It’s been a long time coming, but Skoda’s new compact SUV, the Elroq is here. At the same time, Skoda is launching the facelifted Enyaq, so their EV offering will be increased to two models with the Elroq’s arrival.
Why name it ‘Elroq’? It is a combination of ELectric and KaROQ – the Skoda SUV that is the petrol-powered equivalent of the Elroq.
That’s not to say today’s focus is on the Elroq; “The Enyaq is important to ongoing success in this country,” says Skoda New Zealand. In fact, the more we looked at both models, the more they are the same. The Enyaq is a mere 20mm longer than the Elroq, making it a difficult buying decision if you are used to buying a certain-sized model.
Skoda EV – a brief history
The company has been in business for 131 years, and way back in 1908, built their first hybrid car. It had a 26kW electric motor, along with a petrol engine and rechargeable batteries.
In 1938, they built their first EV, a truck that was made to carry 3,000Kg of beer for men on the front line of the second World War.
Then in 2010, they built their first production EV, the Octavia Green E Line, with its 26.5kWh battery pack and an 85kW electric motor. Just 17 of these cars were built.
2026 Skoda Enyaq
The model year for New Zealand Enyaqs is 2023, so this is the right time for a facelift, says Skoda NZ. While the outgoing model has a 150kW electric motor, the new one comes as a 150kW or a 250kW (the RS).
Battery capacity is up slightly, from 77kWh to 79kWh. To assist with range, there has been a lot of aerodynamic development on the car, and it now has a drag coefficient of 0.245. Part of this is down to a completely flat underbody, optimised A pillars and wing mirrors, and revised rear air curtains and rear spoiler.
The front of the car has changed a lot, and it now has the ‘Tech-Deck’ face approach to a traditional radiator grille – and it looks better for it. The Crystal Face of the outgoing model has changed to Crystal Face 2.0, and that means a full-width light bar – but still with some animations on start-up.
There are two new exclusive colours (Olibo Green), as well as unique dark chrome, and the winged Skoda badge on the bonnet has been replaced with SKODA lettering.
Up front are split LED Matrix headlights, while the rear design is very similar to the outgoing car.
The new RS model has a removable aero insert in the wheels, and the maximum speed for Enyaq models has been raised to 180km/h.
2026 Skoda Elroq
The new compact SUV from Skoda has interior space similar to the Octavia station wagon, says the company, with 1,508 litres of boot space with the rear seats down, and 470 litres with them up.
It’s 4.5 metres long, and has its own exclusive colour – Timiano Green, which is Italian for pastel green. This is a no-cost option for the Elroq. Like the Enyaq, it has unique dark chrome (although perhaps not so unique if it’s used on the Enyaq?) and is wider and longer than the Karoq.
There are two models to choose from. The ‘base’ Elroq 60 model has a 60 kWh battery pack, says Skoda, while the electric motor manages 150kW of output.
For the base model, equipment levels are still good, with a 13” centre screen, wireless phone charging, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 5” digital dashboard, and 36-pixel Matrix LED headlights.
Also fitted are silver 20” alloy wheels, electric front seats with electric lumbar adjust, massaging seats (that use the lumbar motors only), dual-zone air con, keyless entry and exit with walk-up unlock and walk-away lock, two choices of low speed sounds for outside the car, a fabric interior, umbrellas in the doors, and Skoda’s new ‘Intermediate Parcel Tray Shelf”.
The Elroq Sportline 85 has a 201kW electric motor and of course has an 85kWh battery pack.
The car is fitted with 20” black alloy wheels and has a ‘Sport Chassis’ that sits 15mm lower than the 60 model. The tailgate is upgraded to electric, while the outside mirrors are power folding, and heated.
2026 Skoda Enyaq – models
There will be an option of an electric towbar for this model, noting that owners cannot fit an aftermarket towbar to the car.
Enyaq Sportline 85
The lower model of Enyaq is the Sportline 85, with similar EV specs to the Elroq; a 210kW electric motor and an 85kWh battery pack.
Highlights include 20” black alloys, a Sportline interior, sports seats, stainless steel pedals, Black N-Carbon trim, a sports steering wheel, rear sunshades, and 8-speaker audio.
Enyaq RS 85
At the top of the model tree is the Enyaq RS 85, with all-wheel drive and 250kW of power from two electric motors.
It comes with 21” anthracite metallic alloys, additional light band on the front, RS Lounge design with lime stitching, a revised sport chassis with sportier progressive steering, one piece front sport seats, and RS-badged three-spoke steering wheel, a heads-up display, and a Canton 12-speaker audio system.
2026 Skoda Elroq & Enyaq – Pricing
- Elroq 60 $69,000
- Elroq Sportline 85 $79,000
- Enyaq Sportline 85 $89,000
- Enyaq RS 85 $99,000
2026 Skoda Elroq & Enyaq – specs
The Elroq still needs to go through ANCAP testing, but it did receive 5 stars on the Euro NCAP test. The Enyaq will carry its existing 5-star ANCAP rating until 2027, when it will need to be retested.
Neither model has Traffic Sign Recognition, something many Skoda/Audi/Volkswagen models are missing. Skoda NZ expects the Elroq and Enyaq to have this feature in 2027.
For those times when you are using a public fast or hyper-charger, the 60kWh battery models can take a maximum charge of 165kW, the 85kWh models 135kW, while the RS takes a maximum of 185kW.
2025 Skoda Elroq & Enyaq – Drive time
The new Elroq sure is a good-looking car in the flesh; alongside the Enyaq, they are almost identical at the front. The new Obilo Green hero colour of the Enyaq looks superb, although New Zealand’s car-buying public have very restrained tastes when it comes to colours.
I jumped in as a passenger in the Elroq Sportline 85, and the interior feels so very Skoda; quality materials, everything well laid out, and a generally nice feel to it.
Sadly, there is a slider on the centre screen for the passenger to adjust the volume; the days of the simple-but-works volume knob are limited.
On the road, the car feels smooth and quiet, with little road or wind/tyre noise coming through to the cabin from the Pirelli Scorpion tyres fitted to the car. Mile after mile, the feeling of refinement shines through, and ride quality is a highlight, although we weren’t exactly on backroads.
Changing over to the other side of the car, it’s peppy enough and feels very much like the outgoing Enyaq; the steering responds quickly, and it feels a very easy drive, like you could put any driver into it and they would get comfortable quickly.
Getting all too quickly to our lunch venue, the overall feeling was that this new Elroq is ‘Simply Skoda’ – it feels exactly like and does everything you would expect from any Skoda.
2026 Skoda Enyaq RS 85
Post-lunch, it was time to get into the Enyaq RS 85 model. We wouldn’t have time to drive this model, but we will book one in for review soon.
I was surprised that at near-on $100K, the passenger’s seat is manually adjusted. But the first impressions are that this is identical to the Elroq; it doesn’t feel any bigger or different, in the front seat at least.
Well, since this was the RS model, that did mean green stitching everywhere, and it looks glorious.
Other impressions are a mirror of the Elroq, and I’d be struggling to justify the Enyaq over the Elroq, unless I absolutely wanted/needed all-wheel drive and/or 250kW of power.
Day over, the two models impress more than ever. We eagerly await one of each to review, and spend a week behind the wheel.
