New Skoda Enyaq Cargo is electric car-based van with 359-mile range

On sale Now Price from £46,125 (excl. VAT)

There’s nothing quite like rearranging the furniture in your living room to make it feel more spacious and airy. In a way, that’s exactly what the Skoda Enyaq Cargo has done with Skoda’s electric family SUV – the rear seats are gone, and it’s now ready for business.

The Skoda Enyaq Cargo is based on the Edition 85 variant of the Enyaq, except it has swapped its back seats for a spacious cargo area to maximise the usability of its 1710-litre boot space.

Benefitting from the larger 77kWh battery found in the regular Enyaq, the Enyaq Cargo has an official range of up to 359 miles. That’s further than most electric small vans, including the Renault Kangoo E-Tech, which can only manage 186 miles.

You can also opt for a variant based on the all-wheel-drive SportLine 85x version of the Enyaq, but range is slightly compromised, at a maximum of 332 miles.

Like the car it’s based on, the Edition 85 has a maximum charging speed of up to 135kW, while the 85x can charge at up to 175kW. Both take around 28 minutes to charge from 10-80%. Both versions are powered by a 282bhp front-mounted electric motor.

The Enyaq Cargo’s load space will be lined with high-strength, low weight plastics to maximise efficiency, with a bulkhead separating the cargo area from the passenger compartment.

It’ll come equipped with tethers and dividers in the load space, as well as tinted rear windows.

The Enyaq Cargo won’t face too much competition in the way of other car-based vans – its closest rival is probably the Toyota Corolla Commercial, which is a hybrid. There’s also the all-electric Citroën ë-C3 and Dacia Spring Cargo vans, but those are much smaller and offer less range.

Converting the Enyaq into Cargo form will cost £1815 excluding VAT, on top of the £44,310 price for the Edition 85 model. That’s quite pricey for a car-based van – the smaller ë-C3 and Spring Cargo alternatives cost less than £20,000, while the Corolla Commercial starts at £23,599.

The Enyaq Cargo will be available exclusively to fleet customers, having been developed by Skoda and engineering firm Strongs Plastic Products.