Designing a car is no easy task. Go too bold and you risk upsetting customers who don’t want to stand out from the crowd. Go too safe and you can lose buyers who want their new purchase to make a statement. As the old adage goes, you can’t please all the people all of the time. 

Hitting the design sweet spot is the aim of every car maker. Some make it look effortless, others struggle to strike the right balance. One manufacturer that sits firmly in the first category is Skoda. Over the decades, the brand has managed to tread the fine line between contemporary and functional, with designs that have instantly struck a chord with buyers. 

Like other manufacturers, Skoda follows its own, unique ‘design language’ when creating new models. Design language is basically a brand’s visual rulebook that defines the look and feel of a car. It ensures that no matter what size or shape the final model is, it will instantly be recognisable as one of the family. 

Skoda’s latest design language is known as Modern Solid. First shown on the Vision 7S concept car in 2022, Modern Solid marks a clear shift away from Skoda’s previous look and feel. Designed to maximise the many engineering and packaging advantages of an all-electric drivetrain, Modern Solid is about simplicity with presence. 

But what does that mean in non-designer-speak? Well, look at a car like the new Elroq or Enyaq and you’ll notice that surfaces are smoother and less fussy, with fewer sharp creases and decorative lines. Instead of lots of intricate detailing, you get bold shapes and strong proportions. Modern Solid is Skoda growing up in the EV era. It keeps the brand’s traditional strengths: style, space and smartness, but wraps them in a more confident, tech-forward design that feels ready for an electric future. Sensible? Yes. But now with a bit more swagger.

One of the biggest visual changes is at the front. Traditional grilles, which EVs don’t really need, are replaced by what Skoda calls the “Tech-Deck Face”. This is a gloss-black panel that hides sensors and radar behind a clean surface, giving the car a futuristic but tidy appearance. The bonnet lettering has also changed, with the classic winged-arrow badge often replaced by simple Skoda script across the nose and tail.

Lighting plays a huge role in the Modern Solid look. Advances in LED lighting technology means that cars no longer need the bulky lighting units they did a few years ago. Modern Solid is characterised by LED headlights with crisp daytime running light signatures and strong horizontal emphasis. At the rear, thin light bars stretch across the width of the cars to make them look lower and wider. 

Modern Solid also leans into durability. You’ll notice chunky wheel arches, strong shoulder lines and protective lower cladding. It gives SUVs like the Elroq, Enyaq and the new Epiq EVs a more adventurous vibe without going full off-roader.

Inside, the same philosophy applies. Cabins are designed to be simple but welcoming, with sustainable materials, textured fabrics and flawless ergonomics. And while big central screens handle numerous functions, Skoda has kept a pleasing number of physical controls and switches that can be operated without taking your eyes off the road. 

A key requirement for any design language is an ability to evolve and adapt to new vehicles and even new sectors. Last year, Skoda unveiled the second concept car to incorporate its Modern Solid design language - the Vision O. Created to preview the electric future of the estate, we were fortunate to have a look round and drive of the Vision O last year and came away very impressed. Watch Tom's drive HERE. 

The Vision O is a key project for Skoda because it marks the meeting of two successful parts of the brand’s business: EVs and estates. Skoda has led the European estate market since 2016 thanks to the Octavia and Superb, but until now, its purpose-built all-electric models have been SUVs. The production model that will eventually evolve from the Vision O concept car will be the brand’s first all-electric estate. And that’s a big deal. 

Vision O also introduces the next evolution of Skoda’s Modern Solid design language, wrapped around a car that’s been developed from the inside out. Skoda says it has taken a customer-first approach, starting with how people actually use their cars and building the design around that.

The result is a minimalist but high-tech interior that blends comfort, practicality and sustainability. Renewable and recycled materials are used throughout, following circular economy principles, while advanced autonomous driving capability and AI-powered features point firmly towards the next decade.

Outside, Vision O evolves the Modern Solid look with a number of new elements. At the front is a new Tech-Loop face, a reinterpretation of Skoda’s grille that integrates lighting and sensors into a clean, aerodynamic panel. The overall design is deliberately simple, with smooth surfaces and crisp lines helping to maximise efficiency and improve range.

The interior focuses on space, usability and flexibility, offering more than 650 litres of luggage capacity, proving that practicality remains central to the estate formula. The dashboard, meanwhile, features a new layout with a customisable Horizon Display for both front occupants. AI integration plays a bigger role too, with an upgraded version of Laura, Skoda’s voice assistant, acting as a more proactive digital co-driver by offering extra information about the journey and surroundings.

There’s also something called Bio-Adaptive Lighting, which adjusts the ambient lighting inside the cabin to align with natural light cycles, helping create a more relaxing environment on longer journeys. And in true Skoda fashion, there are plenty of clever touches. Vision O includes features such as a portable speaker and even an integrated fridge, small details that reinforce the brand’s long-standing Simply Clever philosophy.

Vision O suggests that the electric estate of the future won’t just be about range and efficiency (although it will have those too), it will be about space, usability and smart technology – all wrapped up in a stylish design.