2026 Skoda Kodiaq mild-hybrid priced as brand's cheapest large SUV in years

The base price of the Skoda Kodiaq range has dropped to $49,990 drive-away with the introduction of a new front-wheel drive mild-hybrid powertrain.

However, unlike the last time the Kodiaq range started at under $50,000 drive-away – all the way back in 2020, unless you count runout deals for the previous generation – you don’t get a third row of seating, nor do you get all-wheel drive.

The Kodiaq Select Hybrid (mHEV), as Skoda calls it, is however available with a seven-seat configuration for an extra $2000 at $51,990 drive-away.

The new entry-level Kodiaqs arrive in Australia in March 2026.

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In both five- and seven-seat guise, the Kodiaq Select Hybrid (mHEV) uses a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine producing 110kW of power and 250Nm of torque, mated with a 48V mild-hybrid system and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Claimed combined cycle fuel consumption of 6.0L/100km in five-seat guise, or 6.1L/100km as a seven-seater.

It replaces the short-lived Select 4×4, one of the variants that debuted the second-generation Kodiaq range here in 2025. This was priced at $56,990 drive-away, and used a 140kW/320Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with quoted fuel consumption of 9.2L/100km.

This powertrain can still be found in the Sportline, priced at $61,990 drive-away, which slots in under the Select PHEV ($68,990 drive-away) and the hot RS range-topper ($76,990 drive-away).

Standard equipment on the new mild-hybrid Select variants includes:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Automatic LED headlights
• Power tailgate
• 13-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Satellite navigation
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• 10-inch Virtual Cockpit digital instrument cluster
• 2 x 15W wireless charging pads
• 45W USB-C charging outlets
• 8-speaker sound system
• Power-adjustable driver’s seat with memory
• Heated front seats
• Cloth upholstery
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Tri-zone climate control

Standard safety equipment includes:

• Adaptive cruise control
• Autonomous emergency braking
  • Pedestrian and cyclist detection
  • Crossroad assist
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Lane-keep assist
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Safe exit warning
• Traffic Jam Assist
• Traffic sign recognition
• Travel Assist
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Reversing camera
• Front, front-side, rear-side and curtain airbags

A panoramic sunroof is a $2000 option, while you can purchase pre-paid five- and seven-year service packs for $2990 or $3990 respectively.

There’s no sign of the Signature Package, which Skoda previously indicated it would offer on the mild-hybrid Select as it would on its plug-in hybrid sibling. This package includes features like leather upholstery and a surround-view camera.

We’ve contacted Skoda Australia to confirm if this will be introduced later.

There’s a choice of seven exterior finishes, with Velvet Red metallic costing an additional $770 but the following available for no extra cost:

• Bronx Gold pearlescent
• Race Blue metallic
• Moon White metallic
• Black Magic pearlescent
• Smokey Silver metallic
• Graphite Grey metallic

There’s now a mix of five- and seven-seat Kodiaqs, with the plug-in hybrid Select offered only as a five-seater and the new mild-hybrid Select offering a choice of seating layouts.

In five-seat guise, the Select Hybrid (mHEV) has 828L of boot space.

The Kodiaq is a direct rival for its corporate cousin the Volkswagen Tayron, which is priced from $48,950 before on-road costs and which is also available with 150kW and 195kW all-wheel drive variants plus a newly introduced plug-in hybrid.

However, the base Tayron 110TSI Life does without the Kodiaq’s mild-hybrid tech and an older 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine with higher quoted fuel consumption of 7.6L/100km.

MORE: Explore the Skoda Kodiaq showroom