Skoda Enyaq

To expect engaging driving dynamics from a car of this kind is clearly over-optimistic; realistically no Enyaq weighs in at under 2-tonnes.

To hope for journeying refinement is a little more realistic; aided by its now-sleeker bodywork, this improved Enyaq serves up plenty of that.

As for ride quality, well as we said in our test of the smaller Elroq, it's pretty good by class standards - but could be so much better if body control wasn't so tightly reined-in to satisfy the industry press.

You'll hear more positive comments about Enyaq ride quality elsewhere, but that's usually because the testers concerned have been in a version of this car fitted with the DCC adaptive chassis control system that hardly any customers will specify. The name 'Enyaq' is apparently derived from the Irish word 'Enya', meaning 'source of life', the source in this case being the same two-way choice of 63 and 82kWh battery packs that power mainstream versions of all the other mid-sized VW Group EV Crossovers using this conglomerate's bespoke MEB electrified platform.

Which are also pretty much the same as the packs used on the earlier version of this model - as are the electric motors they power.

The smaller 63kWh battery pack (which can't be had on the Coupe version of this car) features in the base 60 model allied to a 204PS motor which takes you to 62mph in 7.8s or, if you're more restrained, offers a range of up to 268 miles.

We tried a mid-level 85 model with the larger 82kWh pack which works with a 286PS motor, this combination delivering a sprint time of 6.5s and a range figure of up to 359 miles.

Further up the line-up lie the 82kWh AWD dual motor variants; the 85x model with 334 miles of range.

And a top vRS variant that offers 340PS, 0-62mph in 5.2s and 347 miles of range. Since your budget will probably restrict you to a single motor model, that's what we opted to try.

In case you're not familiar with VW Group engineering in EV of this size, it's worth pointing out that, unlike quite a few rivals, the motor in question sits on the rear axle rather than the front one.

Which prior to this Enyaq's introduction was a format we hadn't seen in any Skoda since the '70s.

Here, it allows for a turning circle that at just 9.3-metres is so impressive that you might wonder whether this car has 4-wheel steering (it doesn't).

There's a quite different look for the front end of this updated Enyaq, still offered in both hatch (SUV) and coupe forms.

Skoda has grafted on the 'Tech Deck' face we first saw with the company's Vision 7S concept car back in 2022.

This sees thin daytime running lights and a flush-fit plastic panel below the leading edge of the bonnet, that bonnet now capped with Skoda script rather than the usual brand logo.

The changes have fractionally improved aerodynamics - from 0.257Cd to 0.245Cd for the SUV and from 0.240Cd to 0.229Cd for the Coupe (better than a Tesla Model Y).

There are far fewer changes inside - the main one being the restyled steering wheel, which now (like the nose) bears 'Skoda' script rather than a badge.

Small updates feature on the 13-inch central infotainment touchscreen, which as before can also be worked by both voice and gesture control.

The usual small 5.3-inch VW Group instrument binnacle display features once again.

And you'll like the wonderfully-named optional 'Jumbo Box', which adds 6.2 litres of storage underneath the centre console. Thanks to the clever design of the MEB platform it sits on, the Enyaq has always offered superb interior space.

With the traction battery housed in the floor and a compact motor mounted beneath the cargo area base, this Czech EV has a cabin unburdened by the packaging compromises of a traditional internal combustion engine car.

The cabin is 'inspired by modern living environments', according to Skoda, and uses 'natural, sustainably processed and recycled materials'.

Get settled in the back and, as usual in a Skoda, you'll find leg room that's difficult to better in segment.

Two six footers could sit comfortably behind a couple of front seat occupants of the same size.

This is also a wider cabin than you might expect a mid-sized SUV to be able to provide and with no central transmission tunnel to obstruct things, three adults could actually fit reasonably easily into the back of this car.

Boot capacity is ample at 585-litres for the SUV and 570-litres for the Coupe.

Fold the rear bench in the SUV and up to 1,710-litres of space is available (it's 1,610-litres in the Coupe).

Things in the world have changed quite a bit since 2020 - which is when we first tested the original version of this car (then called the 'Enyaq iV').

And they certainly have for the Enyaq price-wise, which, with the government grant that then applied, could be on your driveway in its most basic form for around £32,000.

If that's still your price point today, you now need to be looking at the brand's only slightly-smaller Elroq EV model, which will save you around £5,500 over a comparable Enyaq.

Freed from the shackles of being the price starting point model for Skoda's electric range, Enyaq prices have since gone onwards and upwards, but in more recent times the two base variants with the smallest 63kWh battery and 'SEL' or 'Edition' trim have been helped by the availability of a £1,500 government grant, which meant that at the time of our review in Summer 2025, it was possible to get an entry-level 63kWh 'SEL'-spec Enyaq for just over £37,500 with the grant applied.

At the same time as the grant arrived, Skoda also introduced something quite surprising - a van version of this Enyaq - the Enyaq Cargo.

It's really more an after-market conversion which costs £1,815 excluding VAT over the price of the bigger-battery Enyaq 85 and 85x models.

And includes tinted black rear windows, a bulkhead and a strong loadbay surface.

Unfortunately though, that 'Enyaq Cargo' model doesn't qualify for any government grant. Here, our focus is on the standard Enyaq model; as you might know, you can also have it as an SUV-Coupe - we'll cover that model separately.

This ordinary version has a much cheaper price starting point than that sleeker body style - around £39,000 at the time of our test in Summer 2025.

Which is because it's available with a base 'SE L' trim level and a smaller 63kWh battery that customers of the Coupe version can't have.

Most customers of this ordinary Enyaq SUV ignore base trim and find the extra £1,100 required for the mid-range 'Edition' version we tried.

With that car, you'll be offered the option of finding a substantial £4,200 more for the larger 82kWh battery we tested - but by that point with a few extras added, you'd be looking at a spend of around £45,000.

If that figure doesn't bother you, then you can push on up towards £50,000 with more dynamic-looking 'Sportline' trim (based around the 82KWh battery and available for around £1,500 more in dual motor AWD form).

Or you could go well beyond £50,000 with the fastest version, the top Enyaq vRS, another dual motor model, but this time with an 84kWh battery.

Where standard and Coupe versions of the Enyaq are directly comparable, choosing the ordinary SUV body shape will save you £1,900.

One of the few things that really disappointed us about the original version of this model was its feeble DC charging speed.

Initial base Enyaq models could only charge at 50kW unless you upgraded them; and the maximum available DC charging speed further up the line-up (at extra cost) was a modest 125kW.

We weren't the only commentators to criticise this and Skoda moved to enhance things soon after.

But not enough it seems.

The 85 model we tried DC-maxes out at just 135kW, one of the segment's lower figures.

Strangely, the smaller-battery 60 version is better (at 165kW), while the dual motor 85x manages 175kW and the top vRS can DC-charge at up to 185kW.

Is all this good enough? Well plenty of other models in this sector (notably from other VW Group and Stellantis brands) can't much better the Enyaq in this area, but in a class where Tesla's Model 3 has long DC-charged at up to 250kW and an MG IM6 now DC-charges at up to 396kW, you'd have to say that Skoda has a long way to go here.

The charging speed figures we just gave you reflect in the quoted DC 0-80% charge times - 24 minutes for the 60 63kWh model, 28 minutes for the 85 82kWh variant and 26 minutes for the 85x and the vRS.

If all you mostly do is charge at home, you might not be much bothered about DC charging stats.

Using a typical 7.2kW garage wallbox, the base 63kWh 60 model needs around 9 hours for a full charge (reducing to 6 hours 30 minutes if you're able to use an 11kW three-phase supply).

The 82kWh 85 model and the two top dual motor variants need quite a lot longer - 12 hours from a 7.2kW wallbox - or 8 hours 15 minutes using an 11kW supply.

It's a pity that this Enyaq has lost its low-pricing trump card in the family EV segment, but it's still decent value for what you get, taking into account space, power and equipment.

Whether it's worth the extra over its Elroq showroom stablemate is another question.

For many customers, it won't be.

Our advice is to try both cars before deciding - and take the family with you when you do. As for the way this Skoda stacks up against alternatives from other brands, well the market has changed beyond recognition in the five years since this Enyaq first appeared and in some areas - notably charging speed and drive range - we're not convinced that it's evolved quite as much as it needed to.

But that's artfully disguised by the sharper looks and what can be rather lovely interior packaging.

A typical Skoda customer will also like the rather relaxed way that this car goes about its business on the road, its rear-driven urban manoeuvrability - and its many 'Simply Clever' practical cabin features. In summary, the changes made here might not be enough to sustain class-leading sales.

But they're certainly sufficient to keep this Enyaq as a car you simply can't ignore if you're shopping in the mid-sized EV segment.

Of all the VW Group-engineered EVs in this class, it's probably still the one that family folk should turn to first.

And that continues to make it a very important player indeed.