New Tesla Model Y RWD and Skoda Enyaq Coupé vs Hyundai Ioniq 5: practicality

It was already a huge seller, and with the introduction of this new RWD version, the Tesla Model Y is more temptingly priced than ever. But are rivals from Hyundai and Skoda actually better?...

Will Nightingale

Published05 October 2023

Space and practicality

Front space, rear space, seating flexibility, boot

This is the new Coupé version of the Enyaq, remember, and coupés tend to have sloping rooflines that make life uncomfortable anyone sitting in the back. The Skoda Enyaq Coupé doesn’t completely escape this, having the least rear head room of our trio. It isn’t as cramped as an Audi TT, but six-footers might find their hair dusting cobwebs off the standard glass roof (something the Model Y, but not the Ioniq 5, also gets as standard).

Head room isn’t an issue in the other two cars, and they also beat the Enyaq for rear leg room. Here, though, it’s a case of ‘how much do you really need?’, because all three cars have more than enough for long-legged rear passengers.

Our testers found the Hyundai Ioniq 5 the comfiest to travel in the back of, partly because it has the most leg room of all, but also because the seat bases in the Tesla Model Y are quite short, so they don’t offer much under-thigh support.

The rear seats in the Enyaq don’t do anything clever, whereas the other two have reclining backrests, and the Ioniq 5’s rear bench even slides back and forth. This means you can trade some leg room for extra boot space – and you might want to do so on a family holiday, because otherwise you’ll fit only seven carry-on suitcases beneath the load cover.

The Enyaq and Model Y have much larger load bays that can take a total of nine cases each, although you’ll want to add the optional Transport Package (£320) if you opt for the Enyaq. This adds a height-adjustable boot floor that reduces the otherwise huge lip at the boot entrance and creates a separate compartment for storing the charging cables beneath the main luggage area.

In the other two, you can choose to stow the charging cables either under the main boot floor or under the bonnet. The Tesla’s front boot (or ‘frunk’) is larger than the Ioniq 5’s, though; it’s big enough to take another carry-on suitcase.

As you’d expect, all three have rear seats that fold down when you need to carry more clobber. The Model Y’s seatbacks split in a handy 40/20/40 arrangement, while the other two offer the traditional 60/40 split. The Enyaq does have a ski hatch for poking long items through between two rear passengers, though.