Skoda Kamiq - Reliability and safety

The Skoda Kamiq finished in 40th place out of 50 cars in the 2024 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, with owners applauding its economy, servicing costs, and rear leg room, but criticising its insurance costs, driving experience, and safety features. Skoda, as a brand, returned a mediocre 20th-place finish out of 32 manufacturers in the best car manufacturer rankings of our 2023 survey, which is disappointing considering it used to regularly place within the top five only a few years ago.

The Kamiq comes as standard with six airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), a driver attention monitor, traffic sign recognition, and lane-keep assist. It is a shame that adaptive cruise control is part of a reasonably expensive option pack, and then you have to go for the most expensive Monte Carlo trim to even have the opportunity to specify the optional blind spot monitoring system as part of a £1,000 pack. Adaptive cruise is standard on both the Toyota Yaris Cross and Volkswagen T-Cross, while you can add a blind spot to a mid-range Design trim Yaris Cross for £600.

The Kamiq achieved a full five-star rating from Euro NCAP in its crash tests, with a stellar 96% score for adult occupant safety. It scored 85, 80 and 76% in the child occupant, vulnerable road users and safety assist categories. The closely related T-Cross is safer still, beating the Kamiq by a few per cent in each category.

Warranty

All Skoda models are covered by a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty that can be extended up to five years and 100,000 miles at extra cost. Prices range from £250 to extend it to four years and 80,000 miles, up to a little over £500 for a five-year, 100,000-mile policy.

The latter matches the Hyundai Kona, but there are other rivals, like the Kia Stonic, which has a standard seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty. Then there is the Toyota Yaris Cross, which can be covered for up to 10 years or 100,000 miles – although you will have to keep getting your car serviced annually at a Toyota main dealer to maintain the warranty over that extended period.

Servicing

You can purchase a service plan which covers the first two services for either a one-off payment of just under £500, or for £20 per month.