2027 Skoda Epiq Sportline: Top Trim Adds Matrix LED, Up to 440 km WLTP

Skoda has added a Sportline version to the Epiq, its smallest battery-electric SUV, and presents it as the best-equipped and most expressive way to buy the car. The reveal came at the Paris Motor Show, with Skoda's press release dated 12 October 2026. The Sportline is not a new powertrain: it uses the two front-motor, front-wheel-drive BEV versions that already exist, the Epiq 40 with 99 kW (135 PS, about 133 hp) and the Epiq 55 with 155 kW (211 PS, about 208 hp). What changes is the package around them: unique bumpers, glossy black exterior details, an optional black roof, exclusive 19-inch wheels, standard Matrix LED headlights with an illuminated grille, and a black cabin with electrically adjustable sports seats. Skoda quotes up to 440 km WLTP (preliminary) for the Epiq 55 and 10-80% DC charging in as little as 24 minutes. Prices are public in France and the UK, while Germany opens orders at the end of October 2026.

Performance & Specs

The Sportline is offered in two BEV versions, and Skoda is explicit that the drivetrains are unchanged. The Epiq 40 Sportline has a single front motor rated at 99 kW (135 PS, about 133 hp) and 267 Nm, with a top speed of 160 km/h. The Epiq 55 Sportline raises output to 155 kW (211 PS, about 208 hp) and 290 Nm, with 0-100 km/h in 7.1 seconds and the same 160 km/h limit. PS is the metric horsepower, about 1.4 percent smaller than the imperial hp used here, and some UK outlets print the Epiq 55 as 207 or 208 bhp for that reason. Skoda's footnote adds that the 99 kW figure follows the UN-GTR.21 method and depends on the battery's state of charge, temperature and age.

Range figures are still labelled preliminary. Skoda's release gives more than 310 km WLTP for the Epiq 40 and up to 440 km WLTP for the Epiq 55, and Notebookcheck notes that formal homologation is pending. UK outlets quote about 270 miles for the Epiq 55 Sportline, which is roughly 435 km. French outlets report 322 km for the Sportline 40 and 434 km for the Sportline 55, so the final homologated numbers may land a few kilometres either side of the press release. For a front-drive city SUV this is a sensible spread: the larger battery buys about 130 km of range, and Skoda has not restated an Epiq 40 0-100 km/h time for the Sportline.

Both versions have regenerative braking, a coasting mode and an ECO assistant that coaches the driver through the Digital Cockpit. The Sportline adds a heated three-spoke steering wheel with paddles that adjust the regeneration level, which suits a car that Skoda positions as the sporty one without giving it more power. French outlets point out exactly that: the Sportline brings no extra horsepower and no faster acceleration than the plainer Epiq 55, so the case for it rests on looks, equipment and the exclusive wheels.

Powertrain	Single-motor FWD BEV
Power	155 kW (211 PS / 208 hp)
Torque	290 Nm
0–100 km/h	7.1 s
Battery	55 kWh gross / 52 kWh net
Range	Up to 440 km WLTP (preliminary)

Dimensions & Practicality

Length	4,171 mm
Width	1,798 mm
Height	1,581 mm
Wheelbase	2,601 mm
Boot	475 L / 1,344 L seats folded

The Sportline keeps the Epiq's body, so it is a compact SUV just over 4.17 metres long on a 2,601 mm wheelbase. Skoda's technical data gives a 475 L boot, growing to 1,344 L with the rear seatbacks folded. The Premium Package adds a frunk, which electrive puts at 25 L, enough for a charging cable rather than luggage; the press photos show a cable stowed there. The black roof rails are standard on the Sportline, and Skoda notes that the blacked-out roof available as an option is exclusive to this version.

Skoda has not published a split of WLTP range by wheel size for the Sportline. Buyers who care about range should therefore expect the 20-inch option to sit at the lower end of the final homologated bands, as is normal when wheel size grows, and should check the final figures once homologation is complete.

Charging & Battery

The Epiq 40 Sportline carries a 38.5 kWh gross (37 kWh net) battery and Skoda quotes 10-80% in 23 minutes, while the Epiq 55 Sportline has a 55 kWh gross (52 kWh net) pack that does the same in as little as 24 minutes. The release does not print peak charging power, but Skoda UK's range page gives 105 kW for the Epiq 55 and independent data lists 90 kW for the Epiq 40. Skoda's footnote stresses that charging times depend on the station and conditions, and that the quoted power is measured under WLTP-type conditions at about 23 degrees Celsius. AC charging is 11 kW according to independent data, and French outlets report that both support vehicle-to-load and vehicle-to-home use.

Design & Interior

Skoda lists what is exclusive to the Sportline in some detail. Outside, it has body-coloured front and rear bumpers of its own design, glossy black Skoda lettering, roof rails and mirror caps, and black 19-inch alloy wheels as standard with a 20-inch design as an option; both wheel designs are Sportline-only. The lighting is the car's main visual upgrade: T-shaped LED Matrix headlights, LED taillights and the illuminated Light Band grille, which UK press calls the Tech-Deck face, are all standard. Auto Express notes that the illuminated grille is a first for the Epiq. The press photos show the car in red with a Sportline badge on the tailgate.

Inside, the theme is black. The headlining is black, and the electrically adjustable sports seats have extra lateral support and are trimmed in Suedia, Skoda's soft-touch microfibre, which UK outlets describe as microsuede with artificial leather and white contrast stitching. The same material covers the armrest, the door-panel inserts and the dashboard trim. The three-spoke steering wheel is heated and carries a Sportline badge, and the cabin gets stainless-steel pedal covers, ambient lighting, decorative door sills and a wireless phone charger rated at up to 15 W.

The black roof, the exclusive wheels and the sports seats are the items that change how the car looks from a distance and feels from the driver's seat. Everything below the surface, from the platform to the motors and batteries, is shared with the standard Epiq, and Skoda's own wording is that the Sportline gives the compact SUV a dynamic exterior while the equipment list is the longest in the range.

Technology & Features

Skoda groups the Epiq's equipment into packages, and the Sportline builds on the Selection level. From the Selection trim upward, the Convenience package (heated steering wheel and front seats, dual-zone Climatronic, auto-dimming rear-view mirror and privacy glass), the Tech package (front parking sensors, KESSY Advanced keyless entry, Digital Key, rear-view camera and wireless phone charging) and the Light & View package (Matrix LED headlights, Top LED taillights and the Light Band grille) are standard. UK outlets list a 13-inch central touchscreen, a 5-inch digital driver display, wireless SmartLink, two-zone climate control and Drive Mode Select as standard on the Sportline.

Two optional packages sit on top. The Travel Package adds Travel Assist 3.0, Crew Protect Assist, navigation and three years of Skoda Connect Premium, and electrive reports that in Germany it is fitted as standard. The Premium Package adds the Top Area View 360-degree camera, a 10-speaker Canton sound system, the frunk, Remote Parking, Trained Parking and Reversing Assist. Buyers should check the local price list for exactly which items are included, because the Sportline's standard content differs between markets.

Safety & ADAS

Skoda has not issued a separate safety rating for the Sportline, and its release does not list the base safety equipment. The driver-assistance content it does describe is optional: Travel Assist 3.0 and Crew Protect Assist in the Travel Package, and a 360-degree camera plus Remote Parking, Trained Parking and Reversing Assist in the Premium Package. Standard hardware includes front parking sensors and a rear-view camera, as part of the Tech package. Skoda does not state an SAE automation level for the Epiq.

Available Versions

Pricing & Availability

Pricing depends on the market. In France, Skoda's website lists the Epiq Sportline from €38,600 (about $43,500 at the ECB rate of 6 October 2026), and the Paris Motor Show price grid reported by French outlets puts the Sportline 40 at €38,600 and the Sportline 55 at €43,370 (about $48,900). The same grid shows the cheapest Epiq 55 at €32,070, so the Sportline 55 sits about €11,300 above it, although part of that gap is equipment that Skoda also fits to the Selection trim. The French site deducts a CEE energy bonus from some trims' displayed prices, it does not say whether that applies to the Sportline, and the page offers an appointment booking rather than an order button.

In the UK, Skoda lists the Epiq SportLine 55 from £32,450 on the road (about $43,100, before the £1,500 Electric Car Grant that Skoda UK says applies to its 55 models; whether it applies to the Sportline is not stated), which is £2,000 more than the Epiq Edition and slightly above the limited First Edition at £31,450. UK orders have not opened yet, with a "Keep me informed" sign-up on the website and customer deliveries expected in early 2027; the UK gets only the larger powertrain. In Germany, Sportline orders open at the end of October 2026 for the Epiq 40 and Epiq 55, and Skoda has not announced a German Sportline price. For reference, Germany's list prices for the regular range start at €25,900 for the Epiq 35, €27,900 for the Epiq 40 and €32,100 for the Epiq 55. Skoda has not published a Czech or Austrian Sportline price either.

How It Compares

The comparison shows where the Sportline's weak spot is. The Volkswagen ID. Polo Launch Edition and the CUPRA Raval Endurance share the Epiq's platform and use the same 208 hp, 52 kWh net front-drive powertrain, with up to 454 km and up to about 445 km WLTP, yet their list prices in Germany and Spain are about €33,800 and €34,700, which is about €8,600 to €9,600 below the Sportline 55's French price. The Kia EV3 Air Standard Range has 201 hp and about 436 to 438 km WLTP for about €36,000 in Germany, and it is a larger car. On mechanical content the Epiq 55 Sportline offers no more than any of them. Its argument is a longer standard equipment list, Matrix LED lights and a distinctive black-roof look, which will matter more in a market such as the UK, where the Sportline is only £2,000 above the Edition 55. These are each maker's own list prices in the stated country and are not a like-for-like comparison of equipment.