Skoda Enyaq iV 60 Long-Term review

The best electric car for young families on a ‘normal budget’

It looks smart casual

As I approached the Enyaq for the first time, three things immediately caught my attention. Firstly, despite being an electric vehicle, it maintains a conventional car appearance. While a back-to-the-future Delorean style can certainly be appealing for an electric car, its normalcy is refreshing. Secondly, Skoda’s design mastery is evident; the Enyaq exudes the sophistication of a smart-casually dressed George Clooney inviting you for coffee in Italy. Lastly, I couldn’t pinpoint why, but it looked exceptionally stunning in silver metallic—a color typically reserved for retirees and grandparents.

It is more than ‘good’

I don’t think I have ever adapted as quickly to a radically new thing or technology as with the Enyaq. After the car dealer explained regenerative braking and one-pedal driving, I drove off, and the rest was self-explanatory, which was quite reassuring. Unlike the ID4, the Enyaq boasts a more traditional car-like dashboard tunnel through the interior, avoiding the sensation of driving a white van. Materials used on the floor and doors have a Ryan Air economy feel to them while the rest of the car truly surprises in the materials used.

I feel that a softer suspension setup would enhance the car’s performance even further, although I have no complaints about its current suspension configuration. Additionally, the spacious interior easily accommodates my 6-foot-6 frame, allowing me to adjust the front seats to my liking while leaving ample room behind for a normal-sized passenger. However, individuals on the smaller side may find the seats overly large and wide, potentially affecting support and comfort.

What it’s like to live with?

a great value for money

I’ve owned the car for 15 months now, and I can genuinely say it might be the best electric family car if you’re on a budget. The iV 60 offers fantastic value for money; I have even received a government grant in my country for staying below a certain budget cap. This was one of the key decision factors for going for the smaller battery capacity.

Considering the price, you get a lot of functionality and a visually appealing car. While for me personally, this specific model lacks some premium features, such as cognac leather seats and a Panoramic roof, overall, even in its base trim, the car feels more luxurious than what you’d expect for the price.

The one feature I do miss every day is radar-guided cruise control. It is a feature you should not overlook when selecting options. I think that this applies to every make and model of electric car; it’s indispensable for maximizing battery range.

What we changed

The model we have is pretty much the base trim; we did change a couple of things to improve the overall look and feel of the car. We got rid of the Greenpeace wheels and added 20-inch alloys and changed over the grill and mirror caps to the gloss black ones. We had the windows tinted and added a rubber boot mat, which improved the utilitarian side of the car.

My experience

I did face some challenges. The car’s supercharging was slow during the first few thousand miles, especially in snowy conditions. During really low temperatures, our charge port has got completely stuck at one point requiring dealer assistance.

The lane-keeping assist proved overly strong, particularly on rural backroads, where it struggled to recognize road edges and sometimes forcefully steered towards the middle. This combined with oncoming agricultural vehicles, led to nerve-wracking situations.

The infotainment is really where the Czech company can improve. Specifically with confusing sub-menu settings and issues storing preferences. The combination of Bluetooth, WiFi, and Carplay settings has been particularly troublesome, requiring multiple resets to restore proper Carplay functionality. On a more positive note, the Enyaq has really impressive speakers even at the base trim level.

The driver-focused second screen is something I especially like. It is on the small side I thought on day 1 but have never thought about it since. I also like the fact that you can properly adjust (dim) the screens and ambient lighting.

The mobile phone app provided by Skoda does its job, though the interface responds a bit slowly. In our view, the app lacks a remote locking and windows-open feature, which would be beneficial.

The Range

The range has pleasantly surprised me. The factors that seem to affect range the most are strong headwinds on long motorway drives and specifically snow. What astounded me was that during nice sunny and calm winter days, we could get pretty close to the warm weather range. I also drove during house renovations with heavily loaded trailers; yes, that impacted the range, but not as much as I had anticipated. In my experience, the numbers from ev-database.org come closes to what you can expect in the real world.

Range Estimation

Indication of real-world range in several situations. Cold weather: ‘worst-case’ based on -10°C and use of heating. Mild weather: ‘best-case’ based on 23°C and no use of A/C. For ‘Highway’ figures a constant speed of 110 km/h is assumed. The actual range will depend on speed, style of driving, weather and route conditions.¹

After a couple of weeks, we received a software update that allowed the car to start charging up to 125 kW per hour, which is decent enough for now. In a few years, the charging speed might be the one thing that would make this car feel quickly outdated.

Enyaq iV 60 review conclusion

I don’t think you could describe the Enyaq as a rebellious car park attention-seeking warrior. But if you want to demonstrate that while being conscious of the budget you can still look smart and have practicality on your side then choose the iV 60 over anything else. Do ensure that before you buy your expectations regarding range or charging times are realistic and well-informed. My Skoda Enyaq has had its minor issues, but overall, there’s nothing to gripe about. It has provided me and my family with comfort for over 46 thousand miles of travel. The rubber mat has proven to be an indispensable accessory, especially when transporting dogs or a lot of children’s belongings, and the one provided by Skoda after-sales is of excellent quality. It seems that Skoda hit a home run with the Enyaq. The model is put well together, offers a wide range of options and battery capacity, and best of all it has found the perfect price point within the electric car market.