Like every other car maker, Skoda is busily growing its range of electric and hybrid offerings, so the only surprise about the new Elroq is that it won’t arrive sooner. The oddly named little sibling to the successful Enyaq is coming to Ireland in 2025, set to compete with the Kia Niro EV and the Hyundai Kona Electric, among others.
Despite the distant release date, the importance of this new model has prompted Skoda to afford us a quick drive in a camouflaged prototype so we can have some idea of what this compact electric SUV is going to be like. Although the prototypes are, by definition, still unfinished, it’s the Elroq’s chance to make a good first impression before the car is revealed in full this October.
A look inside the Skoda Elroq
With Skoda keeping details of the Elroq’s interior under wraps until later this year, we can’t say too much about the cabin. And given the state of some of the plastics in the prototype vehicle we drove, any judgement would be unfair when the cabin clearly isn’t finished.
That’s especially true now we know Skoda has placed greater emphasis on materials in the Elroq, which will be offered with a choice of different interior ambiences. The Design Selection Loft, for example, will use ‘Recytitan’ fibre in the door panels, seats and dashboard, and that stuff consists of 78 per cent recycled PET - the plastic you get in water bottles and the like. Whether such materials make the Elroq a nicer place to be than, say, the Enyaq, which is already available with fabric dashboard trim and upholstery options, remains to be seen. However, Skoda’s other implementations of similar ideas have gone down well.
But while discussion of the Elroq’s interior materials and design requires some speculation, there’s no need to think of what might have been when it comes to space. The boot, for example, measures 470 litres with all five seats upright, and that makes it much roomier than the Kona Electric and on a par with the Niro EV. Fold the back seats down and the space grows to 1,580 litres.
Similarly competitive is the rear cabin space, which is more than adequate for at least two adults. The space may not be cavernous, but even tall passengers will be perfectly content occupying the rear seats for an hour or more.
The Skoda Elroq’s on-board technology
The interior and exterior designs may not have been revealed in their entirety, but we know exactly what kind of on-board technology will be there - primarily because most of it is taken from the Elroq’s larger sibling, the Enyaq. For example the five-inch digital instrumentation, which is no great shakes, but it collates all the vital information in one clear screen, and the optional head-up display, which is lifted from the Enyaq, too. It’s a very impressive system that even manages to pick out white lines and other vehicles with its augmented reality tech.
We also have high hopes for the touchscreen, which is much the same 13-inch display found in a Skoda Superb or a Kodiaq, albeit with a few electric-specific features. We haven’t had much of a play with the Elroq’s system, but it’s expected to offer the same basic interface as in those cars, and indeed the latest-generation Enyaq. Although those systems are a bit fiddly and awkward at times, they’re a vast improvement on the infotainment originally found in the Enyaq, so it shouldn’t put too many buyers off the Elroq.
How many child seats can I fit in the Skoda Elroq?
Full specifications are yet to be announced, so we don’t yet know how many ISOFIX child seat fixtures will be available in the Elroq. We’re expecting to see two in the rear - there’s certainly plenty of space for child seats back there - and one at the front, given the Elroq is built with families in mind. But we’ll have to wait until the car is formally unveiled before we can say for certain.
What is the electric range of the Skoda Elroq?
Skoda will offer the Elroq with a choice of four different powertrain options and three different battery sizes. The base option will wear the ‘50’ badge and combine a 170hp, rear-mounted electric motor with a 55kWh battery pack, while the slightly more potent ‘60’ will get a 63kWh battery and a 204hp electric motor, which also drives the rear wheels.
We haven’t been given official range figures for each version yet, but the ‘85’ variant tested here, with its 285hp electric motor and 82kWh battery packs (although just 77kWh of that is usable), is thought to offer the greatest range. Skoda is suggesting it’ll be possible to drive more than 560km on a charge in this version, and though our short, mostly urban test drive wasn’t enough to verify that range in the real world, early indications are that a range of around 500km should be achievable in the right conditions.
Despite its range, the 85 will not be the flagship Elroq. Instead, that crown will belong to the 85x, which uses the same 82kWh battery as the ‘85’ but is powered by two electric motors to produce up to 300hp sent to all four wheels. Whether a sporty RS model arrives later, as has happened with the Enyaq, remains to be seen.
For now, though, the four powertrains are the only confirmed options, and they all offer rapid charging. All four can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in less than half an hour at maximum DC charging speeds, although those maximum speeds will differ. Details for the ‘50’ and ‘60’ models are still yet to be announced, but Skoda has confirmed the 85 and 85x models will charge at up to 175kW on a public DC-charging unit. And to help achieve those speeds, the Elroq will be available with battery pre-conditioning tech, which heats or cools the battery to its optimum temperature to maximise charging speeds.
Driving the Skoda Elroq prototype
Our test car was an ‘85’ version, with the 286hp electric motor driving the rear wheels, and though the company hasn’t been especially forthcoming with performance figures, it seemed perky enough. As you’d expect, acceleration was almost instantaneous, and the system was quiet and refined.
Similarly, the car drove well in an unremarkable kind of way. The urban area around Amsterdam was hardly an ideal location for evaluating the handling, but what tests we did manage to conduct revealed a manoeuvrable and predictable car that feels exactly like the baby Enyaq it’s intended to be.
However, there are one or two areas that still feel unfinished. Chief among these is the suspension, which has a stiffness that isn’t immediately obvious, but gets exposed now and then. Although the roads of the Netherlands are generally smooth, the odd pothole, manhole cover or drain still gives the springs work to do, and the Elroq’s suspension struggles over such sharp undulations. That wouldn’t be so bad were the Elroq’s body control exemplary, but though it doesn’t lean too much in corners, it doesn’t feel remarkable in any way.
In the Elroq’s defence, the huge wheels fitted here and heavy battery don’t help, and the ride does improve at higher speeds or over longer-wavelength bumps, but Irish roads will present a sterner test - one with which the Elroq may struggle in the specification we drove.
The other notable issue with the Elroq prototype is an important one, and that’s the brake system. Of course, the car is trying to balance the need to top up the battery through regenerative braking with the need to slow rapidly using the discs and callipers, but that balance still isn’t quite right. The result is an inconsistent feel through the pedal that fails to instil confidence in the car’s stopping power, which is a shame when there’s clearly plenty of that on offer. It just doesn’t arrive when you expect it to sometimes. Hopefully that can be ironed out before the car hits Irish showrooms next year.
How safe is the Skoda Elroq?
With no cars in circulation and specifications yet to be released, the Elroq has not yet been tested by the independent European safety body, Euro NCAP. Skoda’s safety record is pretty good, as both the Enyaq and Karoq have five-star ratings. We expect the Elroq to continue that tradition.
Especially as it comes with plenty of safety systems included as standard. Skoda has promised “a large number of advanced sensors” and a “high level of passive and active safety.” Obviously, those are just words, but the Elroq looks likely to come with all the usual driver assistance gadgets, including cruise control, autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warning. Skoda has promised parking assistance technology, too, including cameras, sensors and even a remote parking system.
How much will the Skoda Elroq cost in Ireland?
Skoda hasn’t yet confirmed Irish prices for the Elroq, and we don’t expect to hear much on that front until the car is unveiled in the autumn. But it’s a safe bet that it’ll cost less than the Enyaq, which currently sneaks in at just under €45,000.
The reasons you’d buy a Skoda Elroq
As expected, the Elroq appears to take much of what makes the Skoda Enyaq so good and cram it into a smaller package. It’s spacious and pleasant to drive, while there’s an expectation that it’ll be well made, and the tech should be user-friendly. Question marks remain over the ride comfort and the brakes, which seem to be unfinished, and we don’t know how closely it will match its official range figures, but things are shaping up nicely for the Elroq. Irish pricing will be crucial for the Czech newcomer, and we’re looking forward to testing the finished article.
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