Skoda Enyaq long term test

The car Skoda Enyaq Edition 85 | Run by Claire Evans, consumer editor

Why it's here To see if the refreshed version of Skoda’s first electric car retains all the practicality expected of the brand, along with EV efficiency

Needs to Combine long-distance driving comfort and ease of use with ultra-low running costs

Mileage 2363 List price new £44,820 Best Price £39,000 Price as tested £53,040 Official range 359 miles Test range 215 miles Options heat pump £1100, Transport package £300, Design selection package Lounge £1300, universal charging cable £600, Maxx package £3950, Race Blue Magnetic paint £680, panoramic sunroof £1100

3 April - A versatile champion?  

OK, I’m not delusional. I’m not going to try to tell you the Skoda Enyaq is a sporting icon like Sir Mo Farah, who holds four Olympic and six world titles. However, it does have similar versatility to Sir Mo because, like him, it has done something a lot of its rivals haven’t. 

Sir Mo won Olympic gold medals for running two very different distances: 5000 and 10,000 metres, and the Enyaq was voted the Best value new electric SUV in 2022, and then it was crowned our favourite Used Car of the Year in 2025, gaining accolades for its achievements as a new and secondhand model. 

The Enyaq has also evolved over the past five years, too, getting faster just like Britain’s top athletics star. My 2025 85 Edition model is the more powerful of the two options. Its 82kWh battery and 286bhp motor enable it to smash the 0-62mph dash in 6.5 seconds. That’s two seconds faster than the previous Enyaq 80, and it’s quicker than an equivalent Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 or Nissan Ariya.  

This hasn’t come at the expense of noise, refinement or ride quality, though. That’s important to me because I’m currently doing quite a few long motorway journeys, and my regular commute includes a long section of concrete motorway surface that can be deafening and tooth-juddering in some cars. Although the Enyaq doesn’t completely deaden the droning of this surface, it does reduce noise intrusion to a low-pitched hum. 

Affordability is one of the reasons why we rate the Enyaq highly, and my 85 looks like great value compared with most rivals, including the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Tesla Model Y and Volkswagen ID.4, with which it shares its underpinnings.  

I have to admit that I did go a bit crazy with the options list on my car, and have upped the overall price to nearly £53,000. However, in my defence, that’s still only the same as the list price for a Tesla Model Y Long Range.  

I did try to only pick sensible add-ons, though. Top of this list was a heat pump — although it was pricey at £1100, it was worthwhile to me because it helps the interior warm up more quickly in cold weather and makes a 30% saving on energy used from the batteries. That means staying toasty warm in the winter won’t come at the expense of range. And it means I don't feel bad taking advantage of features such as the 'warm hands' heating option that is great for chilly early morning starts. 

The Transport pack was a far more affordable option at £300. It provides a height-adjustable boot floor, a button in the boot to fold down the rear seats and a range of storage nets to stop things rolling around. 

While the universal charging cable may seem overpriced at £600, it’s a useful piece of kit for anyone who has access to faster AC charging. Rather than your usual three-pin ‘granny’ lead that charges at 3kW, it is a multi-adapter that can be used at up to 22kW. This means I’m able to charge the batteries up more swiftly on a higher-powered office charger, take advantage of 22kW public EV charging units, and I’d be able to make full use of three-phase electricity if I had it for charging at home. 

The most lavish option I added was the Maxx package. This provides a long list of kit, including adaptive suspension with dynamic chassis control and progressive dynamic steering, a driver’s head-up display, lots of seat functions including memory and massage options, heated rear seats and some automatic parking options. While I’m unlikely to ever use the auto parking, the head-up on-screen information display is a great safety aid, which means I don’t have to take my eyes off the road, and memory seats make it easier for my partner and I to both use the car without having to make lots of adjustments every time we swap. 

I’ve not had much time to explore the dynamic features yet, because there’s little chance for involving driving on the M25, but I’m looking forward to finding out if and how they may enhance the Enyaq’s already acceptable handling on the quiet country lanes close to home. 

One thing that has already impressed me is the real-world range the Enyaq is achieving. Even when the early morning temperature has been in low single figures my 90-mile commute only uses up 100 miles of range. It’s really reassuring to know I can rely on the car to achieve close to its official range at motorway speeds, as this is something I’ve not been able to say for many of the other EVs I’ve driven in the past year or so. 

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