Skyworth K review: A car that's as effective as a household appliance, Lifestyle News

AsiaOne

27-05-2025

I first came across the brand Skyworth at Giant Hypermarket Tampines.
It was many years ago, and I happened to saw a Skyworth TV on sale there for a very attractive price. The family's TV set needed replacing anyway, so I figured there was little harm in giving this low-priced option a try.
It went on to serve us well for several years, despite its budget price tag. And if that's the kind of quality we can expect from Skyworth, then it certainly bodes well for the brand's first ever car to go on sale here. What is Skyworth?
Skyworth is a Chinese conglomerate that mainly deals with electronics, and it is a big name in China when it comes to appliances like TVs, refrigerators, washing machines and the likes. Think of them as the Chinese equivalent to Samsung if you will.
Its venture into cars is a rather complex story though, but the gist is that Skyworth wanted to dip its toes into the fast-growing Chinese EV market. This resulted in a convoluted sequence of new companies, acquisitions, and rebrandings that took over a decade to pan out.
Ultimately, Skyworth Auto (the car company) emerged as a joint venture between Skyworth Group (the electronics maker) and Skywell Group (a bus manufacturer).
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Its first car had a very puzzling launch. Initially announced as the Skywell ET5 when it was unveiled in late 2020, it was renamed as the Skyworth EV6 shortly afterwards. Adding to the confusion, the car is branded under various names in export markets, such as Elaris, Imperium, Fregata, Nebka and Polytron.
The car has eventually made its way to Singapore, and Skyworth has decided to give it simpler name, perhaps for easier brand recall. So simple in fact that it consists of just one letter, K. OK, so what are the features of the Skyworth K?
Messy beginnings and weird names aside, the Skyworth K does come across as a relatively competent electric crossover SUV.
The design is straightforward and contemporary, if somewhat ordinary. The Skyworth K lacks the bold flourishes of some of the other Chinese EVs on the market, and it is probably a car that would blend in with the crowd easily.
Its clean-cut lines though hide the car's dimensions pretty well, and the Skyworth K is actually a rather large car. It measures in at a fairly lengthy 4,720mm long, and the wheelbase of 2,800mm is extremely generous as well.
What that means is that the Skyworth K boasts one of the most spacious interiors in its segment, especially for rear passengers. The amount of legroom is best described as cavernous, as if you can hear your voice echo if you shout into the space.
There are useful practical bits too, like the three-pin socket that sits alongside the two USB ports right below the rear air con vents. One can imagine all sorts of uses for it, such as powering a mini vacuum to keep the interior spick and span, or keeping your kids' portable gaming device fully juiced on long road trips.
Likewise, boot space stands at a decent 467 litres, which is pretty generous in this midsize SUV segment, and is good enough for weekly grocery runs for an average family.
Up front, the Skyworth K keeps things uncomplicated, with the now-common large touchscreen (12.8 inches in size in this case) taking centre stage. Unfortunately, while the graphics look sharp, the user interface is not the easiest to navigate around - its poorly labelled menus required some exploring to figure out.
The software could do with improvements too, as it doesn't always seem to be very responsive. While there is wireless Apple CarPlay, the connection can sometimes be patchy and inconsistent, and the system does take a while to load properly.
Interestingly, there is a row of physical switches for some of the climate control functions below the air con vents. While useful, the design of the buttons looks suspiciously familiar to those you'll find on some Mercedes-Benz models. How does the Skyworth K drive?
OK is pretty much the right descriptor here. While it drives pretty alright, it doesn't stand out in any particular way.
The Skyworth K has all the quiet refinement one would expect from any decent EV, and the ride is soft and soothing enough to cope with most road surfaces, although it does tend to get a little bit unsettled over harsher bumps.
Likewise, the steering does its job of getting you around corners, but it feels overly light and devoid of feel. It is easy to manoeuvre, no doubt, but you get the sense that it is just going through the motions with zero enthusiasm whatsoever.
Interestingly, the electric drivetrain produces a handy 201hp and 320Nm of torque, which puts it well into COE Category B. It is quite a heavy car though at nearly two tonnes, so the generous power output is probably a necessary measure to deal with the weight.
As a result, while the Skyworth is not exactly blazing fast, with 0-100km/h coming in at 9.6 seconds, there's enough responsiveness to get you going when you need it to. Is the Skyworth K worth it?
Well, the Skyworth K's price tag of $179,888 with COE (as of May 2025) is definitely very OK, considering its Cat B market positioning. There are very few EVs within its price range that can offer the same kind of power and interior space certainly.
It is, by and large, a competent and practical electric family SUV, although the buggy infotainment software does need ironing out. It certainly excels with its interior packaging however, with lots of room inside to accommodate even the largest sized occupants.
In a way, the Skyworth K very much lives up to its brand name, in that it is probably the ideal ride for people who treat cars the same way as they would a washing machine or TV. It is the perfect appliance of a car, in other words, which isn't all that surprising considering the company's roots.
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