Skoda Elroq (2025 - ) Electric review

Skoda has always stood for great affordability, and the Elroq is yet another fine example. The biggest battery offers a range that would put cars that cost three times as much to shame and, if you access to a home charger or lower-cost public charger, say, something below 60p per kWh, the Elroq is a proper bargain. The cherry on the icing is if you can get this Elroq through a salary-sacrifice scheme, with its low Benefit In Kind (BIK) tax rating for electric cars. Even with VED and BIK rises this year, the Elroq’s total cost of ownership remains exemplary for a family SUV.

You shouldn’t expect any serious issues with your Elroq, because it’s on the same platform as the popular and well-studied Enyaq, and Skoda as a brand does well in reliability tables, albeit it never quite breaks in to the top 10. Skoda is part of the VW Group so parts are frequently shared and tested with Volkswagen, Audi and Cupra. The warranty is average at three years or 60,000 miles, with the battery covered separately by an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty. Battery repairs are stepping up a gear across the industry, with more technicians trained and a huge new diagnostics and repair centre at Rugby, run by EV Battery Solutions, so the landscape is improving all the time.

Even the cheapest version comes with blind-spot monitoring, cruise control and automatic emergency braking. You can switch many of the safety aids on and off via the touch-screen where, thankfully, the safety functions aren’t as hidden and the “off” switch isn’t as convoluted as on other vehicles. The layout will be familiar to Volkswagen owners. We wouldn’t necessarily advise turning these systems off, though there’s no escaping they can be horribly intrusive. We are, however, charmed by “crew protect assist”, which closes the side windows and tightens seatbelts if a collision is imminent. Adaptive cruise control is also available.

The interior feels slightly plasticky and the seats could be a little more comfortable, but may we remind you of the price and how it compares with the competition. You get various levels of storage between the front seat passengers, two cupholders and bottle holders in the doors, and we do like the cloth covering on the facia with contrast stitching in the basic Loft design. But most of the comfort comes from the surprising legroom in the rear, and the build quality. Meanwhile, the optional DCC adaptive chassis adjusts the suspension according to the road surface or the driving mode chosen, and there is a surprisingly welcome amount of vibration and sound reduction from outside.

Skoda excels in innovative toys and tricks that bring a smile to the face, like the hidden umbrellas in the doors, and the ice scraper, now made from recycled plastic, hidden in the tailgate. You can now include the charging cable among these features, Skoda including a netting pouch to tuck it under the parcel shelf rather than rattle around in the boot. Simple but clever. Other than that, it’s the usual with smartphone integration and wireless charging on some models, and a rear-view camera for all versions, which is impressive. There’s also the option to park the car remotely for those tight parking spots, which is neat even if nobody has explained how the owners of the adjacent cars are meant to access them. Lodge design gives you orange seatbelts, which is clearly a win.

The largest and most expensive battery option – the 85 – offers a maximum range quoted of 360 miles, which is a very decent offering for the price. The others have 232 miles and 260 miles respectively by Skoda’s claims, though like all such figures you can knock off something in the region of 40 miles from that depending on ambient temperatures, driving style and the kind of roads you’re on. We’re very impressed by the driving style of the Elroq, meanwhile. The steering is pleasingly heavy, but precise, which lends a real sense of quality to the car for the driver, and the more expensive DCC adaptive suspension is a thing of joy. It’s a shame, though, that there’s no one-pedal driving, where strong regenerative braking brings you to a halt without touching the brake pedal. Still, the Elroq feels like a lot of very nice car for the money.