Skoda Elroq: why it's What Car?'s favourite family electric SUV

That continues in the boot area, where there’s a whole 470 litres of space. And better still, if you follow What Car?’s recommendation and add the Transport Package, the boot area will have not only a net for the underside of the rear parcel shelf to store your charging cable in, but also a height-adjustable boot floor, which “gives you more underfloor storage and reduces the size of the lip at the boot entrance so that it's easier to load and unload heavy items”.

2 Range and charging

No matter what your daily motoring needs, there is a Skoda Elroq that will fit seamlessly into your life.

The range kicks off with the 50 model, which has a 55kWh battery. This offers a range of 232 miles – more than enough to make day-to-day journeys stress-free experiences.Next up is the 60 model, which features a 63kWh battery. It’s ideal if your motoring life comprises daily urban trips with the odd longer journey.

And at the top of the range sits the 85 model, which has a 82kWh battery and an official range of 355 miles. So, if you need to take a trip from, say, Birmingham to Edinburgh, you’ll be able to cover the distance without giving range a second thought. Anxiety? That’s a thing of the past with an Elroq.

And when the time comes to recharge your Elroq, you won’t have to spend long doing so. The 85 version can be recharged at a maximum rate of 135kW, which means a top-up from 10%-80% takes just 28 minutes – just about long enough for a snack and a beverage. Overall charging times are much the same for the 50 and 60 models, too.

3 It’s great to drive, everywhere

The Skoda Elroq is the ideal companion on any journey. The 50 model produces 168bhp, then the 60 model generates 201bhp, and the 85 version puts out 282bhp, an output that’s normally the preserve of hot hatchbacks. What this means is that no matter which model you choose, it has more performance than you’re ever likely to need.

You’ll be happy to travel long distances in your Elroq too, because as What Car? says: “The standard suspension absorbs most imperfections in the road surface well and delivers impressive body control on undulating country roads”. However, in further evidence that the Elroq caters for everyone, the 85 SportLine version can be specified with a Driver Package, which includes Dynamic Chassis Control – this is a system that allows you to alter the firmness of the suspension according to the bumpiness of the road, and the sort of driving mood you’re in.

According to What Car?, it has a wide range of configurations, so that “Comfort mode of DCC does exactly what its name suggests”, then “in the stiffest setting, body lean through corners is reduced noticeably”.

What Car? is also full of praise for the Elroq’s brakes, which allow you to pull to a halt smoothly, while the adjustable regenerative system on SportLine Elroqs is also singled out as a useful technology addition.

The well-weighted steering also gives the driver confidence in any situation, while the tight turning circle makes the Elroq very easy to manoeuvre.

Any car can be wearing if it’s too noisy on a journey, but there are no such concerns in the Skoda Elroq, which What Car? tests have shown is quieter than many rivals. Indeed, testers reported: “Big journeys should be relaxing and stress-free – an important consideration given the Elroq’s long-distance credentials.”

4 It’s packed with technology

There are four trims available, starting with SE and ascending though SE L, Edition and SportLine, and SE provides proof that when you invest in a Skoda Elroq, you’ll feel like you’re being spoiled. That’s because this version comes with 19-inch alloy wheels, super-bright LED headlights and a dual-zone climate control system for the cabin. And that’s not all – how about heated, self-dimming and electrically folding door mirrors, rear parking sensors, a rearview camera and cruise control? 

If you’re the sort who feels the cold, then SE L is the trim for you, because it adds a heated steering wheel and heated front seats. Front parking sensors make tight manoeuvres easier, too.

Edition trim is perfect if you regularly do longer journeys, because you’ll be able to take advantage of the standard adaptive cruise control (which includes traffic jam assist), the wireless smartphone charging, the satellite-navigation system and the ability to select your preferred drive mode. Your Elroq will lock automatically as you walk away from it at journey’s end, too.

SportLine models have an undeniably purposeful presence, thanks to their gloss-black styling highlights, and the upgraded 20-inch alloy wheels. Full Matrix LED headlights ensure no corner of the road goes unlit, and are backed up by the Dynamic headlight range control. An electrically operated tailgate with kick activation just makes life easier when you’re loaded with shopping, and the front sports seats hold you firmly and comfortably on even the most spirited drive.

5 Safety is paramount

The Skoda Elroq is designed to keep you safe and protected during every excursion. Indeed, it contains such a range of both active and passive safety systems that even NASA might be impressed. As What Car? noted: “Even the cheapest version comes with lots of safety kit, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), traffic-sign recognition, a driver attention warning system, blind-spot monitoring and plenty of airbags.”

That AEB set-up is designed not only to stop an inattentive driver from rear-ending a car ahead, but will also help to prevent collisions with pedestrians and cyclists. The Turn Assist system can also prevent a collision while the driver is turning.

That’s not all, because the airbag system even incorporates a “central interaction airbag”, which inflates from the central armrest in a millisecond in the event of a side impact. In doing so, it stops the driver and front-seat passenger coming into contact with each other.