Skoda Elroq review

Like Noah Cyrus, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Austin Swift, the Skoda Elroq has a better-known older sibling – but we doubt it'll be long before it's famous in its own right.

Perhaps more famous, in fact: while the Elroq is based on the same underpinnings as its big brother, the Skoda Enyaq, it’s a smaller, cheaper car, which opens it up to a wider audience. It joins a raft of similar-sized electric SUVs to have hit the market recently, including the Kia EV3, the Smart #1 and the Volvo EX30.

The Elroq is also the first car to show off Skoda’s new design language. Called Modern Solid, its main design elements include a closed-off grille design, narrow LED headlights and the Czech brand’s name spelt across the bonnet in place of a badge.

Kia EV3 vs Skoda Elroq vs Mini Aceman triple test video

So can the Skoda Elroq replicate the success of its bigger brother, or will it struggle to compete agains the best electric SUVs? Read on to find out…

There are three versions of the Skoda Elroq to choose from, called the 50, 60 and 85. They're all rear-wheel-drive, single motor cars and produce 168bhp, 201bhp and 282bhp respectively. (No four-wheel-drive version will be offered in the UK.)

The Elroq's performance is pretty competitive for an electric SUV of its size. The 50 and 85 models we’ve driven so far provide smooth, progressive acceleration, with the 85 managing 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds. Sure, it’s not as fast as a Volvo EX30 Extended Range (5.3 seconds), but it's likely to satisfy most SUV buyers.

The suspension has a firm edge to it, which means it thumps and fidgets over harsh bumps, but it absorbs most minor imperfections well.

For maximum comfort, you can add Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) adaptive suspension as part of the Driver Package on 85 and 85 Sportline cars, allowing you to adjust the set-up using the infotainment touchscreen by switching modes. The Comfort mode does exactly what its name suggests, giving the Elroq a more comfortable ride than a Kia EV3, Smart #1 or Volvo EX30.

The Elroq handles well for an electric SUV, with good body control. There is noticeable lean on sharper turns, but no more than in most SUVs. The steering is well weighted, and becomes progressively heavier as you increase speed. It’s not particularly direct or quick, but you can place the car accurately enough on the road.

Unfortunately, the Elroq’s brake pedal has a spongy feel to it, with plenty of travel before the brakes engage. The same is true of other VW Group electric cars – including the Cupra Tavascan – and it’s mostly down to the regenerative braking system. The Kia EV3 has a more progressive brake-pedal feel.

You can minimise the effect by increasing the strength of the regen braking with the paddles behind the steering. Annoyingly, though, the paddles are only available on SE-L trim upwards, so the entry-level Elroq doesn’t get them.

One of the Elroq’s greatest strengths is refinement. It’s ultra-quiet on motorways, with hardly any wind or road noise invading the interior, other than a small amount of flutter around the door mirrors.

In terms of battery options, the 50 version gets a 52kWh (usable capacity) battery and an official range of 232 miles, while the 60 gets a larger 59kWh unit that lifts range to 260 miles. The 85 model gets the longest range, with a 77kWh battery for an official range of 360 miles.

That's further than the Smart #1 Premium (273 miles) and Volvo EX30 Extended Range (295) but not as far as an 81.4kWh Kia EV3 (375) or Renault Scenic E-Tech Long Range (370).

“For Skoda Elroqs without the DCC suspension fitted, I found the lighter 50 version to be the most comfortable. Even so, the suspension in the 85 is still very forgiving.” – George Hill, Used Car Writer

The driving position in the Skoda Elroq is very good. You sit up high, with big windows and slim pillars that give you great all-round visibility.

In some ways, the forward view gives you the sensation of driving an MPV rather than an SUV because the dashboard is very long and the windscreen is steeply raked. You also get front quarterlights, which aid visibility at junctions.

The seats in the Elroq are very comfortable, particularly on Sportline cars, which get figure-hugging sport bucket seats, and the steering wheel has plenty of reach and rake adjustment.

If you’ve ever sat in a Skoda Enyaq, you’ll find the Elroq’s interior familiar, with its similar design and 13.0in touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard.

The infotainment system has sharp graphics and is easy to use, with quick responses when you touch the screen and shortcut tabs at the top and bottom. It comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring on all versions. Overall, it’s a better system than you get in a Smart #1 and on a par with the Kia EV3.

Usefully, there’s a bank of physical shortcut buttons below the touchscreen, including three for the climate controls (with one that brings up a climate control window on the screen). That's helpful, but we’d still prefer a full set of physical buttons and toggles – like you get in the Kia EV3 and Renault Scenic E-Tech – to minimise distraction while driving.

Every Elroq has a digital driver's display. At 5in, it's quite small and it's not very configurable, but you do get sharp graphics and proper buttons on the steering wheel to control it with. The display in the Scenic is better, with space for a full-width sat-nav map. 

Interior quality, for the most part, is very good. You get pleasant soft-touch plastic on the upper dashboard and door tops, and padded faux-leather with stitching on the dashboard and centre console.

Unfortunately, some of the main touch points feel a bit cheap. The physical shortcut buttons, for example, have a hollow feel to them, and the door grab handles are made of hard, scratchy plastic. These are minor criticism, though, and overall the Elroq's interior is impressive.

“The Skoda Elroq's optional head-up display is useful, particularly with the augmented reality sat-nav that projects arrows on to the windscreen, although I do find it a bit odd that the display is projected from a large piece of piano-black plastic.” – George Hill, Used Car Writer

The Skoda Elroq's interior does a good job of offering enough storage space for various odds and ends.

The "floating" console between the front seats, for example, includes a storage tray beside the gear selector, a tray in front of the cupholders and a large area beneath the whole assembly. The door bins are large and lined with felt so your possessions don't rattle around when you're driving.

Space up front is very good, but it’s in the back seats where the Elroq really impresses. Even a six-footer will have enough head and leg room to spare when sat behind a similarly tall driver. Thanks to the flat floor, there’s plenty of foot space. 

The Elroq’s boot size is competitive, at 470 litres. That’s more than you get in a Kia EV3, Smart #1 or Volvo EX30 but less than in a Renault Scenic E-Tech.

There are handy storage shelves at the sides of the Elroq’s boot for smaller items, plus underfloor storage and a useful parcel shelf with a net below it for storing charging cables. The loading lip is usefully low, which makes it easy to load heavy items into the boot.

Like the Skoda Enyaq, the Elroq has 60/40 split folding back seats, which is not as versatile as the 40/20/40 split seats in a Hyundai Kona Electric or Renault Scenic E-Tech. There’s also a slight lip when the back seats are folded down, which can get in the way when sliding longer items into the car. 

“I’m a big fan of Skoda’s Simply Clever features, including the partition net in the boot, the charging cable net, the ice scraper and umbrella. They’re genuinely useful features that no rivals offer.” – George Hill, Used Car Writer

The entry-level 50 version of the Skoda Elroq is cheaper than its closest rivals, including the Kia EV3, the Smart #1 and the Volvo EX30. The 85 version with a bigger battery is more expensive than an equivalent EV3 or EX30, but costs less than a Renault Scenic E-Tech.

Similarly, the Elroq 85 is expected to hold on to more of its value over three yearsthan an EV3 or EX30 but less than a Scenic.

The Elroq is available in a choice of four trims: SE, SE-L, Edition and Sportline. Entry-level SE is reasonably well equipped, with 19in alloy wheels, a two-spoke steering wheel, LED headlights, single-zone climate control, a reversing camera and rear parking sensors.

Skoda Elroq reveal video

SE-L trim adds a few more goodies, including a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, selectable driving modes, adjustable regenerative braking and front parking sensors.

Edition trim comes with adaptive cruise control, keyless entry and wireless phone-charging (with cooling) as standard.

Range-topping Sportline gets sportier exterior styling, 20in alloys, adaptive LED headlights, sport front seats, a three-spoke steering wheel and an electric tailgate.

Unfortunately, the Elroq doesn't have an EV heat pump as standard. You can add one as an option but it's expensive.

The Elroq 85 has a maximum charging rate of 175kW and can top up from 10-80% in 28 minutes. The 50 and 60 versions have a slower rate of 165kW, but because of their smaller batteries, they can achieve the same charge in 26 minutes. That’s similar to most rivals, including the Kia EV3 and Smart #1.

With a 7.2kW home charger, the Elroq 50 takes around eight hours to charge from 0-100%, while the 85 model takes around 12 hours. 

The Elroq had not been tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP at the time of writing, but comes with lots of safety kit, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), traffic-sign recognition, a driver attention warning system and plenty of airbags. You can add adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and other features as part of a Travel Assist option pack.

The Elroq is too new to have featured in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey but Skoda finished in 13th place out of 31 brands in our manufacturer league table. That’s above MG (31st) and Vauxhall (29th), but below Kia (11th), Hyundai (10th) and Renault (ninth).

Every Elroq comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty, while the battery is covered with an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty. If the battery falls below 70% of its original usable capacity, Skoda says it will pay to put it right.

“I find it useful that Skoda has made it easy to choose which driving assist features you want to use. If you need to adjust them, there’s a physical shortcut button below the infotainment screen that brings up a menu with functions such as your lane-keep assist and driver attention warning.” – George Hill, Used Car Writer

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here