Skoda

Enyaq

The Skoda Enyaq is a five-door SUV that is fully electric and available with two battery sizes that offer different driving ranges between charges. Customers can also choose between a number of generously-equipped trim levels and there are numerous additional packs that can be introduced to fully personalise the car.

The good

Styling, performance and driving range

The bad

No physical buttons or switches for the climate control

Tech Specs

Price from

£32,010

Combined Fuel up to

Driving range up to 333 miles

0-62 from

8.5 seconds

max speed up to

99mph

co2 from

0g/km

Test Drive

Skoda Enyaq iV 80 EcoSuite – First Drive (2021)

Although the Skoda Enyaq name may be relatively new to many people it’s a car that’s likely to make a very big impact on the all-electric scene.

The spacious five-door, rear-wheel drive SUV is on sale with a choice of battery sizes as well as a wide range of trim levels.

Firstly, there is the Enyaq iV 60 with a 62kWh battery that can deliver 256 miles between charges or customers can opt for the iV 80 with a larger 82kWh unit that can achieve 333 miles – and that’s a figure that will certainly quell any range anxiety fears.

We opted for the Enyaq iV 80 priced at £40,920. A few optional extras saw the cost increase to £45,622 and despite this model boasting a superior range, it’s high-end price-tag means that it fails to qualify for the Government’s plug-in car grant. However, the Enyaq iV 60 does meet all the criteria, so that is something to consider when weighing up the options.

Our car was also in high-end EcoSuite trim level which meant it featured lots of on-board tech as standard. The Enyaq looks modern in its design with quite an angled design including crisp lines and curves. There are LED headlights with daytime running lights, a panoramic roof, blacked-out grille, neat chrome edging, body-coloured wing mirrors and door handles, black side skirts and bumpers plus some of the best wheels available – these were upgraded 21-inch Betria Anthracite metallic alloys costing £550 and well worth the extra cash.

Moving inside the interior is modern, clutter free and packed with technology. The main focal point and car’s nerve centre is a 13-inch touchscreen display where all the onboard tech is accessed, along with the climate control operations which is quite frustrating. Who wants to navigate a computer menu to adjust the temperature after all?

Creature comforts are plentiful and include an eight-speaker sound system, Bluetooth, DAB radio, Wi-Fi hotspot for up to eight devices and wireless smartlink to connect your smartphone via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

The readouts are nice and clear, along with a virtual cockpit display behind the steering wheel that offers all the essential data such as speed, charge levels and existing driving range.

On the downside, the infotainment screen did freeze completely at one stage when linked up to Apple CarPlay. The only way it could be rectified was to stop the car, unlink the iPhone and leave the vehicle turned off for a few minutes. I’m hoping that was just a glitch, but I did experience a similar issue with a VW ID.3 recently too.

The Enyaq was supplied with a number of optional packs too such as the Light and View Package Basic, costing £1,115, that added full LED Matrix beam headlights with variable light distribution, full LED rear lights and headlight washers.

Powered seats, rear window blinds, a three-spoke heated steering wheel and a number of other options were included as part of alternative packs.

The comfort levels are impressive and the high-end upholstery looks stunning in its design too. Then when it comes to performance, the Enyaq delivers on all counts.

The 0-62mph sprint time is a creditable 8.5 seconds and the car maxes out at 99mph. There are zero carbon emissions which results in good tax savings for the business driver and low road tax bills, but possibly the most important figure is the driving range between charges. On the higher powered version we tested that was 333 miles.

And that figure is achievable if you are careful with your speed and acceleration on motorways and also have plenty of cruising and stop/start driving to recoup some extra energy along the way through regenerative braking.

The acceleration is smooth and instant with no delay while you wait for engine revs to build, and the driver can switch through drive modes called Eco, Normal, Sport and Individual that alter the characteristics of the car quite considerably.

The vehicle offers good levels of grip on country lanes and cruises through tighter bends with ease. It is also nice and nimble in busier town settings with the good all-round driver visibility being another plus point.

There is room in the back of the Enyaq for a couple of adults to sit comfortably – or three at a bit of a squeeze and storage options are good too. The boot is well-sized and can swallow 585 litres of kit, plus there is a small compartment beneath the floor to store the charging cables.

Drop the split-folding rear seats and that capacity increases to 1,710 litres and there are also numerous convenient storage compartments scattered throughout the car, along with Skoda’s Simply Clever touches such as an umbrella tucked away in the driver’s door, high visibility vests and a few other bits and pieces.

And, as one would expect, the Enyaq is packed with safety kit too. Our test car featured an Assisted Drive Package Basic, costing £685, that introduced adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, plus lane assist with traffic jam assist to complement the existing safety systems.

Charging is an easy enough process and takes about 12 hours from empty on a 7.4kW home wallbox or just 36 minutes to boost to 80 per cent on a public rapid charger.

All in all, the Skoda Enyaq is a fabulous all-electric car that is very big on style, performance, range and character. It is also further proof that a future full of EVs is not going to be quite so daunting after all.