With the Elroq, Epiq and Peaq, Škoda has completed a full hand of admirably sparky EVs

Škoda is reasserting its role as one of the most sensible, straightforward and practical members of the VW Group family with a pair of new EVs, building on the solid reputation already established by the Elroq. Over the past couple of months, we’ve sampled the latter as well as headed into the Austrian alps to experience the newest arrivals, the mid-sized Epiq crossover and the new 7-seater flagship Peaq.

Sub-editors please note, Škoda will be doing all the heavy punning around here. The press trip was dubbed an ‘epic journey to peak’, overlooking the fact that the latter word has undergone something of a journey into lexicographical ambiguity here in the UK over the past decade. However, the central Europeans are happy to take it literally, hence the Alpine surroundings in the reassuringly ersatz Interalpen-Hotel Tyrol.

It’s a testing time for the VW Group as a whole, so the reception of Škoda’s newest two models will be critical. Industry watchers reckon VW's woes could even spell the end of Spanish outpost SEAT - now the poorest performing pillar of the group after being comprehensively outgunned by its former progeny Cupra (in a truly Oedipal move).

Over the last decade or so, Škoda has made itself essential by emphasising the virtue of little details – an umbrella in the driver’s door, extra storage for phones and drinks, accessories like torches and ice scrapers tucked into nooks and crannies. There are physical switches to back up the screens and overall you feel cared for, not forced into accommodations for the sake of the company bottom line. Such touches inspire a loyal customer following.

With two new models joining an already impressive line-up of BEVs, Škoda is looking to consolidate its position as the intelligent alternative. Together, the Epiq, Elroq and Peaq (small, medium and large) deploy all the tricks the company has conjured up over the past decade to make compelling packages for a broad swathe of car buyers.

Škoda Elroq: the Goldilocks option

First up, the Elroq, sampled in the very un-Alpine surroundings of southern England ahead of the international launch. As the first in this trio of modern-day electric SUVS – a little leaner, friendlier and less overtly in your face – the Elroq sits on the Volkswagen Group's ubiquitous and highly flexible MEB platform. These underpinnings are widely used across the group and form the core of Audi Q4 and Q5, VW IDs 3 through 7, Cupra Born and Tavascan, as well as Škoda’s own Enyaq and the newer, larger Peaq.

Aside from the very Tolkien-adjacent name, this is a mid-sized model that follows Škoda’s unpretentious playbook; ensure there’s plenty of space and loads of kit and don’t skimp on dynamics. Roughly analogous to the Kia EV3, MG S5 and Renault’s Scenic, the Elroq goes all in on design as a differentiation, being the first manifestation of Škoda’s current ‘Modern Solid’ design language.

That’s designer shorthand for modelling and surfacing that feels a little more carved and chiselled, and less about fluidity and verve. If we’re being hyper-criticial, it can come across as a little lumpen, with frontal treatment that’s aggressively busy. The rear end is especially neatly resolved, however.

Aside from the prominent wordmark and bonnet-spanning lightbar, there are no instantly recognisable visual signifiers to be found. Škoda’s heritage has never really traded on striking, individual design. It’s more about a consistent, unified presence that is discrete, handsome and well-proportioned, not earth-shaking and stand-out. The Elroq is just under 40cm shorter than the larger Peaq and around 32cm longer than the Epiq; not significant measurements but enough to place each model into entirely different segments.

For a designer, that’s not a huge amount of space to work with, especially when you’re juggling the consistent application of said Modern Solid in relatively straitened circumstances. It’s therefore to Škoda’s immense credit that its cars never feel like they’re built or designed to a price. Both the Elroq and the smaller Epiq have to conjure up a well-furnished interior in the face of pretty ferocious Chinese competition.

The Elroq comes in three flavours, a 61kWh battery model with a range of 280 miles, an 84kWh model that offers the headline 372 miles of range and the performance vRS model that adds four-wheel-drive and snappy acceleration while sacrificing 30-odd miles of distance.

Škoda Epiq: small and (near) perfectly formed

Too big? Then you’ll want the Epiq. Smaller and more analogue than both Elroq and Peaq, it comes with two battery options, 52kWh for 273 miles of range and the entry-level 37kWh for 192 miles. The Epiq is Škoda’s contender in what’s become the biggest BEV sector, facing off against the Renault 4, Fiat Grande Panda, Kia EV2, and the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq 2, Leapmotor B03X and MG2.

Here is where character, options and idiosyncratic but practical design ideas really impact on buyer choice. It's where the company's ‘simply clever’ mantra can really shine, with the aforementioned features plus news ones like a charge cable cleaner and a modest frunk to store it in. Another aspect of the Epiq that’ll make the stat-hungry buyer sit up and take notice is the 475 litres of boot space.

On the road, the Epiq shines rather than sparkles. It’s an extremely easy car to live with and undertake long journeys in, dispatching the autobahn slog without effort whilst also offering up dynamic lustre in twistier stretches of mountain road.

Sure, it could be smaller still and less upright and SUV-like in its stance and general attitude, but carmakers aren’t going to stop building for this sector any time soon – it’s what buyers want. With that in mind, the Epiq is set to be another winner as well as a genuine alternative to the inevitably cheaper but less well resolved rivals from China.

Škoda Peaq: break out the big guns

In 2022, Škoda unveiled the Vision 7S concept, the first indication it was looking to upsize its electric offering and provide a zero-emissions alternative to the successful Kodiaq PHEV. The 7S has translated seamlessly into the new Peaq, the most elegant of the new trio, largely by virtue of the bigger size offer more scope for proportion and grace.

It’s also a more stylish and upmarket car than the company is used to offering. Starting upwards of £50k – once a distinctly un-Škoda price point – the Peaq comes in two battery sizes (63kWh and 91kWh) and three trim levels, 60, 90 and 90X. These offer ranges of 279 miles, 397 miles and 379 miles respectively (450km, 640km and 610km), although a pair of eager corporate hypermilers have managed to eke out 581 miles (936km) in a standard Peaq.

Like the Epiq, the Peaq has tall sides that are only slightly mitigated by clumsy blacked-out lower sills and then a body-coloured strip below the doors. In the larger car, this oddity is offset by the longer wheelbase and the solid D-pillar, a body-coloured fin that rises up from behind the rear wheel arch and gives the Peaq real on-road presence.

Presence is something we associate with premium design and here we find Škoda doing a lot to justify the price tag and the flagship tag. Inside, there’s a vertically aligned info screen, flanked by a simple but effective array of toggle switches and rollers. The onboard speakers were developed in collaboration with Sonos, while the centre console houses not one but two Qi2 magnetic charging docks.

A collaboration with Printables.com encourages owners to print their own accessory docks for the central storage bins, whether it be hooks, cupholders, organisers, etc. The centre console also houses a folding table that can be deployed when parked up or charging.

Peaq is the only 7-seater BEV in the VW Group, outside of the extended VW ID. Buzz. It’s also rated for towing up to two tonnes. The interior is made even more spacious by virtue of a 2.12m2 glass roof with dynamic shade control. It’s all part of Škoda’s plan to make the car feel more like a moving living room – a ‘relax package’ of options adds a plush pillow on the headrest, massage controls, a leg rest and even a wellbeing app. A ‘camp mode’ feature is also coming soon to take advantage of the car camping trend.

On the road, the Peaq feels refined and hushed at speed, with the chunky controls aligning with the car’s physical size. It’s spirited, but not overwhelmingly so – the Epiq is more agile but doesn’t have the same electrical zest.

Under CEO Klaus Zellmer, Škoda has risen to become the number four best-selling EV maker in Europe. The 131-year-old nameplate makes great virtue of its profitability (as it should, in this day and age), and Zellmer is quick to tell us that the Epiq already has 30,000 pre-orders (10,000 future Peaq owners are also waiting in the wings).

Data suggests that Škoda owners prefer to charge at home rather than on the road (80% versus 20%) so the value of ultra-fast-charge DC systems is moot. Nevertheless, the inclusion of the wellness functions and even an onboard virtual assistant, ‘Laura’, implies that Škoda thinks we’ll all be spending a lot more time in our cars. Whether that’s true or not, let alone desirable, the company’s all-electric threesome are as good a place to be as any comparable brand

Škoda Epiq, from £26,200, Skoda.co.uk
Škoda Elroq, from £33,970, Skoda.co.uk
Škoda Peaq, from £51,980, Skoda.co.uk
Skoda.co.uk, @Skodagram