Skoda Kylaq Review: Best Car For Enthusiasts On A Budget

Skoda Kylaq – the car that changed Skoda’s fortunes in India. The first sub-4-metre compact SUV, or the first properly affordable car from Skoda in India, the Skoda Kylaq has been integral in Skoda’s journey to the sixth-largest car brand in India. Now, I have not had the chance to experience the Skoda Kylaq for more than 10 minutes ever since its launch, but last week, I was approached by the Skoda team about an available review unit. I was quick to jump on the opportunity because this is an important car for India.

This is the car that many enthusiasts are going for on a budget. This is the car that is being said to be the true successor to the Volkswagen Polo. So here we are. I have now driven the Skoda Kylaq more than 550 kilometers over the course of a week in the city and on highways, and here is what I think:

Skoda Kylaq 2026 Review – Design and Styling

To start with the design, the Skoda Kylaq looks a lot like a modern Skoda from the front. I love the sleek DRLs, which look like the headlight, but they’re not. I love the statement grille. It’s big, it looks bold, and it’s got a very nice modern touch to it without looking too busy. The Skoda Kylaq sits on 17-inch rims, which gives it a pretty good and tall stance, almost like an SUV. It is a sub-4-metre SUV by our standards, but I’d just call them bulky hatchbacks.

But coming back to what I think about how the Kylaq looks, I think this is a very good design. The front looks modern yet has some sort of distinction to it. It’s very evidently a squarer design. The side profile is standard as per the shape or silhouettes of most sub-4-metre SUVs in the market so far. I also like the alloy wheel design. We are getting diamond-cut alloy wheels with the top-end variants.

The only part that I feel doesn’t go well with the whole profile or the whole styling of the car is the rear of the Skoda Kylaq. That is mainly because I feel the headlamps are slightly small as compared to the rest of the car’s proportions. We are getting styling elements like plastic cladding with the Kyalack with the Skoda badging running across the tailgate. We are getting nice, thick claddings on the rear bumper that give it a bit of a rugged look. But the overall look of the rear end of the Kylaq does not feel as premium as the front or the side profile of the car.

Skoda Kylaq 2026 Review: Interiors and Comfort

And now, coming to interiors and comfort. I have heard a lot of opinions online about people criticising the Kylaq’s rear seat for not having enough space, but I feel that, for a sub-4-metre compact SUV, this has enough space to even fit five people. Yes, they won’t be the most comfortable on long journeys, but it will easily fit five full-sized adults. The cabin is pretty comfortable. I like how the front seats, especially, are very similar to what we are getting in the Skoda Kushaq. While the cushioning feels different, the seats are big, and they have enough lumbar and thigh support and hold you in place well. I drove the Skoda Kylaq for a maximum of 3 hours non-stop and I didn’t feel tired thanks to these seats. 

In terms of comfort, the Skoda Kylaq scores quite high, not only because the space is sufficient and it has one of the largest boots in the segment, but also because the Skoda Kylaq goes slightly against what people’s opinion of Skoda cars usually is. Let me tell you why.

Skoda Kylaq 2026 Review: Features and Tech

We are getting pretty much everything a modern-day city dweller needs in any car. Now, this is completely different from what we’ve heard about Skoda cars: that they are good to drive but low on features. Here’s everything you get:

• ventilated seats
• electronically adjustable front seats
• automatic climate control
• automatic headlamps
• automatic wipers
• sunroof
• wireless charging
• wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
• Type C charging ports across the whole cabin
• ambient light strip
• cooled glovebox
• auto dimming IRVM
• 10.1-inch infotainment display
• fully digital instrument cluster
• TPMS

Sure, we don’t get things like ADAS, adaptive cruise control, a panoramic sunroof, or multi-coloured ambient lighting, but in terms of what is absolutely needed, I believe the Skoda Kylaq is pretty well equipped, even for a sub-4-metre SUV.

Skoda Kylaq 2026 Review: Performance and Ride Quality

And given that this is a Skoda, a car from the VAG group, it is bound to drive well, right? Absolutely! The Skoda Kylaq has been made on the same MQB platform as the Skoda Kushaq, which means that we are getting the same chassis that we get from the more expensive Kushaq, but only the 1.0-litre TSI engine option. It is paired to either a 6-speed torque converter automatic or a 6-speed manual transmission. This is the same 1.0-litre TSI that we have seen in the Skoda Kushaq and the Skoda Slavia. The 1-litre TSI is a 3-cylinder petrol unit producing 118 bhp of power and 178 Nm of torque.

With that, we are getting a smaller, lighter body of the Skoda Kylaq, along with bigger 17-inch wheels that keep the car absolutely planted throughout all kinds of terrain at any given speed and across tarmacs. During my time, I drove the Skoda Kylaq for about 550 km, in both city and highway. My experience in the city was pretty normal. This behaves like any other car. I feel the suspension could have been tuned better in order to absorb bumps, but I will come to that in a bit.

It is on the highways that you see exactly how superior the Kylaq is to drive as compared to any other sub-4-metre car in this segment. I have driven the Kia Sonet, the Maruti Suzuki Brezza, the Nissan Magnite, and the Hyundai Venue on highways. Let me tell you that, for me, before driving the Kylaq, the benchmark was the Sonet because it is a very comfortable, very supple ride on highways, but it’s not too stable at higher speeds. The Skoda Kylaq comes in with just that, along with much better braking and steering feedback than the Sonet. Kylaq is super stable at higher speeds. The TSI, first of all, is happy to go at any RPM in any condition on any gear. Yes, the manual is also very slick, and at the same time, the Skoda Kylaq is super comfortable, even at speeds over 120 kmpl.

I drove the car on the Eastern Peripheral Highway, where the speed limit itself is 120. I took the car slightly above that, up to 150 km/h. I drove it, and it was absolutely planted. I could have gone slightly higher, but of course, rules have to be followed, so I did not go beyond 150. Even at 150, I was feeling super confident. I was not feeling that the car is soon going to be out of control, and it didn’t shake at all. Very stable.

Now, coming to the suspension tuning that I earlier mentioned, yes, for the city, it doesn’t absorb bumps as well as your Brezza or your just-ended Brezza, but at higher speeds, that is exactly what helps keep the car stable. I drove it around bends also at slightly higher speeds, and the Skoda Kylaq was happy to turn even on bends at 70 km/h, 80 km/h. I did feel a slight body roll, but nothing extraordinary. Of course, moving anything that heavy at that kind of speed will have some sort of body roll.

I feel that for people who will drive this mostly in the city, they will feel the bumps slightly more than cars like a Brezza. Another thing that I felt about the drivability was the engine noise in the cabin. It is a little too much. It’s not a deal breaker. In fact, people like me would want them to hear their engines, especially a beautiful, refined TSI which is revving at more than 3,000 rpm. If you are cruising at lower speeds or in the city, then that feels like a lack of refinement. That is another thing I felt about the drivability, but at this point, I feel I’m nitpicking because the kind of performance, the kind of ride quality, and the kind of handling you are getting at this price range is outstanding.

Now, it performs well, but is it efficient? During my time, I drove it on the highways and in the city. I drove it in the rain and on sunny days. Throughout my usage of 564 km, the Skoda Kylaq gave me an average of almost 13 km/l, which includes a 70-30 usage where 70% I drove it in the city and 30% I drove it on the highways. The exact number was 12.6 km/l, which is decent. For a car this size, I had got the six-speed manual, so if you are going with the automatic, expect the average to be slightly lower, around 12. If your highway runs are slightly more often than mine, then this would give you up to 15 km/l. The Kylaq is also pretty efficient.

Review Verdict: Should You Buy the 2026 Skoda Kylaq?

Smartprix Rating: ⭐7.9/10

• Design and Build: ⭐7.5/10
• Features and Tech: ⭐8/10
• Driving Pleasure: ⭐8.5/10
• Performance: ⭐8/10
• Comfort and Space: ⭐7.5/10

So, to wrap everything up, the Skoda Kylaq is hands down the best driver’s car in the sub-4-metre segment. It is no surprise why this has turned things around for Skoda. The Kylaq, for an enthusiast is a proper option in the sub-10 lakh range. It is also a TSI engine from the VAG group, which is very tuner-friendly. I have seen people doing stage 2 and stage 3 ECU remaps on this very engine in their Skoda Slavia or Skoda Kushaq, so you can play around with this car as well.

At the same time, it’s also efficient. I got more than 12.5 km/l while driving this for a week. Somebody who is more mileage-focused can eke out better average. It’s also comfortable. The seats are plush and there is enough support to hold you in place. And the best part, the Skoda Kylaq comes with all the bells and whistles. You are getting everything you would want as a city dweller – from ventilated seats to automatic headlights and cooled glovebox, we get a lot with this car.

Sure, you don’t get a panoramic sunroof, but no other car in this segment is offering one right now. Sure, it’s not the most spacious in this segment, but it wasn’t meant to be that any which way. But the Kylaq offers one of the most driver-focused, driver-centric options in the market right now without any legitimate compromises. It’s extreme value for money, given that it matches up with the Hyundai Venue in terms of the features offered. It doesn’t have ADAS or 360 degree camera, but apart from that, there is nothing that the Hyundai Venue can do that this cannot. That is speaking volumes because the Venue is the most feature-loaded car in this segment.

And of course, there are things that are not good about the Skoda Kylaq. The one thing that I didn’t like is how the car looks from the rear. It’s a very hatchback design that does not go well with this SUV-like styling. Maybe the lights could have been slightly bigger. Maybe the claddings could have been slightly sleeker. I don’t know what is wrong with it, but it just doesn’t fit well with the whole styling of the Skoda Kylaq. The cabin noise, the engine noise inside the cabin, is a little too much. If you only drive it in the city, it won’t be very efficient. The suspension tuning is not very comfort-oriented. These are a few nit-picks. Overall, I can’t complain much because the Skoda Kijang now opens up another option in another budget for a buyer like me, so I am happy. I quite liked how the car drives. I give this a solid 8/10.

First reviewed in September 2026.