Skoda Enyaq Coupe review: a case of form as well as function

Skoda Enyaq Coupe verdict

We rather like the Skoda Enyaq here at DrivingElectric – it scooped the title of Best Electric Family Car at the 2022 DrivingElectric Awards. Now it’s also available in sleek coupe-SUV form and is better than ever. Thanks to an upgraded battery pack, the Enyaq Coupe can now travel further, plus Skoda has added even more goodies to the Enyaq’s already lengthy kit list. While the lack of a base ‘60’ model means the entry point into the Enyaq Coupe line-up is quite a bit higher than its SUV sibling, the price difference isn’t all that much when you compare both like-for-like. Keen drivers tempted by the Enyaq Coupe’s sleek shape and lofty power outputs may be disappointed by its uninspired handling, but considering the sloping roofline has very little impact on overall practicality, we nonetheless think this is the most attractive version of an already-desirable electric family SUV.

Details, specs and alternatives

The Skoda Enyaq Coupe is essentially a sleeker, coupe-SUV version of the incredibly practical Enyaq SUV. Available in regular and hot vRS versions, the Enyaq Coupe shares its underpinnings with other Volkswagen Group EVs such as the Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron, Volkswagen ID.5, as well as the upcoming Cupra Tavascan. It’s also a rival for the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Volvo C40, BMW iX2 and not to forget the Tesla Model Y.

At launch, the only version of the Skoda Enyaq Coupe available to UK buyers was the range-topping vRS model. Recent updates mean this now outputs a not insignificant 335bhp from its dual-motor powertrain – a setup that’s mirrored by the VW ID.5 GTX. Thanks to a 77kWh (usable) battery, the hot Enyaq Coupe can manage up to 336 miles on a single charge.

Nowadays, buyers also have the choice of more sedate 85 and 85x variants, which both also utilise the same 77kWh battery pack. The former makes-do with a single, rear-mounted electric motor producing 282bhp and offers a claimed range of up to 353 miles – this is the cheapest model available to buyers and is our pick of the lineup. Despite its extra motor, the 85x still outputs 282bhp and has a slightly reduced range of 328 miles.

While the base Enyaq Coupe 85 model can be had in both ‘Edition’ and ‘L&K’ guises, the 85x can only be specified in ‘SportLine Plus’ form. Standard equipment is strong, with Edition cars getting Matrix LED headlights, a 13-inch infotainment system with sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, leatherette upholstery, heated front seats, a fixed panoramic glass roof, adaptive cruise control and a reversing camera.

Introduced in 2024, the Skoda Enyaq 85 L&K pays tribute to the brand’s founders, Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement, and is supposed to offer a much more luxurious experience, perhaps more akin to the pricier Q4 Sportback e-tron. This gets special upholstery with L&K embroidery on the headrests, heated and ventilated front seats with a massage function, exclusive 20-inch alloy wheels, a head-up display and a Canton sound system.

The Enyaq 85x SportLine Plus gets a much racier bodykit to match its name, as well as diamond-cut 20-inch wheels, Microsuede and leather upholstery and blind spot monitoring. The SportLine Plus also adds lower and stiffer sports suspension, which can be a good or bad thing, depending on how you choose to drive.

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The Enyaq Coupe has a slightly better electric range than its Enyaq SUV counterpart thanks to its slinkier shape and is only available with the larger 77kWh battery pack (the regular Enyaq can also be specified in 58kWh ‘60’ form).

The rear-wheel drive 85 is the most efficient and boasts the longest range of 353 miles, while the 85x and vRS will officially do 328 and 336 miles respectively. At the car’s fastest possible charging speed of 135kW, the batteries can be replenished from 10-80% capacity in just under 30 minutes.

During our time driving the base Enyaq Coupe 85, we were able to manage around 3.3 miles per kWh, which meant a real-world range of just 285 miles – this is still ahead of what’s possible in many competitors like the BMW iX2, but far and away from Skoda’s official figure.

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While it starts from well over £40,000, the Skoda Enyaq Coupe should be relatively cheap to run – especially for company car buyers given the Skoda’s 2% Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax rating. Charging the Enyaq at home should, in theory, be much cheaper than filling a traditional family SUV up with petrol – especially if you have an EV-specific energy tariff. 

The Enyaq Coupe will be more expensive to insure than the equivalent petrol-powered SUV. However, with insurance groups ranging from 33-38, the Skoda coupe-SUV should at least be cheaper to cover than a Tesla Model Y which occupies groups 46-49.

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Not only have we driven the regular Enyaq Coupe 85 and 85x, but we’ve also driven it in vRS form, too. All things considered, though, it’s safe to say that despite its sportier looks, every version of the Enyaq Coupe majors on offering comfort rather than an engaging drive.

Thanks to a recent bump in power, all versions of the Enyaq feel reasonably quick – especially when accelerating from a standstill where you’ll get that same instant shove that we’ve all come to expect of electric cars. In fact, the base Enyaq Coupe 85 is now almost as fast as the outgoing vRS model. Speaking of which, the updated vRS now gets from 0-62mph in five-and-a-half seconds, which is quicker than many petrol-powered hot hatchbacks.

On the handling front, the vRS sits on adaptive suspension that’s 15mm lower at the front and 10mm lower at the rear than the regular model. This does a decent job in keeping the Enyaq’s over-two-tonne bulk in check in tricky corners and will stiffen up or slacken off depending on which drive mode you’re in. That said, like the standard setup, the ride is somewhat firm. It’s never uncomfortable but partnered with a little bit of unwanted wind noise, it means there are more comfortable EVs to spend time in – notably the Hyundai Ioniq 5.

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Despite being cheaper than the equivalent Volkswagen ID.5, the Skoda Enyaq Coupe offers a much more premium-feeling interior than its German counterpart, with soft-touch materials on the dashboard and study build quality. 

Base Edition cars are available with four different interior themes: ‘Loft’, ‘Suite’, ‘ecoSuite’ and ‘Lounge’. Step up to the L&K specification and you can choose from either ‘Black Design’ or ‘Shell Design’; the SportLine Plus model is, perhaps fittingly, only available with a ‘Sports’ interior, while the vRS is available with ‘Sports’ or ‘vRS Microsuede’ upholstery.

Like most cars nowadays, the Enyaq’s cabin centres around a large touchscreen mounted on the dashboard. Measuring 13 inches in diameter, recent updates mean the Enyaq's touchscreen is much more intuitive and responsive to use plus, as before, it also comes fitted with sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. There’s no large digital instrument cluster; instead, the Enyaq gets a small, minimalist display behind the steering wheel which only showcases the most vital information.

During our time reviewing the car, we were pleased to see the Coupe retains many of the same ‘Simply Clever’ features that are found in other Skoda models, such as an umbrella hidden in the driver’s door and a ticket holder on the windscreen.

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On the practicality front, the Coupe only loses 15 litres of luggage capacity on paper compared to the regular Enyaq (570 litres in total), although the ability to accommodate large and awkwardly shaped items with the rear seats folded flat (1,610 litres) is more compromised. Both the standard Enyaq and the Coupe lack any kind of additional storage in the nose, so you’ll need to keep your charging cables in the boot. The back window is rather small, too, so the standard-fit reversing camera is a vital feature.

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The Enyaq has only been out for a couple of years, so we’re only just beginning to get concrete reliability data through. The Volkswagen ID.3, of which the Skoda shares some of its parts, recently made it into our list of the top 15 best electric cars to own, compiled using data from our latest Driver Power customer satisfaction survey. It placed 13th in terms of reliability, which actually puts it behind the Tesla Model 3 – a car infamous for its poor build quality and reliability. Still, electric cars should, in theory, be more reliable than traditional combustion-engined models due to having fewer moving parts. 

This is a good thing as Skoda could only muster a 20th-place finish out of 32 manufacturers in our latest Driver Power brand survey, with over 25% of owners reporting a fault with their car within the first year of ownership. However, it’s worth noting that this result mostly covers the maker’s petrol and diesel-powered models.

What we can say for certain, though, is that the Skoda Enyaq Coupe should be very safe, as confirmed by its five-star Euro NCAP safety rating. Adult and Child occupant protection was rated at 94% and 89% respectively, with all cars coming with adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and a reversing camera to help avoid an accident in the first place. Top-spec SportLine Plus cars get things like blind-spot monitoring and traffic jam assist, making driving even easier and safer.