Skoda Elroq review

Is the Skoda Elroq a good car?

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best, so the saying goes, and the Skoda Elroq proves it. Rather than reinventing the wheel, it delivers the same strong focus on value, space, functionality and comfort as the best-selling Skoda Enyaq, just crammed into a more compact, more affordable package. Add to that some brilliant new ‘Simply Clever’ touches, and we reckon Skoda’s got another all-electric hit on its hands.

How much does the Skoda Elroq cost?

You might not have realised it’s been four years since the Skoda Enyaq was launched. Partly because the brand’s first fully-electric car has consistently beaten whatever hopeful newcomer we’ve pitted against it, and remains one of our top choices for electric SUVs and new family cars in general. But also because it’s taken that long to introduce what’s, in effect, a smaller version of that acclaimed and very successful car: the new Skoda Elroq. 

That said, we respect Skoda for taking a more reserved approach to EVs, compared to many rivals, and its sister brand Volkswagen. And over the next few years it will be introducing a few more pure-electric models in much quicker succession.

The Elroq uses the same well proven MEB platform as the Enyaq, and several other models including the Cupra Born, Audi Q4 e-tron and the much larger VW ID. Buzz. The main competition are other highly rated, small family EVs like the Kia EV3, Hyundai Kona Electric and Renault Scenic.

Eventually, the Skoda Elroq will be offered in four trim levels – SE, SE L, Edition and SportLine – and with three battery/motor combinations. Just two models are available to order right now, each with a different powertrain. First examples will start arriving in the UK in spring 2025.

Prices start from a very attractive £31,500 – less than all of those rivals we mentioned. The entry-level SE model comes exclusively with a usable battery size of 52kWh, badged as a 50, which offers up to 232 miles of range and powers a 168bhp rear-mounted electric motor. Standard equipment includes LED headlights, a 13-inch central touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, five-inch Virtual Cockpit driver’s display, height-adjustable boot floor, rear-view camera, cruise control and several other driver assistance features.

SE L specification and above will come as standard with a 59kWh battery (badged 60) and 201bhp e-motor, which ups the range to around 250 miles. But this set-up isn’t available to order just yet in the UK, nor is SE L trim.

The other model available right now is the Elroq Edition from £38,650, featuring the largest 77kWh powerpack, which is badged as an 85. It boasts an official range of 360 miles, plus a 282bhp e-motor, and kit including dark chrome exterior trim, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, drive mode select, wireless charging pad, additional USB-C charging ports in the rear, adaptive cruise control and keyless entry.

As the name suggests, SportLine (also coming soon) gives the Elroq a more dynamic look with 20-inch alloy wheels, gloss black detailing, new bumpers, matrix LED headlights and sports suspension that lowers the ride height by 15mm. Meanwhile the interior gets sports seats with suede and artificial leather upholstery, three-spoke steering wheel with paddles to adjust the regenerative braking, and a set of aluminium pedals. 

28

Driving the Skoda Elroq won’t set your heart racing, in fact it’ll probably do the opposite thanks to how comfortable and soothing the ride is. The suspension softens the impacts from potholes and the like very well, before the car quickly settles, which makes it feel mature and stable.

Admittedly, our first drive of the Elroq took place in Mallorca, where the roads are considerably smoother than the UK’s. However we’re confident it’s more than up for the challenge of dealing with our pockmarked surfaces.

Light steering and a remarkably small turning circle of just 9.3 metres – which is less than a MINI Cooper’s – helps in town and when navigating tight carparks. On the motorway, we noticed a bit of wind noise coming from around the door mirrors, but were otherwise impressed by the refinement.

The Elroq offers drivers the simple choice of ‘D’ and ‘B’ drive modes, with the latter increasing the strength of the regenerative braking. Not by a huge amount mind you, and certainly not enough to deliver full one-pedal driving though, like you get in Kia and Hyundai’s EV. Only SportLine models come with paddles on the steering wheel to adjust the level of regenerative braking in D mode. 

We got to drive both the Elroq 50 and Elroq 85 on the car’s international launch. There may be a nearly 120bhp difference between them, but at no point did we feel the base model was lacking power. It delivers brisk acceleration and there’s still enough oomph left for overtaking on the motorway without burying your foot in the carpet.

The Elroq 85 meanwhile packs some serious punch; more than you’d expect an unassuming family car like this to be hiding. As soon as you hit the throttle, its e-motor delivers a whopping 545Nm of torque, that will put you back in your seat if you’re not fully prepared for it, and gets the Elroq up to motorway speeds quickly and effortlessly.

28

The entry-level Elroq 50 has a relatively small 55kWh battery (52kWh of which is usable) and Skoda says can provide up to 232 miles of range. That’s about the same as the more expensive, standard-range Kona Electric can manage, but the base EV3 and Scenic will do around 260 miles on a charge, officially. 

With a maximum charging speed of 145kW, a 10-80 per cent top up in the Elroq 50 takes 25 minutes from the right ultra-rapid charger. Alternatively, fully replenishing the battery via a standard 7.4kW home wallbox will take around seven hours. 

The mid-range Elroq 60 benefits from a bigger 63kWh (59kWh usable) battery that increases the range to around 250 miles. Plus it can hit 165kW, so charging from 10-80% takes 24 minutes.

Finally, range-topping Elroq 85 models feature an even larger 82kWh battery (77kWh usable) that’s good for 360 miles on a single charge. Again, that’s slightly less than the equivalent EV3 or Scenic offers, but considerably more than a top-spec Kona Electric. 

We managed to achieve an impressive 3.7 miles per kWh during our first drive in the Elroq 85, which equates to a real-world range of 285 miles. 

As well as extra range, the Elroq 85 will peak at 175kW, but due to its larger battery, charging from 10-80% will take 28 minutes.

A heat pump – which helps maximise the driving range in cold weather – is a £1,000 optional extra. Which is a shame. Kia charges similar money to add one to the EV3, but it’s standard-fit on the Renault Scenic.  

28

The Elroq is the first car to be designed fully according to Skoda‘s new ‘Modern Solid’ design philosophy, which gives the car a modern yet still quite robust and certainly very eye-catching look. The new, striking family face incorporates a split headlight design, with a slimmer upper section wrapping around to the front wings, and the new blanked-off ‘Tech-Deck Face’, which is a flatter and wider interpretation of the traditional Skoda grille.

Inside, the Elroq features an almost identical layout to the Enyaq, right down to the stubby gear selector on the floating centre console and the bank of large shortcut buttons across the dashboard. The interior feels well-built, all the key touchpoints are solid and we like the different material choices you get with each interior theme. 

The standard ‘Loft’ theme covers the dashboard and other surfaces with a soft fabric like you’d find on some Scandinavian furniture. We’re big fans of the optional ‘Lodge’ design that adds light grey/black upholstery and bright orange seatbelts.

We’d have liked to have seen the ‘Smart Dials’ from the Skoda Superb and Skoda Kodiaq carried over to the Elroq, or a set of physical climate controls, but that’s our only real gripe.

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

Every Elroq features a huge 13-inch touchscreen running Skoda’s latest infotainment system. The screen itself is crisp and the set-up is very responsive, with menus loading quickly. The homepage is customisable, so drivers can add widgets for their most used functions. Cabin temperature controls are found at the bottom of the screen, along with several shortcut buttons, plus even more at the top. It’s almost too busy, but better than having all those functions buried with various menus. 

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto feature as standard, while Skoda says an entertainment hub is coming soon, which will allow drivers to watch YouTube on the central screen while charging on the go.

28

The Elroq feels very roomy up front, thanks in part to the large amount of glass around the cabin, so visibility is great too. Space in the back is equally impressive, and even with six-foot adults in front, there’s still plenty of legroom for similarly tall passengers to get comfortable and an enormous amount of headroom. Plus space under the front seats for passengers to tuck their feet.

Like a lot of electric cars, the rear floor in the Elroq is high to accommodate the battery underneath. This can leave long-legged passengers without much under-thigh support, however Skoda’s simple yet effective solution is extending the seat bases to provide a little extra support. 

If you’ve got children, there are two sets of ISOFIX mounting points in the back of the Elroq, which are covered by plastic tabs making them more easily accessible.

The 470-litre boot can’t match the Renault Scenic’s 545 litres, but should still be plenty big enough for small families. Plus it features our favourite ‘Simply Clever’ feature on the Elroq: a storage net on the underside of the parcel shelf. It’s genius because you can easily access the charging cables when you’ve got a boot full of stuff blocking the underfloor storage where they go in most other EVs.

The parcel shelf is also height-adjustable, creating a split-level arrangement, and can support up to 3kg. You can also stow the parcel shelf away when you need space for larger items, and there are two large storage compartments on either side of the boot. 

Some of Skoda’s more familiar touches include an ice scraper tucked into the bootlid, and an umbrella hidden in the front doors. Our test car had some extra accessories too, including little rubbish bins in the door bins (around £18) and a handy 2-in-1 screen cleaner block (about £12). 

28

The Skoda Elroq hasn’t received a Euro NCAP crash safety rating yet, but we’d happily put money on it receiving a five-star rating considering that the Skoda Enyaq, and every other MEB platform car launched to date, has managed this. 

The amount of safety and driver assistance system that come as standard on the Elroq give us faith too, as every model includes cruise control, lane-keep assist, blind spot detection, emergency steering support as part of ‘Turn Assist’ and a front collision alert system with vehicle, pedestrian and cyclist detection. Higher-spec models also get predictive and adaptive cruise control. 

Obviously, the Elroq is too new to have been covered in our 2024 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, however Skoda fared quite well. It had three cars – the Kodiaq, Karoq and Kamiq – feature on the list of top 50 best cars to own, although the brand only finished 23rd (out of 32) in the best car manufacturer rankings. Sister brand Cupra performed better, and managed to come 18th, however SEAT and Volkswagen finished in 24rd and 29th place, respectively.

Like all new Skodas, the Elroq comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty, which is pretty standard compared to the five years of coverage Hyundai offers, and the seven years you get with Kia or MG. 

Of course, extended warranties are available, currently starting from £300 to cover up to four years or 80,000 miles of ownership. A four-year/100,000-mile extended warranty costs £400, or you can pay £630 to get coverage for five years and 100,000 miles of ownership. 

Skoda Elroq alternatives

The Skoda Elroq competes in the already very busy, and constantly growing, segment of compact electric SUVs. Its most direct rival is the newly launched Kia EV3, which has a very similar starting price of £32,995, 460 litres of boot space and a maximum range of up to 375 miles. If you’re looking for a new electric family car, then the Renault Scenic is definitely worth taking a look at too thanks to its spacious interior and extra luggage capacity. There’s also the MINI Countryman, with its funky interior and sense of fun. Potential buyers may also be cross-shopping the Elroq with the Hyundai Kona Electric and Volvo EX30.