Skoda Elroq

FIRST UK DRIVE Czech manufacturer has another smash hit on its hands with its new family-friendly electric SUV

- Alex Ingram

FOR a long time now, Skoda has made the best of the hand it's been dealt. With components so widely shared within the vast Volkswagen Group, the VW, Cupra, SEAT and even Audi brands are usually given their best shot at any tech - but even among such strongly competing car makers, more often than not it's Skoda that somehow comes up with the best car of the bunch.

In years gone by, that would have been down to the firm trumping its VW Group siblings for value, but now Skoda is beating its supposedly posher brandmates at their own game, too. And with the new Elroq, it looks like the firm's done it again.

This is our first time behind the wheel of the new EV in the UK. And back on familiar roads and in our usual climate, it's easier to figure out where the car slots into Skoda's range - and the wider market.

You only need to know the origin of the car's odd name to get a pretty good handle on things. Elroq is a portmanteau of Electric and Karoq, so this is a car pitched at the family SUV market. It also sits on VW's MEB platform (which underpins most of the group's EVs); it's slightly longer and taller than the VW ID.3, but shorter than Skoda's Enyaq.

While the Enyaq starts at just under £40,000, an Elroq fitted with a matching powertrain is £5,650 less. Pick the base model, and the range starts from £31,500. Study the Elroq's specs and it's hard to see what buyers will lose by going for the smaller car.