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It's taken eight months or so, but I think I'm finally getting used to embarking on long stints in an electric car without simultaneously having a panic attack. Although I've had lots of confidence in the Enyaq's electric range from day one, there has always been some form of anxiety neatly tucked away in the back of my mind - exacerbated by the at-times lackluster electric charging network.
A recent 180 mile trip down south however helped nudge me into a more permanent EV comfort zone. Although technically an 80% charge would have got me to my destination, I thought it fitting to max out the battery with a 100% charge - just in case - giving me a 266-mile readout on the clock.
As I've previously stated, range has never been an issue for me with the Enyaq. Past road trips have proven that the estimated range on the Enyaq is almost spot on every time - give or take a few miles. And this is exactly what you want from an EV. It's worth mentally preparing yourself however for the rather significant range drop off when you start driving after a long charge. This ultimately balances itself out - but if you see a loss of 40 miles of range after only 20 miles of driving, don't panic.
The 180-mile journey should have mathematically left me with 86 miles on the clock. Upon reaching my destination I had 75 miles - which is only 11 miles off the mark. The return journey was around about the same, with just a nine-mile discrepancy.
![20220821_162835[82]](/media/3773843/20220821_162835_82__500x375.jpg)
The Enyaq remains an absolute pleasure to cruise in on long journeys. The ride is supple on smooth motorway tarmac and the quiet electric powertrain leaves you with an almost completely silent cabin at speed. One of my favourite features remains the adaptive cruise control, which reads speed limit signs and reduces or increases speed with ease. The Android Auto integration is superb as well. Flicking between Google Maps and Spotify playlists via the car's touchscreen is effortless and eliminates any dastardly temptation to look at your phone.
Another excellent road trip feature is the rapid cooling mode, which I've previously mentioned is a fan favourite feature of the wife and two-year-old. This injects cool air into the cabin with low temperature climate control settings and max fan speeds via the push of a button. The cool air in this mode hits almost instantly, and can cool even the hottest heat wave-ridden box into an icy igloo in about three minutes.
A lot of trial and error has led me to believe that BP Pulse charging stations are the most reliable in the EV charging network, so I tend to seek them out first when planning a long distance trip. A big factor in that reliability is how fast a technician can rectify an issue over the phone while waiting beside a "faulty" charger - an all-too-common occurrence with EV chargers, unfortunately.
The BP Pulse charger I located near my hotel in this instance worked first time, no issues whatsoever. I later unplugged the car so another user could top up their Nissan Leaf, only to have issues reconnecting about an hour later - with the charger claiming that a car was already plugged in. It wasn't. A quick two minute call to BP however, and the charger was reset and the issue sorted.
Loading credit onto the BP Pulse app in order to charge is a bit of a pain, especially when it comes to pre-empting what kind of money you think you're going to need to pay for your charge. I'm not currently aware of any other way to fund your BP Pulse account - possibly by upgrading to a full BP Pulse membership - but it's not the end of the world, just something to factor into your journey.
I'm going to miss having an EV. Sure, the financial benefit of electric power being about half that of petrol power is a big boon, but there's also something endearing about giving subtle nods to other EV drivers at the charging ports. Like bumping into someone with the same band T-shirt on as you.
In our last report we made it clear that we think the Enyaq is a solid EV that manages to offer practicality and all-electric expertise in equal measure.
Unlike a lot of electric cars, its electric range is not its downfall. If anything, it's its biggest asset - boasting a solid, reliable 250 miles from a single charge. The electric charger network the Enyaq operates within however is what hinders it the most - but that's not Skoda's fault.
So the Enyaq is faultless then? Well, no. Even the best cars have their flaws - and as many car owners will know, it's the small, seemingly insignificant things that can really do your head in. And the Enyaq certainly does have a few nits that need picking.
Many of the Enyaq's foibles come as a result of smart tech not quite functioning as it should, or rather being a little too autonomous at times. For example, while the Enyaq's adaptive cruise control is incredibly helpful and effective, especially on longer journeys, the lane keep assist feature can be quite jarring and aggressive.
If you forget to indicate when changing lanes, or you're driving over faded lines on the road, the steering wheel can jolt in an attempt to nudge you back into your lane, and ultimately give you a bit of a shock - especially if you're already in lane and it's trying to steer you out of it. This is a common nuisance of many lane keep assist systems, and it can be easily skirted by deactivating it. But if you don't deactivate it - or it reactivates once you turn the car on and off again - it can be very frustrating.
Speaking of turning the car on and off, as the Enyaq is an EV, there's no conventional ignition to speak off, and as a result the system kicks into life the second you sit in the driver's seat; no need to push the circular ON button on the side of the steering column. If you're trying to shoot off in a pinch, this is really handy - however, if you nip out the driver's seat, for whatever reason, the system will shut off, and require manually turning back on. You essentially have to re-train yourself to not turn the car on or off. All-in, it can be convenient, but there have been dozens of occasions where its autonomy has tripped me up and left me aimlessly clicking the ON button trying to restart the system.
Like many other modern infotainment systems, the Enyaq's crams in a helluva lot of features, but this creates somewhat of a confusing network of menus and options. Instead of having one main menu, there are several, and instead of the radio, climate control and telephone functions having just one dedicated button each, they have several. You could argue that more ways to access features is better, but in practice, it leaves you quizzically trying to decipher which screen you're looking at and why the radio button has moved - again!
Although the Enyaq does "big practicality" really well, swallowing bags, furniture and bikes without blinking an eye, its smaller cubbies surprisingly lack Skoda's Simply Clever prowess. The cup holders in the front are a little narrow and struggle to swallow travel mugs, and the door bins in both the front and back are narrow too, although arguably make up for it by being long. Aside from cubby storage, I was also surprised that our almost £50k Suite trim level car didn't have USB charging ports or climate controls for rear passengers.
And finally, we've got to talk about its suspension. Honestly, I change my mind on whether I think it's too firm almost daily. The Enyaq is an incredibly smooth - and quiet - cruiser on flat roads, which is perhaps why small imperfections and speed bumps become amplified so noticeably when you encounter them. The Enyaq is by no means an uncomfortable car, but I can't help but wonder why Skoda didn't just tune the ride to be buttery smooth.
Admittedly, when it comes to running an electric vehicle long term, I've entered the game very late - and I'm a little spoiled in that respect. About 10 years ago, you were lucky to get 100 miles out of an EV, and even luckier to find an EV that was practical, stylish and, well, likable.
The Skoda Enyaq certainly represents a glimpse of future travel - and proves that EVs can be just like any other car - in a good way. The Enyaq may not be able achieve its 300 something all-electric range it claims on paper, but with a very achievable 250-260 mile range, it will take the average motorist pretty much anywhere on a single charge. And as a tasty bonus, the Enyaq just so happens to be a joy to drive, looks great and has a truly Skoda-worthy amount of practicality.
Arguably the best thing about the Enyaq, from an EV point of view at least, is its reliable range readout. Many times I have looked at the clock and seen 150 miles, or even 30 miles remaining, and been confident that it will get me exactly where I need to go without leaving me in the lurch.
But after running an EV for six months, it's clear that the biggest flat tire in the EV revolution isn't really the cars themselves, but rather the electric charger infrastructure - shock horror.
To be clear, before I veer off into EV-bashing territory, you can set out in your EV on a cross country trip, plan your charging points strategically, and have no issues whatsoever. But I'm willing to bet that unperturbed long distance journeys will be few and far between.
In the Enyaq, we have undertaken three long distance journeys that have required us to stop off and recharge. In each case we meticulously identified charging points along the route - as well as several back-up charging points. Regardless, on each occasion we found ourselves scrambling to find a charger as we watched our electric range deplete.
This was always due to one of three reasons; we had trouble downloading the necessary charging point app and adding funds, the charger was broken, or the charger was occupied by another car.
The latter was by far the most uncommon, which may surprise some, whereas the app issue was unquestionably the most common. After a few journeys, you do start to rack up the necessary apps on your smartphone, of which there are too many to list here. But there always seems to be one you've missed and don't have an account or funds for, leaving you standing near a charger trying to negotiate your way around an unfamiliar app, while your family's patience wears thin.
Even if you roll up to a familiar charging point - one of the good ones from someone like Instavolt - there's still the chance that the other two aforementioned tripwires will bite you in the bumper.
After a few interrupted journeys, our long distance EV trips came to a halt, and we found ourselves either compromising with a closer location, or waiting for another non-EV test car to come in on test. I'm fully on-board with EVs, but allotting 20-30 minutes, even before charging your car, is just not sustainable.
If you are highly unlikely to drive long distances, then something like the Skoda Enyaq is fantastic. As long as you've got at least a 7.3kW wallbox charger at home, you're good to go. You'll enjoy running costs of about half that of a regular petrol car of a similar size - or 3.4mi/kwh if you want to crunch the figures.
But what's the solution for the rest of us? Well, a good start would be to ensure all EV charging points are compatible with contactless card payments. As mentioned, my experience with Instavolt charging stations has been great, purely because they have contactless payment. You just plug-in and pay for whatever electricity you use. No app, no mess, simple.
As a motorist looking to drive further afield however, right now, the best thing you can do is invest in a plug-in hybrid rather than a full EV. You won't get the full benefit of all-electric running costs, but you'll gain peace of mind.
After living with the Enyaq for five months now, I have truly come to love it, especially from a practicality standpoint. It has been able to tackle everything our hyperactive two year old and dog have thrown at it. But it is not perfect.
There are, however, a few aspects, arguably microscopic in the grand scheme of things, that bug me about it. But my pettiness could just be testament to its solid overall credentials.
Something I do find a bit jarring is that - because the Enyaq is electric - you're not required to press the car's power button at any time. With the key in your pocket, you can simply jump in, put it into gear and drive away. And when parking up, the Enyaq will automatically start to close up shop. It is convenient, but I still find myself questioning whether everything is properly turned off when jumping out.
The infotainment system in the Enyaq admittedly takes a bit of getting used to as well, mainly because it is missing a few key physical buttons your brain will instinctively look for. These include a home button and climate control toggles. But as with all modern infotainment screens, you will just have to ride the learning curve. At least the Bluetooth is snappy to connect, and you get some simple, no-nonsense steering wheel controls making volume toggling and track skipping a breeze.
Skoda does give you a climate control shortcut button underneath the screen however, sending you straight to the relevant screen, which offers settings like rapid cooling. You can also opt to see a Classic A/C display with easy-to-adjust fan settings.
As with most Skodas, storage cubbies in the Enyaq are in abundance. While the two cup holders upfront are a little narrow, they do feature Skoda's grippy bottoms for one-handed bottle opening and you can remove the divider between them to open up a large amount of storage space. There are also two more large cubbies alongside these cup holders. You get ample under arm storage too, but perhaps the best thing about the centre console is that it can lift up and lock in place to create a makeshift arm rest - ideal if you are a shorter guy like me.
The door bins are a little narrow, but they are long, with a hidden slot located at the back, which has gone on to disguise quite a few receipts of mine. The glove box is compromised a little too, being about half the size of what you might expect in an SUV of its size.
![20220120_143004[11]](/media/3746026/20220120_143004_11__500x375.jpg)
The rear doors open wide enough to allow the worry-free addition of a baby seat, and there's even a slight cutaway in the door surround to allow for easier entry and exit into the rear seats. And speaking of babies, the leather upholstery has come in very handy when wiping up juice marks.
Once sat in the back, space overall is vast. There is almost a foot of knee room and it feels like there is a foot of head room throughout too. You can slip your feet under the seats in front for added comfort, and thanks to its flat floor and flat rear bench, moving about the rear is easy. While it is a little disappointing that the rear bench does not slide back and forth or recline, you will not feel wanting for added comfort or space. The fold down armrest in the middle seat, arm rest on the door and the fact that the rear windows roll all the way down further add to the Enyaq's cosy appeal.
Similar to in the cabin, the door bins in the rear are narrow, but long. You also get some welcome - albeit slightly useless - sleeve-like storage pouches in the back of the front seats. What is a little surprising is that this almost £50,000 car doesn't have rear passenger climate controls or USB charging ports.
The boot is perhaps my favourite thing about the Enyaq. At 585 litres, you would never guess that this car is housing electrical gubbings. Plus, its square, no-nonsense shape and low load lip make loading everything from a buggy to a dog really simple. We have the optional rubber boot floor fitted to our model, and it's a great addition, making muddy clean-up easier after long walks.
You get a few convenient Skoda-isms thrown in too, like fold down shopping bag hooks and large side cubbies. There is also space under the floor to store the charging cables. Unfortunately, the bulky parcel shelf will not tuck away anywhere, so make space in your garage for it.
We have completed some pretty ambitious IKEA trips in the Enyaq, thanks to the rear seats folding down almost completely flat. And while you do get a rather hefty hump between the front and rear seats, this doesn't hinder the Enyaq's ability to tackle long, large loads.
When critiquing an electric vehicle, it can be easy to forget about regular car stuff. Your mind inherently homes in on things like range rather than comfort, tech and enjoyment. And it's understandable, I guess, at least during the new car honeymoon period.
But ultimately, if you're looking to take the plunge into electric vehicle ownership, everyday comfort and convenience is going to matter, and I've made a conscious effort over the past month or so to look at the Enyaq from a slightly less-electrified point of view.
My journeys in the Enyaq are usually split evenly between 30-minute work commutes and long 2-3 hour family hiking trips. As a result, I frequently tackle everything from rush hour traffic to long motorway stints. And on the whole, I'm very pleased to say that the Enyaq is a pleasure to drive.
The steering is responsive and effortless, making straight-line cruising and winding country roads a breeze. The suspension is also well-honed - although I did initially find it a little firm, especially over uneven tarmac. Whether I've simply acclimatised to it - or I was just spoiled by the cushion-like ride of the Suzuki Swace I ran for six months before it - I'm not sure. But overall, from a get-in-and-go perspective, the Enyaq feels more like a no-nonsense family hatchback rather than a big SUV, which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned.
The instant electric power you get from putting your foot down is a massive boon during commutes, giving you an extra few yards when darting out at busy roundabouts or when having to navigate through fluctuating motorway traffic. Power delivery is smooth overall and you can still gently squeeze the accelerator when nudging your way along.
I've found the regenerative braking mode on offer - designed to help recoup electric charge by gradually applying the brakes when you take your foot off the accelerator - to be a massive asset to the overall ease-of-use of the Enyaq.
The regen mode can be toggled on and off, but I tend to have it on all the time. Not only does it help keep battery charge topped up, but it takes a lot of the effort out of having to slow down at traffic lights and when taking corners. Plus, with the instant torque you get due to the electric powertrain, I feel that the regenerative braking mode helps rein in some of that power and stops you from accidentally getting overzealous and having to slam on.
By far my favourite thing about the Enyaq, however, is its quiet cabin. Sure, it's quiet because it's an electric car and there's no engine noise, but aside from that, the cabin keeps you well insulated from wind, tyre and all other unwanted outside noise - even at motorway speeds. A recent nighttime cruise I had in the Enyaq on an empty motorway was one of the most serene drives I've ever had - to the point where I had to listen to some Motörhead to ensure I stayed alert. Not a joke.
There's a few other convenience features that have leapt out at me from behind the wheel of the Enyaq, some of them immensely simple, but incredibly welcome. There's the adjustable centre console arm rest, easy to grip two-prong steering wheel, last destination sat-nav feature, constant on route traffic alerts, a distancing graphic from the car in front, adaptive cruise control and an auto hold feature that allows you to take your foot off the brake when idle in traffic.
So far, from a daily commute perspective, it's hard to fault the Enyaq.
I'll admit, it's taken a few months to properly get to grips with EV ownership. Although navigating the UK charging network when out on the road has been an interesting learning experience - borderline hair-pulling at times - it's the at-home EV conditioning that I've struggled with. Mainly, remembering to plug in and charge.
Initially, my plan was to charge the Enyaq about twice a week. I thought this would keep the battery topped up enough to tackle anything my schedule would throw at it. But with the weather improving and therefore our tendency to want to take our one-year-old on more sporadic hiking trips, twice a week hasn't been enough. More than once we have woken up and decided to go for a drive - only to realise we had a potentially squeaky bum-inducing 80-120 mile range.
Don't get me wrong, the Enyaq's 250 mile range will likely give most people plenty of wiggle room - this is more of a comment on EV's in general and the necessary forward planning required for spontaneity. Personally, I tend to top up the battery when it gets to around 50-100 miles on the clock, just in case.
The Enyaq's 250 mile figure has been pretty on the money as well, and although some 10-15 mile journeys can occasionally take 20-25 miles off the range, other 10-15 mile journeys can see battery capacity deplete by just 6-7 miles. Swings and roundabouts.
Thanks to owning a smart meter, I've become a little obsessed with monitoring electricity usage and have gained a good understanding of how much the Enyaq is actually costing me to run. Please keep in mind these figures are correct as of writing, and don't take into consideration the impending energy price bumps likely to hit many of us.
Based on a tariff of 16.88p per kWh, running a dryer, washing machine and vacuum cleaner costs me 50p, 40p and 10p per hour respectively. The Enyaq costs me £1.30 per hour - with a 0-80% charge taking around 9 hours and costing around £12. Bottom line, based on a weekly average of 100-150 miles, a week of charging the Enyaq has been costing me anything from £7-£12. In comparison, the same weekly mileage was costing me around £17-£22 in a 130hp 1.5l petrol-powered Volkswagen Golf.
It's generally recommended you only charge EVs to 80% battery capacity, as it's better for the lifespan of the battery and is more efficient than charging to 100%. I've generally found this to be true. For example, on average, a 25% charge in the Enyaq takes around 2.5 hours but charging from 75-100% battery capacity takes around three hours.
A great tool in keeping track of the Enyaq's charging status is the MySkoda app. Here you can remotely see how long is left to achieve a desired charge, adjust the max charging capacity and gain insight into a bunch of other features. I did however receive a message from a Business Car reader saying that the app has been unreliable when it comes to remotely toggling things like climate control and central locking. I too had similar issues. For monitoring charging status though, the app works fine.
Necessary trip planning and charging habits aside, the Enyaq has been costing me less to run, for now, anyway. The energy cost crisis is impending however, so it will be interesting to see whether I come out the other end still wanting an EV.
Range anxiety is a term that gets thrown around a lot with electric vehicles. And I will admit that while on our 210-mile journey from Liverpool to York, I probably looked at the remaining miles clock on our Skoda Enyaq every five minutes. But I need not have worried.
The night before our trip, I ensured we had 100% charge in the tank, which equated to 266 miles on the clock. Between myself, my wife, the baby and a few overnight bags there was not much cargo to weigh us down, so I was optimistic that that figure was fairly accurate.
Around 30 minutes into our journey, which included a mix of urban and motorway routes, the battery charge fell by around 10%. This is quite common with electric cars - and even things like your mobile phone. After that, the rate of battery decrease noticeably normalised and I was rather impressed with what we were left with after our first stint. Google Maps put our outward journey at 97 miles. The Enyaq's range fell by 98 miles - which is pretty bang on. It is worth noting that this first 100 miles was achieved through normal, not-so-eco-conscious driving - which is to say that it included 70mph motorway cruising, overtaking and junction darting. The Enyaq's adaptive cruise with traffic sign recognition helped massively here, automatically accelerating and decelerating between speed limit zones to avoid unnecessary surges of battery loss.
Our return journey resulted in slightly different range results. Our 92-mile return journey took 127 miles off the clock - which is quite a big difference. The reason behind this might have been due to leaving York during rush hour traffic - and the surprising amount of uphill driving on the way out of the city. That, combined with the Enyaq's initial 30-minute charge drop-off, perhaps skewed the figures slightly.
But, aside from a few hills and a bit of stop/start traffic, it was all smooth sailing, right? Not quite. To ensure we had surplus charge for our onward journey the next day, I wanted to plug in at a public charging station for a boost. This proved rather difficult. To my surprise, the actual number of public charging stations was not the issue - we encountered at least two in every single one of the five car parks we used. The issue was that each of them was either in use or broken, the latter being the most frequent issue. Usually, this can be rectified with a quick call to the number printed on the charging station, but not always.
There is also the headache of having to seemingly download a new smartphone app at every charging station you visit, then subsequently create an account and add necessary funds to it.
However, the public charger system is capable of working well. On our second day, we found a 7kW public charger with a low 15p/kWh rate within a car park in the centre of York. While using this charger parking was free, which was a relief given the steep car park fees York infamously carries. So, for five hours of parking it cost us £1.20 in charging fees, instead of costing us £13.50 in parking fees - plus we left with a full battery.
After a long (ish) journey in the Enyaq, I am certainly finding myself looking at the remaining battery less and less, confident in the Enyaq's abilities to stay true to its promised range. However, I feel less confident in the public charger system, and I will certainly make sure that for any future long distance drives I have a plan A, B and C before setting off.
When asked by friends and family what it's like to make the switch to electric vehicle ownership, I likened it to that of first time dog ownership. Before you get to enjoy the fun stuff, there's a lot of careful planning required. Do I get a wallbox charger? Should I reassess my electricity tariff? Do I have to plan daily trips out more strategically?
For that reason, my first write-up on the Enyaq is less about what it's like on the road, and more about its driveway implications.
The Enyaq we are driving is the iV 80, which claims a range of 330 miles, a fairly significant bump up when compared with the 255 mile range of the iV 60 model. In real world driving, however, the iV 80 is expected to return closer to the iV 60's top-end figure of 255 miles.
The initial plan was to drive the Enyaq for a week and plug it in a few times via the included three-pin charging cable to see whether relying on 3kW charging was feasible. After my first seven hour charge recouped just 17% battery capacity, the decision to pull the trigger on buying a 7.3kW wallbox charger was a swift one. And off down the rabbit hole of different wallbox chargers I went.
I ultimately settled on the Project EV Pro Earth charger and opted against the EVHS government grant. This was purely due to the lengthy back and forth involved in obtaining the grant, and the fact that many electricians - who are the ones that have to wait for the grant payment, not you - wouldn't entertain the job. Regardless, this government grant expires March 31 2022.
The second big decision I had to make was whether to reevaluate my electricity tariff and hop onto an Economy 7 rate that allows for lower tariffs between the times of 12-7am. The idea here is that you schedule your car charging during said time slot and save money on charging sessions. The caveat, however, is that your standard kWh charge outside of those hours will increase.
After crunching the figures - based on the idea that I would likely require a 40-50% battery top-up twice a week on average - I decided not to go down the Economy 7 route. If you're planning on recouping 50-80% battery charge daily, however - perhaps if you're back and forth to work - I'm almost certain an Economy 7 rating would
be worthwhile.
In terms of experiencing the Enyaq out on the road, after a few trips to the shops, its comfort and spaciousness is what jumps out, with a decent amount of meat to the steering, to match its muscular stance, and you get nice progressive, but strong, acceleration when you put your foot down - unlike some EVs that throw you back in
your seat.
Rear passenger and boot space has instantly impressed too, with lots of legroom for the baby when in his car seat, and a huge boot that excels thanks to its no-nonsense square shape. And I'm glad to say that it's deep enough to swallow the pram lengthways.
Now that I've overcome the necessary set-up period, I'm looking forward to seeing just how far a full charge will get me, how much it will cost me, and how the Enyaq is going to manage on a 300 mile round trip, cross country.
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