Skoda Enyaq review
Skoda's first bespoke electric car very nearly has it all – space, technology and a solid 300-mile range. It represents decent value for money, too
Pros
- Very spacious
- Long range
- Excellent refinement
Cons
- Firm suspension
- Poor range on cold days
- vRS version unnecessary
Range |
Wallbox charge time |
Rapid charge time |
249-351 miles |
12hrs 45mins (0-100%, 7.4kW) |
28mins (10-80%, 175kW) |
Skoda Enyaq verdict
The Skoda Enyaq is one of our favourite electric cars. In fact, it won our Best Electric Family Car award two years in a row, in 2022 and 2023. What puts the Enyaq ahead of the countless other electric family cars out there is its vast amount of cabin and boot space, excellent refinement and handy ‘Simply Clever’ features that Skoda has become known for in recent times. Skoda’s first electric SUV is also competitively priced for a large family car, yet still offers competitive charging speeds and range, handsome looks and a tech-filled, but well-built and relatively straightforward cabin.
Range details, specs and alternatives
Skoda’s first foray into electric cars was the Citigo iV, essentially a rebadged version of the Volkswagen e-up! that was sold for just one year in the UK. The Czech brand’s second attempt at an EV, and more importantly, its first electric car designed from the word go to be an EV was this: the Skoda Enyaq electric family SUV.
The Enyaq is based on the same MEB platform and running gear as the Volkswagen ID.4 SUV, ID.5 coupe-SUV and ID. Buzz MPV, as well as the Audi Q4 e-tron and the forthcoming Ford Explorer. Not only does it have to steal sales away from its VW Group sister cars, the Enyaq’s other key rivals include the striking Nissan Ariya, space-age Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the UK’s best-selling electric car, the Tesla Model Y. That’s not forgetting the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra twins.
You get a choice of two battery sizes – 58kWh and 77kWh – as well as rear- or four-wheel drive. Entry-level Enyaq 60 models get the smaller battery that, according to Skoda, is good for 249 miles of range, thanks to a recent range-wide update. The longest-range version is the newly-renamed Enyaq 85, which replaces the old Enyaq 80, and can now cover up to 351 miles on a charge in the official tests, while the four-wheel drive Enyaq 85x falls slightly short of that with its 328-mile range.
Finally, the quickest by far is the recently introduced Enyaq vRS, which has since had its output boosted to a muscular 335bhp. Thanks to four-wheel-drive traction from its dual-motor setup, Skoda says the hot Enyaq can reach 62mph in just 5.5 seconds, making it the fastest car the brand has ever made.
The way you spec an Enyaq is unlike any other current Skoda model. Enyaq 60 and 85 Edition models are both available with a choice of interior themes – Loft, Lodge, Lounge, Suite or EcoSuite – which alter the material choices and colours in the cabin.
There’s also a racier SportLine Plus trim level, which is now only available on the four-wheel drive 85x model. Even the range-topping vRS version gets two distinctive interior themes called vRS Lounge and vRS Suite that add either lime green or grey piping and contrasting stitching.
Skoda’s first bespoke EV is competitively priced for a large family car, though gone are the days when the Czech brand’s offerings would undercut their Volkswagen counterparts by thousands of pounds. The entry-level Enyaq 60 currently starts from just under £40,000 – the same as the equivalent VW ID.4 – with the high-performance vRS model commanding a price tag of over £53,000.
Regardless, the Skoda Enyaq still represents good value for money given how premium it feels inside and the sheer amount of space it offers. Our pick of the lineup is the mid-spec Enyaq 80 Edition with its longer range and long equipment list that includes LED headlights, a 13-inch touchscreen with sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.
Click here to see why you can trust DrivingElectric reviews, or for a more detailed look at the Skoda Enyaq, read on for the rest of our in-depth review…