is understandably less plentiful. 

Still, there’s enough space here to accommodate willing adults for shorter journeys, and for most sizes of child you shouldn’t have any problems. All Skoda Citigo-e iV models are five-doors only, unlike the three-door option of the previous petrol models, but it is also a strict four-seater, with a rear bench designed for two and a pair of seatbelts rather than three, unlike rivals like the Renault Zoe.

Despite the addition of electrical hardware, the boot space on offer is impressive and exactly the same as the petrol version with 251 litres on offer. Fold the rear seats and this can be expanded to a massive 959 litres, and there’s an adjustable boot floor too so you can stash precious items away from prying eyes.

There’s a useful amount of storage space in the cabin too, including decently-sized door bins that can hold a 1-litre bottle, a dinky cubby ahead of the gearlever - with a removable insert designed to hold a smartphone if you wish - plus a larger than average glovebox add up to a practical cabin. A tyre repair kit is standard, and a spare wheel of any variety is not available as an option.

If you're looking for an electric car that can be squeezed into your garage, you'll want to know the Skoda Citigo-e iV's exterior dimensions. It's 3597mm long, 1645mm wide and 1481mm high.

There’s just one motor and battery pack option for the Skoda Citigo-e iV - a single motor driving the front wheels that offers a continuous output of 55PS (for cruising) with a maximum output of 83PS for short bursts of acceleration. More crucial to the driving experience is the 212Nm of torque, which contributes to the surprisingly strong acceleration, especially from lower speeds. 

This is still a relatively lightweight car at 1235kg - about the same as a Ford Fiesta - and with maximum torque from standstill the Skoda Citigo-e iV can jump away from traffic lights with surprising alacrity. If you’re not careful, you’ll feel the wheels spin before the traction control kicks in. Around town, this boundless thrust at lower speeds makes it huge fun to drive.

Get out of the city and the Skoda Citigo-e iV is less at ease. It can manage motorway speeds and be wound all the way up to 81mph, but acceleration at these speeds is much slower and the battery is depleted far more quickly at these speeds, too. Better to go a little slower and save the range for later. To help you with that, the Citigo-e iV comes with three drive modes - Normal, Eco and Eco+. The latter two modes restrict the amount of power delivered to the wheels to improve the range, with Eco+ also switching off the air-con.

The gearbox is a simple automatic with Park, Drive and Neutral, although you also have the option to adjust the strength of the regenerative braking that feeds energy back into the battery. Using this instead of the actual brakes helps to improve the range, and with it set to the highest level you can almost drive everywhere without touching the brakes.

The previous generation Skoda Citigo is a relatively refined car given its cost and city car status, but the switch to electric power has improved its performance still further. It’s solidly-built from the ground up, and you feel that from the way the doors slam and the way it behaves out on the road; it shrugs off lumps and bumps in the road comfortably, which is a welcome bonus in a car this size.

Better yet, the near-silence of the electric powertrain means that at low speeds the Citigo-e iV is comfortably quieter than cars costing thousands more. Below 20mph all you can hear is a distant whine from the motor - far quieter than any combustion engine - and it enhances the driving experience a great deal.

At higher speeds wind and tyre noise begin to make themselves known, but this is partly because they are thrown into sharper relief as there is no petrol engine to drown them out. The reality is that, at out of town and motorway speeds, the noises all blend into each other, so you get general white noise accompaniment which is still preferable to the drone of an exhaust pipe.

Overall, the Skoda Citigo-e iV scored three stars from Euro NCAP, with strong scores of 81% rating for adult protection, 83% for child protection. Less impressive were the scores for pedestrians at 46% and 55% for safety assist. 

Standard equipment includes driver and passenger front airbags, side airbags covering front and rear seats, seat belt pre-tensioners and load limiters front and rear and Isofix child seat mounting points. The Skoda Citigo-e iV also comes with electronic stability control, hill-hold assist and lane assist all as standard, with tyre-pressure monitoring and traffic-sign recognition also included.

One of the reasons for the Skoda Citigo-e iV's lower score in the Euro NCAP test compared to the original petrol version tested in 2011 is that Automatic Emergency Braking is not available as standard or as an option, something that was far less common back in 2011. Another feature that is not available on the Citigo-e iV is an automatic sound generator, a system which emits a faint noise to warn pedestrians that the vehicle is in motion, something which may be desirable if you spend a lot of time in the city.

The quoted range for the Skoda Citigo-e iV under the latest WLTP criteria is 161 miles, which is less than rivals like the Renault Zoe but more than some older electric cars that are still on the market. The reality is that for many drivers considering an electric vehicle this will be enough - 130 miles or more should be easily achievable on a full charge, so even a commute of 50 miles or more each way every day would still be possible without having to charge during the day.

Electric cars are generally very reliable, with fewer mechanical parts than petrol or diesel models. The Skoda Citigo-e iV is no exception – we've heard of very few reports of issues.

Compared to the standard Skoda Citigo-e iV, the electric version unfortunately comes in at a significantly higher insurance bracket. Both models fall into group 11E, several groups higher than some versions of the Citigo but not untypical for an electric car. It’s also a few groups lower than the comparable Renault Zoe too. Given the purchase price, insurance premiums are relatively high for a city car, but not for an electric car - with a decent few years of no-claims bonus the Citigo-e iV compares favourably with small cars like the Fiesta or Polo.

After fuel, the biggest saving you’ll enjoy by choosing the Skoda Citigo-e iV is the zero rate VED. Even if the Government decides to changes the rules again, the zero rate is likely to stay for some years to come as it designed to encourage people to choose zero-emission vehicles. It costs more to buy in the first place, but you’ll save £150 a year on VED alone compared to the most recent regular Citigo. It’s also important to remember that you’ll pay £55 in the first year of registration.

With just two versions of the Skoda Citigo-e iV available, it shouldn’t take long to decide between the two. The standard specification on the SE model is good, with essentials like climate control and Bluetooth so you can connect up the Move&Fun app. However, the fast charge CCS system is an essential, so you either need to pay the £700 to upgrade a Skoda Citigo-e iV SE with this feature or move up to the SE L model.

The Skoda Citigo-e iV SE L adds bigger alloy wheels, heated seats and mirrors, automatic wipers and headlights plus some visual upgrades to the exterior and interior, but doesn’t include features like cruise control. If you go for a Citigo-e iV SE L we’d also suggest adding the winter pack, which adds a heated windscreen.