With similar names and reminiscent styling, it may be a challenge to pick between the Karoq and the Kodiaq. This guide will pit one against the other, and should hopefully help you make a decision between these two Czech SUVs.

What is The Skoda Kodiaq?

As Skoda's flagship, “full-size” SUV, the Kodiaq is a favourite of larger families looking for that bit of extra space. It comes with either 5 or 7 seats, and in many different trim levels. Prices start at £38,720. 

Whilst the Kodiaq is based on the same platform as the Volkswagen Tiguan, which is not the German brand’s largest SUV, the Kodiaq is the largest SUV offered by Skoda. It was first introduced in 2016, and the current car - launched in 2024, is the second generation. 

What is the Skoda Karoq?

The Karoq is Skoda’s mid-size SUV/Crossover. It’s based on the same platform as the Seat Ateca, and is only available with 5 seats. Prices start at  £30,670, and rise to just over £37,000 for the Sportline trim.

It was first introduced in 2017, to fill the gap left by the outgoing Yeti, a model loved by many for its spacious interior and quirky looks. So far sales have been strong, but the relatively new Kamiq has stolen some of the market share, more on that below.

Size and Dimensions

If you’re looking for a large car, with as much space as possible, the Kodiaq is the best option. It is however a good deal larger than the Karoq, meaning it’ll be harder to park, and take more care to navigate narrow streets in. The table below compares the two.

We can see from the data above that the Kodiaq is a good 4 inches wider than the Karoq, this may not seem like much, but the Karoq is already a decent sized car, being 4 inches wider than a typical saloon car. 

The width and height contribute to both vehicles luggage capacity, though the Kodiaq’s is severely restricted with the 6th and 7th seats in place, but that’s something that can’t really be avoided, short of driving a minibus! 

There’s really no clear winner here, it will be purely down to how you want to use your car, if 7 seats or a large boot and 5 seats are a must, the Kodiaq takes a point. If not, it’s probably better to consider the smaller, and lighter Karoq.

Hybrid & Electric Options

Something to mention is that the Karoq is not currently available with any form of hybrid or electric powertrain. In contrast, you can get the Kodiaq in EV, hybrid or petrol/diesel variants. This can also affect both company car tax, and VED.

This earns points for Kodiaq, as it means it can match the much smaller Karoq in running costs. 

If you’re not interested in any electrification, you can pick from 4 different engine options in the Karoq.

Engines and Gearboxes

Engine options between the two models are reasonably good, with a range of petrol and diesels on offer.

In the SE and SE-L trim Kodiaq, you can pick from either a 1.5 or a  2.0 litre turbocharged petrol, with 150 and 190hp respectively. There's only one diesel engine available, with multiple power outputs on offer, from 150 to 240hp. Hybrid options include a mild system or a plug-in, both in conjunction with the 1.5 TSI petrol engine.

None of the engine options for the Kodiaq are available with a manual gearbox, they all come with the VW-group DSG twin-clutch automatic.

Options in the standard trim Karoq range from a 1.0 or 1.5 litre turbocharged petrol, or a 2.0 litre diesel. No hybrid is on offer. Power ranges from 116hp from the 1.0 petrol, to 150hp, from all other options. The 1.5 petrol is available in both DSG (auto) and manual.

Exterior Styling

If we’re being honest, there isn’t a huge difference between the Kodiaq and the Karoq, both share the same design language and have similar proportions. The big difference is best seen in person, where the overall scale of the Kodiaq is apparent.

Both cars are good to look at, especially in sportline or VRs trim, where the chrome is replaced with black accents, and the 17” alloys are upgraded to 5-spoke diamond cut ones. 

Interior Styling

You could be forgiven for thinking, whilst inside a Karoq, that it's simply a low-spec Kodiaq, they share many of the same dashboard features and designs. 

Both feature the same centre console design, with the gear selector being sandwiched between two vertical panels, the difference being the base spec Karoq simply uses hard, textured plastic, whilst most versions of the Kodiaq are finished in soft touch leather.

The seats are another area that differs between the two cars, the Kodiaq getting sculpted “microsuede” upholstery, with the Karoq featuring plain old cloth. That said, many of the pre-spec’d Karoqs you can buy today, have the quilted suede too.

Reliability and Warranty

Naturally both cars come with the same warranty term, of 3 years or 60,000 miles. This is paltry if we compare it to that of Hyundai and Kia, but if you do significant mileage per year, and will be leasing the car, it’s probably good enough!

Reliability is a tricky one to place, without a few years' data to look back on, it's entirely speculation. However, recent WhatCar reliability ratings typically place Skoda in the mid-upper third, which should mean both cars are reasonably reliable.

Safety

Both cars received a 5 star NCAP rating, which is pretty typical of Volkswagen Group vehicles. They scored pretty closely in most areas, some of the key takeaways being listed below. 

Averaging across the board, there is no clear winner between the two, with the Kodiaq having a higher child occupant safety, but lower adult safety score. Safe to say, both cars will offer excellent protection in an accident. 

Cost and Value For Money

With the Kodiaq being the bigger car, it’s naturally the more expensive of the two, it also comes with larger and more powerful engines. The Karq does include many of the same tech features though, with things like the heated front seats, heated steering wheel and the reversing camera as standard.

If we compare the base spec cars, the 5 seat Kodiaq comes in at around £8,000 more than the Karoq, considering the latter is loaded with tech as standard, it’s really only the size you’re paying more for. 

The Verdict

These are very similar cars, with only their size setting them apart. Whilst the Kodiaq has an enormous boot (on the 5 seat version), the Karoq starts at over £8,000 cheaper. Personally, unless I was in dire need of those two extra seats, I’d pick the Karoq.

However, if carrying 7 people is something you do regularly, the Kodiaq has to be the car to go for. That said, with both of these cars facing stiff competition, and the market being in uncertain times, shop around for deals on both.

Author - Joseph Law

Joseph has been writing about cars for over seven years and writing for Bumper for over two, blending his passion for automobiles with a talent for storytelling.

Joseph has written about engineering and cars for Autozilla, Komaspec, and several engineering manufacturers. When he's not writing or tinkering with one of his cars, Joseph dreams of owning an Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale.