New Skoda Elroq arrives as the Enyaq’s smaller EV brother
The Skoda Elroq is the Czech brand’s second all-electric car, joining the larger Enyaq in the range
Skoda is going strong on value with its second all-electric car, the Skoda Elroq. Pictured here for the first time and slotting into the range below the successful and highly rated Enyaq, the Elroq goes on sale later this month ahead of cars arriving in the UK in spring 2025.
Sitting on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform that underpins a wide range of models, including the Enyaq, the Elroq launches with a headline price of £31,500 for the 230-mile range model and three battery options across four trim levels, topping out at £41,600 and with a maximum range figure of 360 miles.
The pricing undercuts core rivals such as the Hyundai Kona, which has a similar range, and the Renault Scenic, although the latter’s significantly larger battery size gives it a superior 379-mile maximum official figure. The pricing also puts the Elroq within touching distance of equivalent petrol versions of Skoda’s petrol Karoq.
Outputs of 168bhp, 201bhp and 282bhp make up the power options, with the first two sharing the same 310Nm torque figure and the top model getting a punchier 545Nm.
The Elroq introduces a new Skoda design language. Called “Modern Solid”, it brings in a front end that loses the previous Skoda signature look of a wide gaping grille, replacing it with a sleeker and significantly more contemporary design, complete with what the firm calls the “Tech-Deck Face” – a gloss-black panel housing the raft of sensors and cameras that inform the driver-assistance tech.
The Skoda lettering on the protruding front section of the bonnet replaces the brand’s round logo on a production car for the first time, and the slender LED upper lights act as daytime running lights and indicators, while the twin lower LEDs are the headlights. On top-spec models, the 36 individual Matrix LED segments come with five modes to cover city, country, highway, all-weather and tourist settings.
The side profile is clean, with the thin front lights wrapping round the wing and subtle upper and lower crease lines aping existing Skoda models. The roof spoiler is one of a number of aerodynamic features designed to help achieve the Elroq’s drag coefficient of 0.26 and decent efficiency figures of between 4.3-4.6 miles per kWh, although these can’t quite match the larger Enyaq. Black cladding round the wheelarches, meanwhile, helps to emphasise the SUV appearance.
The rear features more familiar Skoda design, in contrast with the dramatic overhaul at the front. The triangular LED lighting layout, with dynamic LEDs on the top-spec car, is recognisable from the brand’s other petrol and electric SUVs.
In terms of dimensions, the new electric SUV is very much in the territory of Renault’s new Scenic e-Tech, sitting just 18mm longer and 20mm wider at 4488mm and 1884mm, although the Skoda is a more upright shape at 1625mm tall, 54mm more than the French car.
For comparison, Skoda’s own electric Enyaq is 165mm longer than the new arrival, although it is both narrower and shorter than the Elroq, which should make for excellent passenger space in the new arrival. The Elroq also outpoints its internal combustion engine sister car, the Karoq, on all dimensions.
Unusually for a Skoda, it is beaten for boot space by the Scenic’s 545 litres (the Elroq’s capacity is 470), but Skoda has delivered some more of the clever features it has become renowned for, including a parcel shelf that can be placed halfway up the boot, offering a split-level arrangement with two individual compartments.
The parcel shelf also has a net on the underside for storing the charge cable, as well as under-floor boot storage if that’s the preferred spot for the lead. All the usual so-called Simply Clever features – such as the ice scraper with tyre tread depth gauge mounted in the boot lid, and umbrella stashed away in the door lining – are also present.
The cabin will look familiar to anyone that’s spent time in the Enyaq, with the tiny instrument binnacle home to the essential driving information, a flat-bottom steering wheel with padded grips, 13-inch central screen with shortcut buttons underneath and a stubby gear selector among the central cup-holder and stowage arrangement. Skoda claims 48 litres of stowage capacity across the interior, including two levels of mini shelves on either side of the boot.
The infotainment system employs the latest-generation interface as already seen on the updated Enyaq and new Superb and Kodiaq, with improved useability over earlier versions of the touchscreen-dependent system. The shortcut buttons access climate, parking, driving mode and driver assistance systems, in response to criticism of having to delve into touchscreen menus for frequently accessed functions.
The entry 52kWh battery model, branded 50 and offering a 230-mile range, is in the line-up ostensibly to give the Elroq a £31,500 price point. It’s the only version available in the base SE trim. Moving up to the SE L takes the cost to £33,350 and pushes the range up to 250 miles from a 59kWh battery (badged as 60), plus adds heated seats and steering wheel, sat-nav, dual-zone climate control and front parking sensors. All cars get 19-inch alloy wheels, rear camera and rear parking sensors, LED front and rear lights and the 13-inch touchscreen.
Edition and SportLine variants come with either the 60 model or the range-topping 77kWh battery, branded 85 and boasting a range of up to 360 miles. Stepping up to the Edition is a £1,100 jump from the SE L, but brings with it privacy glass, predictive adaptive cruise control, keyless entry and wireless phone charging.
From Edition to SportLine is a further £2,950, but the alloys go to 20 inches, while Matrix LEDs, sports seats, an electric tailgate and chunkier bumpers are included in the extra goodies. Unfortunately, a heat pump – very handy for maximising range in cold weather – is only on the options list, alongside dynamic chassis control and an electrically retractable towbar.
The smaller two of the three battery options will charge at a maximum speed of 145kW, which means 10-80 per cent in 25 minutes, while the bigger battery will hit claimed heights of 175kW, although the larger size means an extra three minutes at a charging point to go from 10-80 per cent.
The Elroq configurator is online now, with the order book opening on 18 October, and cars arriving in the UK in Spring 2025. Of the nine colours available, the solid Timiano Green is exclusive to Skoda’s latest model.
“Many car buyers are looking for an easier and more cost-effective way to drive electric,” said Skoda head of sales and marketing Martin Jahn. “The Elroq offers state-of-the-art technology and a wide range of modern infotainment and safety features.”
Click here for our twin test between the Skoda Enyaq Coupe and Peugeot E-3008...
