Skoda Enyaq (2024 - ) Electric review

Skoda kicks off the Enyaq range with a basic model built on the smaller of the two battery options, nailing a very competitive price point against rivals like the Kia Niro. The real battle is further up the range on the much improved ‘85’ models with their bigger batteries, and compared with an Audi Q4 e-tron built from the same bits with exactly the same power output and performance the equivalent Enyaq is about 10 per cent cheaper all-in. Which puts an exact number against the question ‘what price brand snobbery?’ More generally, and like all electric cars, the Enyaq can significantly cut your monthly motoring costs if you’re able to install a home charger and top it up overnight on a cheap off-peak domestic energy tariff. If you can run it as a company drivers you’ll also save a packet on Benefit In Kind tax and, for as long as these incentives last, avoid congestion and emissions charging.

Given the number of cars across its various brands using the same essential ‘platform’ VW has invested heavily in the foundations shared by the Enyaq. There were some wobbles with the infotainment systems early on but these have hopefully been addressed with over-the-air updates and we didn’t experience any wobbles in our time with the car. Indeed, updates to the operating system on the big central screen are among the changes. More impressively an adventurous Dutch couple we met on the launch event drove their mechanically near-standard Enyaq from Holland to South Africa and, in the course of nearly 24,000 hard-driven miles, didn’t suffer a single breakdown. Even with this extreme use a diagnostic check of the battery revealed its condition was totally on the money for a car of its mileage.

In the usual way the basic trim level has what you need in terms of safety systems, with lane-keeping, automatic emergency braking and the rest. But you need to go up to at least one step to ‘Edition’ for the full package, including additional curtain and centre airbags, more sophisticated lane-keeping and blind-spot warnings. We’ll pass on the former on the basis it’s intrusive and we always turn it off in any car we try anyway, but the latter is genuinely useful and one of our favourite bits of modern safety tech. Bravo for having it on (nearly) all the models in the range.

Skoda’s whole thing of no-frills, no-nonsense practicality finds its perfect expression in the Enyaq, and like all the brand’s cars, it brims with family-friendly functionality. Sure, there are fancier options out there, some of them built on the same platform. But the Enyaq’s straightforward approach just seems to take the stress out of daily driving chores. The sense of spaciousness is a good start, with a roomy rear seat three people can use in reasonable comfort and a big boot behind it with stash space under the floor for charging cables and other nick-nacks. From a clip-in drinks/oddments tray in the back to umbrellas in the doors, the famous ice scraper under the charging flap and various clever ways of stopping your shopping rattling around in the boot you just get the sense Skoda understands what everyday drivers need, and delivers it without fuss. This extends to the way the Enyaq drives as well. The suspension is quite soft for swallowing the bumps but it avoids feeling wallowy through the corners. There is a sportier vRS version if you want it but the smooth steering response of the regular one and reassuring sense of being planted to the road are just fine for what this car is about, and another example of why the Enyaq is so easy to live with. If we were to nit-pick we’d say poor forward visibility at junctions frustrates, but this is sadly pretty typical of big SUVs and crossovers across the board.

Skoda says it’s simplified the range structure to take the stress out of the buying process, and on the face of it seems to have done a good job with a straightforward progression through battery size, trim level, paint choice and then two options packs. Once you start to drill down it gets slightly more complicated, but our pick would be the Edition trim for the welcome extras in terms of safety kit, luxuries like heated front seats, rear window blinds, a power tailgate and more. With the bigger of the two battery options the Edition also has the greatest range – now nearly 350 miles – and also benefits from the extra performance on this updated model. From there you can choose from various interior ‘themes’ (we like the part-leather ecoSuite option for its looks and sustainably tanned upholstery) and add things like a head-up display and fancier stereo with the Advanced Package or massage driver’s seat and more with the Maxx Package. There’s also a more luxurious Laurin & Klement model with all the bells and whistles, including the fancy new ‘Crystal Face’ illuminated grille. Just be mindful of getting carried away and turning your affordable Skoda into something priced more like a premium car!

As before there are two battery options, denoted by the ‘60’ or ‘85’ in the model name, the latter previously known as the 80. The smaller of the two has 179 horsepower and has benefitted from a small increase in range for a best case 249 miles but the really dramatic difference comes on the 85. This now has 286 horsepower – nearly the same as the previous vRS – while the more efficient motor and improved battery efficiency mean range for the single-motor version has gone up 19 miles to 348 miles. The 85x we tried has the same power but an additional motor at the front for extra traction on slippery roads if you think you need it, this also getting the more aggressive looking Sportline Plus trim and a few other bits. This and the more powerful vRS also get faster charging speeds if you can find a suitable place to hook up but our money would be on the regular single-motor Enyaq 85 Edition for its combination of range.