Battery that does 360 miles, a huge boot for all your needs & three other things to know about new £31k Skoda Elroq SUV

WE tried a prototype of this car back in June.

We liked it.

But it was wrapped like a bicycle under the tree on Christmas morning.

Everyone knew exactly what it was. An SUV. It was pointless trying to disguise it.

Now Skoda has finally unwrapped Elroq, a smaller and cheaper electric Enyaq, and, for some odd reason, its fifth model to end with a “q”.

Kodiaq. Kamiq. Karoq. Enyaq. Elroq. There’s a dinky EV coming in 2026 . . .  called Epiq.

All good Scrabble scores, I suppose.

Any road, here’s five things you need to know about Elroq:

PRICE: From £31,500. Which is actually £700 cheaper than a petrol Karoq with an automatic gearbox. Good start.

RANGE: Also good. The 77kWh battery will do up to 360 miles, much like a petrol car.

Even the smallest 52kWh battery will do 230 miles. You might need to recharge once a fortnight.

PRACTICALITY: Which is a Skoda trademark. Huge 470-litre boot, with low-loading floor, and reversible boot mat. One side hard plastic for wet dogs and wellies.

The other side carpet to stop things slipping about. The charging cable is stored in a net under the parcel shelf. Clever.

Even cleverer, the parcel shelf can be lowered and used as a divider between the Friday big shop and pushchairs.

CABIN: Much like an Enyaq, which I like, because it doesn’t feel too much of a leap from petrol to electric like the Volkswagen ID3.

It feels familiar.

There’s all sorts of tech in here, 13in touchscreen with reversing camera, head-up display, plus lots of responsible materials, lots of storage for slurpies and phones and bags and things.

LOOKS: That’s your call. But I quite like it. Elroq is the first car to feature Skoda’s new design direction.

The “tech deck” across the front hides some of the driver-assistance kit the law now demands.

Big on value, big on range, big on space

You might also notice S K O D A written on the lip of the bonnet – and on the steering wheel.

You won’t find a Skoda badge anywhere on this car, apart from on the wheels.

So there you have it. Elroq. Big on value, big on range, big on space.

Big Scrabble score.