NEW Skoda Karoq review – better than a Kia Sportage? | What Car?

Is the Skoda Karoq still a great buy in 2025? Watch our in-depth review to find out everything you need to know about this big-selling small SUV. Is it really better than a Kia Sportage?

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Video chapters:
0:00 Intro & background
1:12 Rivals
1:14 Engines & fuel economy
2:38 Pricing
3:17 Safety
4:16 Interior
7:39 Rear seats
9:01 Boot
9.57 Driving
11:56 The perfect spec

[mikadavies]

With current "haptic" buttons and scratchy There is advantages to be slightly "old fashioned"

[danielg]

In the current time it feels like that outdated is an advantage

[padstow]

I owned a 2022 Karoq for a year, it had so many problems and work carried out under warranty. I got rid of it before the warranty ran out. Gone back to my 2014 Yeti which has never let me down.

[witkowskimarcin]

I love the older interiors. I hate nowadays tablets.

[robertskett]

46 Year old here (UK) Looking to downsizing my 7 seater SUV. I've tried and looked at many cars from Skoda/VW/Kia etc from small to mis SUVs, new EV ones too over last 2 months....

And likely to go with the So functional with little to complain about against a backdrop of cars that have shiny things but miss on the functional importance.

[JjaysYoutube]

I have a family member with a 2023 Karoq and the interior if so much better than some other brands inside and the infotainment system works flawlessly, although a slightly smaller screen than some newer models it's perfect for the size of the car and for the market it's based at, and so much better than VWs newer software.

[adamyoung]

I've always thought the Karoq was the right size for a family car in the UK. Spacious, but not too large for our tight country lanes and parking bays.
The only thing is I know someone that had one and it wasn't very reliable. Lots of electrical gremlins and it ended up having it's engine replaced by 65k. So whilst the quality is there externally you still have the underlying issues with that generation of VW's. So this is a car that's perceived quality is better than more modern rivals, but it's not as reliable as the Yeti that went before it.

[martinwitt]

If buying a used Karoq 1.5 TSI DSG what year is the best version from ?
The 2019 version is looking fine to me but is newer versions just better ?

[SquidwardhatesEVs]

I still buy one, Skoda's are good cars😃

[jasonborn-hi]

Currently I am on second sportline. The first was 2.0tsi and now 1.5 tsi. Generally a decent car. Fuel economy is mid 40's. Cruises well. Abit of a creaky dashboard, sat nav is garbage, and suspension is harsh on rough roads. I like the knobs and buttons. Maybe a kodiaq next though. Good review.

[alanboardman]

Hi, really enjoy your reviews, as I live in France is there any chance you could add the Crit Air information for the different endine options?

[Pipsicle]

Decent car. The twin SEAT Ateca a great buy too

[smcgeminimustang]

Had a 1.6tdi from 2019-2023 covering 60k miles.Seats uncomfortable, some gremlins but great on fuel and had good handling.Has become an expensive car imho.

[doncuadrado]

Thanks for your very informative video. I still have my 2018 (68) 1.5 petrol Karoq with relatively low mileage and love the car. I would definitely consider replacing it with a newer Karoq so this video was helpful and informative when considering alternatives. Don't like tbe shape of the Sportages and not sold on the Quashqai's either. The Hyundai Tucson's seem expensive by comparison but a lot will depend on deals available. Thanks again for informative video.

[stevewhite]

go for the 1.0, with a load on board it’s underpowered and then uses more fuel than the 1.5.

[brianenwude]

I would love a comparision between this and the cx5

[urbanstrencan]

It will be interesting to see how it compets with is electric sibling Elroq?

[FirstLast-rhjw]

Car interiors, buttons, fit and finish where much, much better pre-covid. Just look at the Mini interior, old and new. Old one was mini-Bentley, metal effect switches etc, everywhere was plush to touch. New mini is awful, scratchy, crap finishes like a cheap trainer shoe. Same with Golf, Mk7 and 7.5 visibly better than current models. Karoq just carries on being good. Its not true the latest cars are "better", no they're just different.

[maestro]

Only problem with any VW group car is how quickly and far they have fallen off the reliability rankings. Just last year I was in the market for a premium car and although I liked the shape of the Audi Q3, I had to opt for Mercedes B Class due to the huge difference in how it feels inside. Audi, despite being a premium brand has so much cheap plastic, even worse than the Karoq here, which is a shame. Obviously the tech is better but the prices have gone up to. Can't understand the drop in touchy feely parts of the interior.

[Themalusdarkblade]

I have the 2020 Sportline 1.5 auto, good things first: Tech is brilliant fully specd cannot complain for features, visually awesome to look at. Drive wise, 1.5 is sluggish to get going no umph, mpg driving around town barely 30mpg, interior quality is lacking for support, seat wise and door card wise, road noise is high too. You can tell where bits have had to be sacrificed