When Skoda launched the Felicia in late 1994, it was the first car to benefit properly from Volkswagen’s influence. Out went the rough edges of the Favorit, and in came a car that finally made people look at Skoda without smirking. Less than a year later, in August 1995, the factory in Kvasiny, Czech Republic, started building something a little different: the Skoda Felicia Pickup.
The Felicia Pickup was a neat little thing. Light-duty and front-wheel drive, it was never going to rival a Hilux, but that wasn’t the point. This was a car-based pickup designed for small business owners, tradespeople, and anyone who needed modest load capacity without the bulk of a van. For Skoda, it was another sign that the company was ready to be taken seriously.
Skoda Felicia Pickup powertrains
Under the bonnet sat a choice of three four-cylinder engines. The entry-level was a 1.3-litre petrol unit producing 54hp, with a 1.6-litre petrol option providing a healthier 75hp. Finally, a 1.9-litre diesel offered 64hp and plenty of low-down torque. All were paired with a five-speed manual gearbox. Rumours swirled at the time about an all-wheel-drive version, but it never materialised — every Felicia Pickup left the factory as front-wheel drive.
By modern standards, the performance was leisurely, but the economy was decent, and the mechanical bits were simple. That’s why you still occasionally see them working away on farms or building sites, decades later.
Skoda Felicia Pickup payload and practicality
The cargo bed measured around 1.55m long and just over a metre wide between the arches. Payload varied between about 445 and 530kg depending on engine, with a one-tonne unbraked towing limit. Compact, but enough for tools, a couple of bales of hay, or even the odd sheep.
Skoda even had aftermarket support. Truckman produced two different hardtops for the Pickup; the single-skin ‘C’ model was basic but functional, while the double-skin ‘S’ could carry up to 100kg on the roof and featured spray-painted inner walls to resist knocks and scrapes.
The Felicia Fun curveball
Then came the curveball. In 1997, Skoda launched a lifestyle spin-off called the Felicia Fun
, and suddenly this modest commercial vehicle became a cult car.
Painted in a vivid yellow, fitted with green or orange interior accents, and marketed with a sense of humour, the Fun was worlds away from the builders’ yard. Its party trick was a sliding bulkhead behind the front seats. Pull a lever, and the cabin wall and seatbacks tilt and slide back, revealing two flip-up chairs in the bed. In an instant, your two-seater pickup became a four-seater open-top runabout.
Of course, doing that cut the load bed from an already compact 1.37m to about 85cm, but practicality wasn’t the point. This was Skoda trying to show it could be fun, cheeky, even desirable. And it worked. Demand exceeded expectations, so the UK allocation more than doubled from 300, ultimately ending up with 612 arriving here — a large share of the 4,216 that were built. The factory finally closed the line in 2000, a year ahead of the demise of the Pickup, making it one of the rarest Skodas of the modern era.
Owners loved them. One long-time driver and Skoda enthusiast, Jan Formánek, said: “This car has been sheer joy. I just take a nap on the pickup bed, and she draws attention wherever we go.
“I only take her out a few times a year, and when the weather is nice. Though I originally wanted a workhorse, I just can’t let her get dirty.”
What they cost then and now
Back in the mid-90s, a petrol Felicia Pickup cost £5,999 plus VAT, while a diesel added £600. The Felicia Fun, VAT-reclaimable despite its rear seats, started at £8,599.
Today, you’ll struggle to find a tidy Felicia Pickup, Fun or otherwise. There were just 169 Felicia Pickups left on the road at the end of 2024, and only 78 Felicia Funs.
When they do appear, the Pickup changes hands for around £1,500–3,000, while the Fun, with its rarity and cult following, can easily fetch triple that, sometimes more.
Legacy of a Cult Classic
Production of the Felicia Pickup wound down in 2001, and its replacement, the Skoda Fabia, never spawned a pickup derivative. That made the Felicia the last Skoda production pickup, although students at the manufacturer’s Vocational School in the Czech Republic designed the Mountiaq in 2019, a modern example of the compact pickup truck that’s now proving popular in the US.
But the Fun in particular left an outsized mark. For many, it was their first glimpse of a brand that could make something playful and interesting, and Skoda continues to remind people that it was once quirky. In 2025, designers digitally re-imagined the Fun as part of the company’s “Icons Get a Makeover” series. It wasn’t headed for showrooms, but it reminded people just how bold that little pickup once was.
