• Three powertrains available
• Strong acceleration across the board
• Sportier vRS model in the pipeline

What power options are there?

The choice will be central to the Elroq’s appeal, with three versions available depending on the required performance and range. All Elroqs sold in the UK are rear-wheel-drive, with the all-wheel-drive ‘85X’ available in other European markets not being sold in Britain. You can, however, expect a sporty vRS model to launch in the future with four-wheel-drive provided by its twin electric motors.

Kicking off the line-up is the Elroq 50, which uses a 52kWh battery (usable capacity – as will be quoted throughout this review) and electric motor producing 170hp and 310Nm of torque (pulling power). It’s able to accelerate from 0-62mph in nine seconds, and we reckon it provides more than enough pace for most drivers. We were pleasantly surprised by how brisk it was. It’s worth noting the ’50’ is only available on the entry-level SE trim level, and is what enables the Elroq’s low starting price, yet is expected to make up just 5% of Elroq sales. The driving range with this entry model is around 230 miles.

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If you want a touch more performance and range, go for the 60, which is predicted to be the best-seller. We haven’t been able to test this version yet, though it packs a larger 59kWh battery, and puts out 204hp with same torque as the other model. It drops the 0-62mph time to 8.0 seconds and adds around 30 miles to the range. More on this in the next section.

At the top of the line-up is the Elroq 85, the model to choose if you want the most range as it can travel up to an impressive 360 miles from a charge. It also packs a significantly more powerful motor with 286hp and 545Nm of torque. It drops the 0-62mph to just 6.6 seconds and raises the top speed to 111mph – other Elroqs are capped to 99mph. This gives the Skoda the edge in terms of performance over a Renault Scenic and Kia EV3. 

What’s it like to drive?

• Excellent ride and handling balance
• One of the best electric SUVs to drive
• Small turning circle is great around town

We’ve liked the way the larger Enyaq drives for some time and that’s now been distilled into the Elroq, and brilliantly so. It’s one of the best cars to drive in its class with a great ride and handling balance.

For utmost comfort you’ll want to spec the Elroq with Skoda’s Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) – a £650 option. This features adaptive dampers that lets you flick between 15 different suspension settings, from comfortable to sporty, depending on your preference. With DCC fitted, the Elroq has an especially soft ride in its standard settings, absorbing potholes and road imperfections admirably, and suppressing any joltiness. Without DCC, the Elroq is still comfortable but has a slight harshness to it that models with the optional suspension iron out. 

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The handling is smooth and predictable and just right for a car like this. That said, it does enable more enjoyment if you get your foot down, with the steering weighting up nicely in sport mode and – in the case of the 85 – if you boot it out of a corner you can sense the rear bias to it.

We rather like the way the Elroq drives, and the extra power of the 85 is welcome during more spirited driving. That said, we think even the standard 50 model feels quick enough in most applications – it’s only if you need to overtake something quickly that it can feel a bit sluggish.

The Elroq’s turning circle is also impressively small at 9.3 metres, making it easy to manoeuvre around town and when parking.