• Just one powertrain available
• Petrol engine-alike power delivery
• Unsatisfying driving experience

Electric engines

The Skywell BE11 is available with a single powertrain, the electric motor generating 204hp and 320Nm of torque – entirely reasonable figures in a car of this size. The motor drives the front wheels only. Skywell quotes a 0-62mph time of 9.6 seconds and a top speed of 93mph. Curiously, the same acceleration time is quoted for both the Standard Range and Long Range versions, despite the latter being 50kg heavier.

A characteristic of electric motors is that they deliver all of their power and torque immediately, giving you a real shove in the back if you floor the throttle. But that’s not the case in the BE11. Rather, it’s power gradually ramps up, as it would in an internal combustion-engine car – a charteristic we’ve also encountered in the Peugeot e-3008 and Vauxhall Grandland Electric.

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Some might consider that a failing, but it could better suit drivers coming from an ICE car, feeling more familiar. Our tester believes it’s indicative of Skywell’s parent company’s experience with electric buses. You want the power to ramp up gradually in such vehicles so standing passengers don’t get knocked off their feet.

The regenerative braking is quite subtle and deceptively effective, though there isn’t a one-pedal driving mode. The brakes themselves are certainly there, but there’s little to no feel through the pedal.

You can find more facts and figures for the Skywell BE11 on our specs pages.

What’s it like to drive?

• Much improved steering
• Body control could be better
• Needs higher-quality tyres

Like every other electric car we’ve encountered, the Skywell BE11 is entirely undemanding to drive. The steering’s light, the ride generally smooth and quiet, the power and brakes respond to the pedals predictably. But the experience is also entirely unsatisfying – there’s no real enjoyment to be had.

That steering. We should note it’s a quantum leap on from the pre-production version we tested before. There, it felt like there wasn’t any connection at all between the steering wheel and the front wheels. There is now a sense of connection, but the system’s still completely lacking any meaningful feel.

In those clichéd sweeping country road turns -n there were lots of on our test route – the BE11 goes where you point it accurately and responsively. But there’s a sort of gluiness when making smaller adjustments. The wheel moves freely through the first few degrees of the turn, then resistance suddenly sets in. Our tester found that made it tricky to aim through narrow gaps and stay in lane on the motorway.

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The suspension deals with bumps, holes and ridges pretty well – the interior is well-isolated from the shock and noise. But the car’s body control starts to break down over undulations and if you turn into a corner abruptly. It becomes a bit of bucking bronco and seems to fall over to the side. There’s a kind of grittiness on particularly rough surfaces, as well. You get the feeling the suspension is working harder than it should.

The cold, wet conditions during our test also showed the limitations of the Giti tyres fitted to our car. We’ve not seen this particular brand on a new car before – it’s more associated with lorries in the UK. Under hard acceleration, they lost traction easily and had lower than ideal limits of grip in corners.

Ride quality is perfectly acceptable, as well. Not the smoothest we’ve come across in this type of car, with a kind of grittiness on particularly rough surfaces, but it’s hardly unsettling. The tyres throw up more noise than is desirable, as well. Overall, though, we think the BE11 would be a good car for doing long distances.

None of this would stop you from driving a BE11 as quickly – or gently – as you want. But all these little issues make the process a bit harder than it should be. And that’s why it’s not at all satisfying. None of its rivals are exactly scintillating to drive either, but the likes of the Ford Explorer and Peugeot e-5008 are significantly better.