Škoda is adding a new range-topping Laurin & Klement trim and a stronger plug-in hybrid to the second-generation Kodiaq. The revised plug-in hybrid has a system output of 200 kW, 50 kW more than the current version, and can now take DC fast charging at up to 50 kW. The update comes as the large SUV marks ten years since its debut, with 1.2 million sold worldwide.

Škoda is updating its biggest SUV in two ways. The Kodiaq range gets a new top trim, Laurin & Klement, and a revised plug-in hybrid with more power and faster charging. The Czech maker announced both on 22 October 2026, close to the model’s tenth anniversary.

A new top of the range

Laurin & Klement now sits at the top of the current-generation Kodiaq line-up, and Škoda says it focuses on comfort. Buyers can choose from several powertrains with this trim, though the company has not yet listed them.

Inside, the main addition is seats with a massage function. On the outside, the trim has silver roof rails, front and rear bumpers and side sills painted in the body colour, and alloy wheels designed only for this version. Laurin & Klement badges inside and outside the car mark it out from the rest of the range.

More power for the plug-in hybrid

The more important technical change is under the bonnet. The Kodiaq’s plug-in hybrid now has a system output of 200 kW, up from 150 kW in the current version. Škoda says the extra 50 kW comes from improvements to the combustion engine and new software for the powertrain control unit.

The system pairs a 130 kW 1.5 TSI four-cylinder petrol engine with an 85 kW electric motor. The battery’s capacity is unchanged at 25.7 kWh gross (19.7 kWh net). The battery can now charge from DC fast chargers at up to 50 kW, which the manufacturer says makes it easier to top up during stops on longer trips.

When the current Kodiaq iV plug-in hybrid was launched, it offered 150 kW (204 hp) and an all-electric range of more than 100 km (62 miles). Škoda has not yet given a range or performance figures for the 200 kW version.

Ten years and 1.2 million customers

The first Kodiaq was revealed in Berlin on 1 September 2016, and the first customers received their cars in spring 2017. It was Škoda’s first large SUV on the Volkswagen Group’s MQB platform. It came with five or seven seats, a range of petrol and diesel engines, and optional all-wheel drive. Before the launch, the Alaskan city of Kodiak was renamed Kodiaq for one day on 6 May 2016. The car’s name comes from Kodiak Island, and the final ‘q’ comes from the language of the indigenous Alutiiq people.

The Kodiaq RS arrived in 2018 as the first Škoda SUV with an RS badge. It used a 2.0 BiTDI turbodiesel with 176 kW (239 hp). In June 2018, racing driver Sabine Schmitz lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in a production Kodiaq RS in 9 minutes 29.84 seconds. According to Škoda, that is still the record for seven-seat SUVs. An update in April 2021 added Matrix LED headlights and replaced the diesel in the RS with a 2.0 TSI petrol engine producing 180 kW (245 hp).

Škoda built 866,100 first-generation cars between 2016 and 2024. About 60% of buyers chose all-wheel drive, and the five-seater sold slightly better than the seven-seater. Germany, the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic were its biggest European markets.

The second generation so far

The current Kodiaq was revealed on 4 October 2023, and series production began in Kvasiny in mid-January 2024. Almost 330,000 have been built so far. Compared with the first generation, it is roomier, uses elements of Škoda’s Modern Solid design language and has the rotary Smart Dials controls. It was also the first Kodiaq generation to offer a plug-in hybrid.

What it means

In total, the Kodiaq has found 1.2 million customers in 70 markets. Škoda’s newest changes add more equipment at the top of the range and more power for the plug-in hybrid. DC fast charging in particular matters to plug-in hybrid buyers who drive long distances.

Facts: Škoda Kodiaq plug-in hybrid (new)

  • System output: 200 kW (previously 150 kW)
  • Petrol engine: 1.5 TSI four-cylinder, 130 kW
  • Electric motor: 85 kW
  • Battery: 25.7 kWh gross (19.7 kWh net)
  • DC charging: up to 50 kW
  • New trim: Laurin & Klement, top of the range

Škoda has not yet announced prices or a market launch date for the Laurin & Klement trim or the 200 kW plug-in hybrid.

Source: www.skoda-storyboard.com