Bold new Skoda Vision 7S prepares to shake up the 7-seat SUV market in 2026

You’re looking at a new seven-seat Skoda EV currently under development by the Czech brand, nearly four years after its sneak preview in the form of the Vision 7S concept. The all-electric flagship model will be one of the first Skodas to introduce the firm’s new ‘Modern Solid’ design language, and will rival seven-seat SUVs like the Peugeot e-5008 and Kia EV9 when it arrives in 2026. 

Spied here with a trailer attached, this prototype is at the same stage of development as our first sighting earlier this year, which revealed some telling elements of the upcoming car’s design. The stand-out feature is probably the ‘Tech Deck Face’ that’s already been applied to the new Skoda Elroq, and more recently the facelifted Enyaq. This replaces a typical Skoda grille with a thin arrangement of sensors and cameras that form part of the car’s active safety hardware. 

However, compared to the first two EVs mentioned, the new seven-seater SUV is expected to take Skoda’s bold new design language to the next level with an even more minimal look. This includes the application of a clamshell-style bonnet and much thinner new LED headlights that are integrated into that Tech Deck Face. 

There are also plenty of details that appear to have been carried straight over from the Vision 7S concept, including a twin-fin roof spoiler and super-slim tail-lights that extend onto the bootlid. The overall shape is close to the concept’s too, with a very square front end and almost van-like proportions that capitalise on interior space thanks to a short bonnet and a minimal rear overhang. 

Unsurprisingly, the coach doors on the Vision 7S haven't made it to production, given that we can see the pop-out rear door handles are where they’d normally be. The concept’s unconventional ‘six-plus-one’ seating arrangement has almost certainly been replaced by a more traditional choice of five or seven-seat options, although we have yet to get a look inside the production car.

Rivals and predicted release date

The zero-emissions alternative to the award-winning Skoda Kodiaq isn’t due to be unveiled until the end of 2026, or potentially in early 2027, but it’s likely to feature a similar set-up inside to the Enyaq and Elroq. That should include a large central touchscreen, a five-inch driver’s display, various sustainable materials and plenty of ‘simply clever’ touches.

So far, the only detail Skoda has confirmed about its seven-seat EV is that it'll be around 4.9 metres long. That’ll make it the biggest model in Skoda’s line-up by far, and bigger than the Peugeot E-5008 it’ll be going up against. However, it’s not quite as colossal as the Hyundai Ioniq 9 or Kia EV9 – two other contenders in the steadily expanding seven-seat EV segment.

Underneath the Skoda’s camouflage is almost certainly the same MEB bespoke electric-car platform that’s used by the Enyaq and Elroq, as well as around a dozen other EVs including the Ford Capri. Another is the nearly five-metre-long Volkswagen ID. Buzz LWB minibus, so we know the architecture can accommodate a vehicle this large. 

The seven-seat Skoda will probably get the same 86kWh battery as the ID. Buzz LWB, which we’d expect to provide a range of nearly 400 miles. That’s on par with the Hyundai Ioniq 9, but still some way off the up to 415 miles of range offered by the Peugeot E-5008, in the right guise. 

A choice of single-motor, rear-drive and dual-motor, all-wheel drive powertrains is likely to be offered, and we wouldn’t be surprised if there was a hot vRS version too, considering that both generations of the Skoda Kodiaq have been given the same treatment.

What do you think of Skoda's new seven-seat electric car? Let us know in the comments below...