Our cars PHEV fuel comparison time Halfway through our Skoda long-term test it’s time to take stock of the Kodiaq Mk2’s plug-in hybrid system Guy Bird
In our most recent second report (online) you may remember we had decided to temporarily pause our regular electric charging because the January and February cold temperatures, hovering just above or below zero degrees, were making overnight charges at our local neighbourhood public charging point sub-optimal.
Adding between 55-60 (notional) miles of electric-only range on a few occasions in a row (compared to the official 71-mile top) at a cost of nearly £12 each time – even when charging mainly overnight to take advantage of the lower midnight to 7am 39pkWh tariff at our local (new) 3.4kW Clenergy lamp post public charger – the numbers on paper did not look good.
Add in the persistent cold weather and higher winter 60p electricity tariffs outside of those times – making a 15-hour plug-in a necessity to get a sufficiently full charge to warrant bothering – and the weak 31 miles real- world return (about half the stated range after our charge) and the effort and cost didn’t really make sense. Running on electric-only after that charge, and doing a few sums, the per-mile cost worked out at a whopping 39p.
To compare that to a petrol-only fill- up in similar temperatures and driving patterns – and with no electric charging in-between – we then ran the Kodiaq PHEV on petrol alone until virtually empty. After some 361 miles, forking
out £64.75 to fill up (at £1.46 per litre), we returned 37.0mpg, roughly 18 pence per mile and more than half the price of electric-running.
After that petrol-only experiment and the brief arrival of some warmer weather in early March, we gave the battery another charge well before it was fully depleted and ten hours later – and with
13.5-degrees centigrade on the driver display at the time of unplugging – 65
Why we’re running it
To see how if this longer-range plug-in hybrid can make sense for city dwellers without off- street charging
miles of range showed up within the driver binnacle. Since then we’ve been taking it steady, still broadly on urban routes and testing what the car can achieve back in electric-only mode. So far we’ve noted that when turning on the air-conditioning, even just to fan level one, the notional mile counter drops by 13 miles. Keep the A/C off and the situation is much better, but the outside temperature has since dropped back down to six to eight degrees centigrade in London, so unless you’re wearing a big jacket, scarf, hat and some gloves, a little warm A/C is sometimes needed. We’re trying to be frugal – and patient. Meanwhile, the Kodiaq broadly does its main transportation job well, but does have its little idiosyncrasies. Like when putting the gear into ‘D’ for drive on the steering column and then gently pressing the accelerator the car often exhibits a slight jolt or lurch. Not always, but often enough to be disconcerting, and reported by more than one driver. Or its Hill Hold function that sometimes seems to think about working before it actually does, which is unsettling on an actual hill, or even just one with a slight gradient. Or the proximity hazard alert picture that takes over the centre screen when you’re trying to follow the satnav – and which stays active well after any potential hazard has gone – but apparently can’t be easily cancelled with the usual finger press of the ‘X in the circle’. Or the rear-view camera that helpfully appears in the centre screen to aid safe reversing but then stays on long after the driver has selected D and the car is in forward motion. Or the funny squeak the car sometimes makes when decelerating and the grumbly noise of the 204hp 1.5-litre TSI when called into action by itself, which suggests it’s working slightly harder alone than it is comfortable with. All of which sounds like a long list, but the Kodiaq is still a nice car to drive and its cabin a pleasant place to reside. I just hope the real- world EV range can improve.
Skoda Kodiaq iV SE L (5 seat)
P11D £44,580 Price as tested £47,055 (OTR) CO₂ (BIK%) 11g/km (5%) Official consumption 578.4mpg Our average consumption 37.0mpg Electric-only range 71 miles Mileage 2966 miles
46 | March/April 2025 |
www.businesscar.co.uk
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