Skoda Enyaq first drive | Improving an already impressive package

If you want lots of space and plenty of range for not a lot of money then the Enyaq should be a key consideration. The facelifted model is more efficient, better value and comes with more standard kit than before.

Overview

Skoda has been on a winning streak with new model launches in the past year with high praise already bestowed upon the latest Kodiaq and Superb, as well as the all-new Elroq compact SUV.

Few brands manage to balance practicality, affordability and perceived quality quite as well as Skoda and the Enyaq, which originally launched in 2021 is testament to that.

Based on VW Group’s MEB platform – shared with the VW ID4, Audi Q4 e-tron and Ford Explorer – the Enyaq is a spacious, long-range mid-size SUV.

Since inception it has been the subject of a continual improvement programme. This means that updates have been applied during its lifecycle, improving technology, range and performance.

This time around, the Enyaq is given a visual overhaul as part of it first official facelift. The new Enyaq adopts a fresh face, linking it intrinsically with the new Enroq. It’s a sharper look that both improves aerodynamics and road presence.

Other tweaks include a new silver cladding that covers the lower parts of the body and new Skoda lettering in place of traditional badges.

Pricing starts at £39,000 and there’s a choice of three trim levels and three powertrains. The motor and battery choices are carried over from the existing model, as these were only updated a year ago.

Skoda has boosted the standard kit across the line-up, making the Enyaq better value for money. There’s a choice of SE L, Edition and Sportline, for the Enyaq SUV. A Coupe version is also offered.

Comfort and practicality

Here is where the Enyaq really shines. It’s a large and spacious car with ample room up front, in the rear and in the boot. You really can’t fault the Enyaq’s interior space at all.

Depending on trim level, the interior colours and upholstery are defined by the Design Selection. This is ‘Loft’ by default, on SE L and Edition, featuring grey cloth seats. The optional Lodge interior switches to a recycled material for the seats and adds orange seatbelts. Lounge has microsuede upholstery, which is plusher.

Leather is also available in black or cognac shades. In all cases, the seat material is extended to other parts of the cabin, including a section of the dashboard.

Opt for the Sporline and you get slightly different seats with integrated headrests, carbon fibre-effect trim and microsuede upholstery.

All Enyaqs are equipped with heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, as well as three-zone climate control. Edition trim adds electrically adjustable front seats with massage function.

Storage space is plentiful, with central cupholders and a dual phone charging pad (with added cooling) in the centre console. The boot has a volume of 585 litres, which expands to 1,004 litres if the rear seats are folded. A variable level boot floor is optionally available, providing a useful space for stashing the charging cables.

Safety and technology

The Enyaq secured a five-star Euro NCAP rating in 2021 and that safety performance should carry over to the new car.

As standard, the car comes laden with safety features and driver assistance technology to mitigate the chance or severity of a collision.

Along with pre-collision autonomous braking and lane keep assist there’s bind spot monitoring and Emergency Assist, which can identify if the driver has become incapacitated and bring the car to a controlled stop at the side of the road.

Predicative adaptive cruise control, with Travel Assist, provides semi-autonomous driving by maintaining speed, distance from the car in front and lane position. The system also automatically adapts to changing speed limits and upcoming bends or roundabouts and car assist with lane changes.

The Enyaq also includes front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera, on all models.

Calibration of the aforementioned safety functions is impressive. We only felt the need to disable lane keep assist on a tight country road, where it was tugging at the steering wheel a little too often. Thankfully it’s easily done using either controls on the steering wheel or via a quick-access icon at the top of the infotainment screen.

The infotainment system is presented on a 13-inch display. New software delivers a smoother and simpler user interface, which places the key climate control functions in a section at the bottom of the screen. Most functions are easily found and controlled using the display and a row of buttons beneath allows you to bring up the menus for things like drive modes and driver assistance immediately.

Driveability and range

Three powertrain options are available on the new Enyaq, starting with the 60. This uses a 59kWh battery and a single 204PS electric motor. The maximum range is 268 miles.

The Enyaq 85 uses a 77kWh battery and a more powerful 286PS motor. It achieves a range of up to 359 miles.

A dual motor version (85x) is reserved for the Sportline trim. It delivers the same 286PS as the 85 but benefits from all-wheel-drive. There’s no performance advantage and range is reduced to 332 miles.

The Enyaq 60 supports charging rates of up to 165kW, replenishing its battery from 10% to 80% in 24 minutes at DC fast chargers. The larger battery can handle up to 175kW, achieving a 10% to 80% charge in 28 minutes. All variants support AC inputs at up to 11kW for home or workplace charging.

Comfort and refinement levels remain exceptionally high, regardless of model. The Sportline cars have a firmer edge but provide greater stability. Ride comfort is soft and compliant, which works well with the near-silent cabin to provide an almost luxury car-like experience.

Cars equipped with Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) offer the best of both worlds, with the option for firmer suspension in more involving driving scenarios and a softer ride for others. This is only available as part of the Maxx package, which costs £3,950 on the Edition and £1,700 on the Sportline.

The rear-wheel-drive 60 and 85 feel potent, with the more powerful option delivering a greater surge of acceleration that is most notable at higher speeds. It’s disappointing that the 85x doesn’t gain anymore power despite having a second electric motor – it manages to hit 62mph from rest in 6.5 seconds, which is exactly the same as the 85.

Our testing netted 3.6mi/kWh in the 85 and 3.3mi/kWh in the 85x. That should be enough for close to 300 miles of driving in the real world.

Company car tax and running costs

At the entry-level, the Enyaq 60 SE L offers compelling running costs of just 40p per mile and low benefit-in-kind tax bills for drivers, thanks to its 3% banding in the 2025/26 tax year.

Our pick would be the 85 Edition, at £44,300. It’s still cheaper than an equivalent Kia EV6 or Audi Q4 e-tron, yet offers impressive performance and a long range. A 20% taxpayer will pay £22 per month for this model.

Skoda’s decision to improve the standard specification means the Enyaq represents even better value than before and compares favourably against its key rivals.