2026 Skoda Enyaq review: Australian first drive

Skoda’s electric vehicle onslaught is gaining momentum.

Just a few weeks ago, the Czech brand launched its Elroq fully-electric medium SUV, and now comes its bigger brother – the Enyaq.

If you’re thinking that name sounds familiar, you’re not wrong. 

Only a year ago, the Enyaq Coupe arrived in Australia in limited numbers, with Skoda initially introducing only the Sportline and RS grades of the pre-facelift electric car, which had been available overseas since 2021.

Now we have not one but two Enyaq body styles – an SUV and a coupe – coming in hot with sharp pricing and styling to match. It's now poised to disrupt a market that's rapidly filling up with electric SUVs.

The SUV version, which is expected to be more popular, is new to our market. Meanwhile, the Coupe remains mechanically unchanged, but features revised styling, updated infotainment, and new additions.

Should you buy one of Skoda’s new EVs, and which is the one to have? Let’s break it down.

From launch, there are two grades in the Skoda Enyaq line-up, with a third due to arrive later. A top-spec performance RS variant of both body styles is expected to arrive early next year.

The range opens with the 60 Select, which costs $50,990, followed by the mid-spec 85 Sportline SUV for $59,990, and the top-of-the-range 85 Sportline Coupe for $65,990, all before on-road costs.

When the RS Coupe comes, it will replace the Sportline Coupe as the flagship.

The 85 Sportline in both body styles is available now, with the 60 Select arriving in November.

As standard, the 60 Select features: a 13-inch infotainment screen and 5.0-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless phone charger with cooling, tri-zone climate control, a powered tailgate, and heated front seats.

The 85 Sportline SUV features matrix LED headlights with Dynamic Light Assist, power-adjustable front seats with memory and massage functions, heated rear outboard seats, progressive steering, 20-inch wheels, and gear-shift paddles for adjusting the regenerative braking.

The 60 Select and 85 Sportline SUVs come with an eight-speaker sound system, which is upgraded to a 12-speaker Canton premium unit in the Coupe or as part of the optional Signature and Ultimate packs that costs $6000 for the Select and $5000 for the Sportline. 

Similarly, an augmented reality head-up display is standard on the Coupe but only available through the costed packs in the other variants.

The Coupe also adds adaptive chassis control, 21-inch wheels and a panoramic sunroof as standard.

In addition to the upgraded sound system and head-up display, the Signature Pack for the Select grades features matrix LEDs, dynamic rear indicators, an illuminated grille, a power-adjustable driver’s seat with memory and massage functions, powered lumbar support for the front seats, and retractable sunblinds for the rear windows.

Twenty-inch wheels are a standalone option for the Select, available at an additional cost of $1000.

Meanwhile, the Ultimate Pack brings adaptive chassis control, a 360-degree Area View camera, Intelligent Park Assist and 21-inch wheels to the 85 Sportline SUV.

There are six metallic paint choices available for the 60 Select, six of which are included in the asking price. These are: Olibo Green, Race Blue, Moon White, Graphite Grey, and Black Magic Pearlescent. Only Velvet Red is a paid-for option, and that costs $770.

The same goes for the 85 Sportline duo, but with an additional free Steel Grey colour on offer.

The Enyaq, although already available locally in pre-facelift Coupe form, competes with the Tesla Model Y, Volkswagen ID.5, and Kia EV5.

The SUV is cheaper than the pre-facelift Coupe, which cost $69,990 for the Sportline and $76,990 for the RS, both drive-away, at launch.

Pricing for the Tesla Model Y starts from $58,900 for the rear-wheel-drive grade, topping out at $68,900 for the Long Range. 

The Kia EV5, meanwhile, costs $56,770 for the base Air Standard Range and $71,770 for the top-spec GT-Line.

The Volkswagen ID.5 starts at $62,990 for the entry-level Pro and $72,990 for the top-of-the-line GTX.

All prices for competitors are before on-road costs. 

Both bodystyles, like the recently launched smaller Elroq SUV, feature Skoda’s new Modern Solid design language as part of the facelift. 

This includes a ‘Tech Deck’ grille, a flat and wide front end, and 2D Skoda lettering, as well as a fresh interior and updated infotainment.

Nineteen-inch wheels are standard for the Select, with 20-inch wheels for the Sportline SUV. The Coupe comes with 21-inch wheels from the outset.

Twenty-inch wheels can be added to the Select for $1000, while 21s can be had on the Sportline SUV as part of the Ultimate Pack.

The new Olibo Green colour, featured on several of the test cars we drove at launch, is elegant, and the hue will resonate with Skoda fans as it nails the brand’s trademark colouring.

The base grade Select comes with Skoda’s 'Loft' fabric trim, while the two Sportline grades feature a leather and 'Suedia' Sportline design combination.

As the 60 Select wasn’t available to drive at launch, I can only speak to the quality of the Sportline trim, which looks and feels very premium. The Suedia is soft to the touch and helps the seats feel that much more comfortable, front and back. 

The armrest, which doubles as a good-sized centre console bin, could be higher; however, its position is low and set back, making it awkward to rest on.

The colouring of the materials, mostly dark grey leathers and plastics, is a little dark. The shadowy tones are broken up by some white contrast stitching, a metal-look strip and carbon-fibre-patterned panel along the dash, but you’d need to opt for the $2000 sunroof to really make it feel light.

If the Loft trim in the base Enyaq is the same as it is in the smaller Elroq, this won’t help matters.

The centrepiece in the cabin is the 13-inch touchscreen, which is neatly laid out and functions well, with no discernible lag. I had no issues connecting to the wireless Apple CarPlay either, though mostly I utilised the wired connection.

Through the screen, you can also access the Canton sound system, which is clear, with no crackles or tinniness, regardless of whether you’ve got the 10 or 12-speaker version.

The heating and ventilation controls, however, are, like those of other Volkswagen Group models, entirely contained within the infotainment system, except for one physical button labelled ‘climate’ located underneath the central vents, which brings up the control menu on the screen.

The absence of physical controls is annoying as it makes it awkward and distracting to engage with the screen while on the move just to perform a simple task.

The 5.0-inch digital instrument display feels a bit on the small side, but I really like how it is embedded into the dashboard rather than being stuck on top of it.

Adding the nifty augmented reality head-up display through the option packs, if not already choosing the Coupe (on which it is standard) is nice, but by no means essential.

Compared to the Coupe version, it is 1mm shorter in height but otherwise unchanged.

Space in the front row is reasonable. While there’s plenty of room around the driver and passenger, the space allocated for storing items is somewhat limited.

As in the Elroq, with which the Enyaq shares a lot of its equipment, mechanicals and its floorplan, there’s a space for loose items in the centre console, and two coin slots alongside it, but the cupholders are tiny and wouldn’t be able to accommodate anything other than a standard 600ml drink bottle.

There is a removable divider in the centre, which may help, but then the container wouldn’t be snug and might move around, which is less than ideal.

Likewise, the space in the doors is tight, and larger vessels wouldn’t fit either.

Fortunately, there is some additional room underneath the floating centre console, which is optimal for storing small handbags, takeaway bags, or snacks, for example.

Rear occupants, even in the 60 Select, are well-catered for. 

While the base grade does not feature the heated rear outboard seats found in the 85 Sportline variants, it still benefits from tri-zone climate control, map pockets with phone holders on both sides, and two USB-C ports, in addition to the two located in the front. 

To get rear sunblinds, however, you must spend the extra $6000 for the Signature Pack. While heated rear seats are a luxury, decent sun protection for the rear windows to protect little ones’ eyes, or even adults’, is something that would be good to see outside of an option pack.

Space in the second row is generous. I had plenty of room above my head and a good few inches in front of my knees, too, and I’m around 167cm tall.

Skoda’s usual practical touches can also be found on the Enyaq, including the umbrella in the driver’s door, luggage nets and partitions, and a removable storage caddy with cupholders on the floor in the centre of the second row.

The boot of the new Skoda Enyaq can hold 585 litres with the seats up in the SUV or 570 litres in the Coupe, extended to 1710 litres or 1610 litres, respectively, with the seats folded flat.

In comparison, based on the entry models, the Model Y is larger overall, while the Enyaq is longer and wider than the EV5 and ID.5.

It is shorter in height than the EV5, but taller than the ID.5. 

The Enyaq can’t match the Tesla’s 938L/2022L boot offering, though Tesla measures its boot space differently (to the roof, rather than seat backs), but it has more space than both the Kia and Volkswagen, with the seats up, which have 513L and 549L, respectively.

With both rows folded, the Kia has 1714L and the Volkswagen 1561L.

The back seats can also accommodate two child seats, with ISOFIX anchors for the two outboard positions. Additionally, there are three top tether hooks on the back of the seats, accessible via the boot.

The Skoda Enyaq was awarded a five-star rating by Euro NCAP, a partner of ANCAP, in 2021 when the model was first introduced overseas. The local rating applies to all variants since their release in Australia in late 2024.

It comes standard with a high level of safety equipment, including adaptive cruise control, lane assistance, an exit warning, driver fatigue detection, front and rear parking sensors, a rearview camera, and seven airbags.

The Coupe features a 360-degree surround-view camera, as well as Intelligent Park Assist. Both Sportline grades also receive two additional rear airbags.

In practice, the lane-assist technology performs its job well. The steering assistance is remarkably accurate, and if you do happen to start drifting out of your lane, a gentle visual warning flashes up orange on the instrument cluster, accompanied by a slight tug of the steering wheel. The execution is just enough without going too far.

One of the first questions you get asked about an electric vehicle is how far it can go, and in that regard, the Enyaq doesn’t disappoint.

The 60 Select has the shortest driving range claim at 410km as it uses a smaller 63kWh (59kWh usable) battery pack to bring the entry price down and appeal to buyers at the more affordable end of the market.

Stepping up to the 85 Sportline SUV, which has an 82kWh (77kWh usable) battery, increases the driving range to 547km, while the flagship 85 Sportline Coupe offers a claimed 561km, achieved through its more aerodynamic, sweeping roofline, among other factors.

Testing at launch consisted of a mix of winding country back roads through the Hunter Valley, as well as freeways and city roads coming back into Sydney.

As such, the energy consumption is unsurprisingly higher than you’d likely achieve with everyday driving, and I found the Coupe used 16.9kWh/100km on average, compared to its claim of 15.5kWh/100km, and the SUV 16.5kWh/100km versus the claim of 15.9kWh. 

Its rivals' claims vary depending on the variant. 

The Tesla Model Y claims 466km for its RWD version and 600km for the Long Range, while the Kia EV5 offers 400km in the Air, 500km in the Earth and 470km in the GT-Line. The related Volkswagen ID.5 claims 543km in the Pro and 522km in the GTX.

Powering the entry-level Enyaq 60 Select is a single, rear-mounted electric motor producing 150kW/310Nm, combined with a 59kWh battery. Drive is sent to the rear wheels through a single-speed automatic transmission.

Both the SUV and Coupe 85 Sportline, meanwhile, feature a more powerful rear electric motor, producing 210kW/545Nm, as well as a larger 77kWh battery pack.

As the 60 Select hasn’t yet arrived, we only had the chance to drive the 85 Sportline on this occasion, and while there are some key differences between the SUV and the Coupe, you can’t really go wrong with either.

First, the SUV. 

One vehicle was equipped with the optional Ultimate Pack, while the other was not, the difference being that the pack includes adaptive dampers and 21-inch wheels.

The ride on the standard 20-inch wheels clad in Bridgestone Turanza EV rubber is reasonable. It’s not firm, but the passive dampers struggle to keep up over rough patches of road, and there is a noticeable clunk when taking on large speed bumps in the city.

In comparison, the adaptive dampers boost ride quality, despite the increase in wheel size to 21 inches, which are wrapped in grippy but also noisy Pirelli Scorpion tyres. 

There’s a fair amount of road noise kicked up regardless of which set is being worn, but the Bridgestones are slightly louder. Good insulation, however, keeps wind noise mostly to a minimum.

In Comfort mode, the Enyaq SUV can feel a little too soft at times, whereas Normal mode firms it up just enough without compromising on comfort. Sport mode increases the throttle response but has no substantial impact on how the Enyaq SUV rides.

And so to the Coupe…

It comes with adaptive dampers and 21-inch wheels dressed in the same Pirelli Scorpion rubber as standard. On the Coupe, however, the back tyres are larger for increased stability, with 235/45 R21s on the front and 255/40s on the rear.

The Coupe rides really well, even over rough patches, but as with the SUV, Comfort mode leans too far towards the softer side, making it bouncy at times, but not so much as to feel wallowy. Normal mode is the sweet spot, as Sport mode is more jittery. 

Any nick of an imperfection won’t exactly send shockwaves through the cabin, but the rebound as the suspension settles is still noticeable.

All Sportline grades come with progressive steering, which is intuitive and agile, and helps guide the Enyaq into tight corners with confidence. 

The responsiveness, combined with the drive coming from the rear wheels, makes it dynamic and fun to drive on winding roads. Even in the SUV, there is no real degree of body roll.

As standard, the Sportline versions feature three different regenerative braking settings, which can be easily changed via paddles located on the back of the steering wheel. In the lowest setting, there’s no difference in braking, and it feels the same as an internal combustion-engined car. 

In the second configuration, there is a bit of force but not too much, and at its highest level, there is a lot, but the impact is still not over the top, as you can find in some EVs.

As with the related Skoda Elroq, the brake pedal is quite soft, allowing for considerable travel, which requires a significant amount of input to stop.

Getting the Enyaq going is another matter. With 545Nm on offer, it is quick even in Normal mode. You don’t need to engage Sport mode to wring out the performance. 

In the 60 Select, Skoda quotes a 0-100km/h time of 8.1 seconds, while the more powerful 85 Sportline grades can manage the sprint in a claimed 6.7 seconds. 

That, at least on paper, makes it quicker than the equivalent versions of the EV5, but slower than the Model Y. The ID.5 Pro is also propelled to 100km/h in 6.7 seconds, but the GTX is faster, completing the run in 5.4 seconds.

Although the Enyaq has already been on the market for a year, Skoda expects the SUV to be more popular than the Coupe. 

The more mainstream bodystyle, combined with a bit more space and a lower price, accounts for some of that, but the Enyaq we now have also features Skoda’s new eye-catching Modern Solid design language, which will undoubtedly play a big part too.

The flaws on the smaller Elroq are largely resolved on the Skoda Enyaq – you can get an optional sunroof (or standard on the Coupe), and the ride is better even on the versions without adaptive suspension. Now if only there were actual buttons for the climate control…

A born-and-bred newshound, Kathryn has worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two renowned UK regional newspapers and websites, before moving on to join the digital newsdesk of one of the world’s most popular newspapers – The Sun. More recently, she’s done a short stint in PR in the not-for-profit sector, and led the news team at Wheels Media.

Read more about Kathryn Fisk