Last updated on April 22nd, 2020 at 11:30 am
Skoda has recently announced the price of its upcoming EV, the Citigo E iV. Set for an early 2020 release, the small-sized vehicle is available to order from £16,955 after the Government Plug-in Car Grant. It marks the company's first all-electric car in its 124-year history.
The Czech manufacturer will be launching two models: the SE, and the dearer SE L, which starts from £19,315 after the plug-in grant. The latter model will have a neat selection of extras, such as 16″ alloy wheels, heated front seats and parking sensors.
However, the biggest difference lies in the charging port – the SE L adopts a CCS-style input, which allows for rapid charging using a 40kW charger. As a result, the vehicle's 36.8 kWh battery pack can be charged to 80% in under 60 minutes. By contrast, the regular SE variant which accepts a 7.2kW AC input, will do the same in 4 hours 15 minutes, or 12 hours 37 minutes if you resort to using a 3.6kW home‑charging station, instead.
Unless you opt for the SE L, we'd recommend sticking to home charging, as you'll be able to recharge overnight. Thankfully, you won't have to plug the car in regularly as it offers a driving range of 140-170 miles. It's perfectly poised to take on your daily commutes – the average distance covered in a year by Britons is around 140 miles a week. In essence, you'll only have to charge your car once a week. Of course, your mileage may vary.
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Elsewhere, the city-sized car is powered by an electric motor that outputs 61 kW (81 hp) of power, where it achieves 0-62mph in 12.5s and has a top speed of 81mph.
Inside the vehicle, you'll find a simplistic design with an electronic gear selector, and physical buttons on the dashboard. An analogue-style instrument cluster displays power usage, speed and battery usage. To keep things modern, the Citigo E iV can be linked through the Skoda Connect app, which allows you to check and control selected features of the vehicle remotely.
Finally, despite its compact size, the car has a 250-litre rear boot, while with the seats folded flat, you'll get 923 litres of storage space.
Orders for the SE and SE Lare available through Skoda's website; first deliveries are expected in early 2020. Are you tempted by this affordable EV? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments section, below.