#Askwhatcar
Your motoring questions answered, including why an electric car driver was fined in London’s congestion zone
THE RIBBLEHEAD Viaduct: a breathtakingly beautiful but imposing example of 19thcentury transport infrastructure. Twenty-four arches, towering 32 metres towards the gods, spanning 400 metres across magnificent Batty Moss. What better place for a stopover when we’re testing the efficacy of our 21st-century transport infrastructure?
We’re en route from Inverness to London – a journey of around 600 miles. Sitting beneath the imposing arches are two electric SUVS, and our objective is twofold: comparing the new Skoda Enyaq with the latest version of the Kia e-niro – our 2019 overall Car of the Year – and the public charging network that’s the oxygen needed to sustain them.
We already know that the e-niro 64kwh Long Range has a very good battery range, but now you can order it in conjunction with the cheapest 2 trim (previously available solely with the smaller, 39kwh battery). This version has been introduced specifically to qualify for the recently reduced government electric car grant. To receive the £2500 incentive, any new electric car needs to have a list price of less than £35,000.
The Enyaq also squeaks under that limit if you opt for the 60 model’s smaller battery, which actually stores 58kwh of usable energy. The ‘60’ is essentially the trim level that defines what equipment your Enyaq has, but you can also choose from a range of styling packs that bring different interior finishes, including wool seat trim or sustainably sourced leather. Our test car comes with the Suite interior, with black leather and contrasting Cognac piping.
DRIVING Performance, ride, handling, refinement
Both cars have plenty of zip, but while the Enyaq is as punchy as a potent petrol-powered SUV, the e-niro is even quicker in most situations, with the pace of some hot hatchbacks.
From rest to 30mph, the Enyaq actually squeaks its bumper ahead, but from then on the e-niro powers away; it’s a second clear by 60mph, with a time of 6.7sec. What’s more useful is its 1.7sec advantage between 30 and 70mph, which means you can sail past slower traffic with greater ease.
Amazingly, the e-niro also manages its battery reserves more efficiently. We did our standard
efficiency test at our private track, assessing both cars’ energy use in controlled conditions. The e-niro used less energy per mile and, combined with its slightly bigger battery, had a projected range (on a warm, dry day with a simulated mix of town, A-road and motorway driving) of 243 miles. The Enyaq’s was 180 miles.
A big difference, then, and those figures roughly correlated with what we were seeing on our long drive back to London. The e-niro’s bigger buffer meant not only fewer stops to charge but also less range anxiety when faced with another 150-plus miles to the next fast charger.
Which is the most relaxing beyond any range unease? Well, that’s the Enyaq. It’s quieter than the e-niro, with less suspension noise over broken roads and, in general, less road noise at 70mph; it still generates roar over particularly coarse surfaces, though. They both have light wind noise unless there’s a heavy crosswind, in which case you’ll hear gusting around their door mirrors.
The Enyaq is also more comfortable, if not quite as cushy as the best-riding petrol SUVS, because its heavy battery pack requires beefier suspension to support it. It’s the softer of our contenders and feels settled at motorway speeds, with a touch less fidget than the e-niro. Around town, you benefit more from its extra give, because it’s less abrupt over any sharp imperfections. Mind you, the e-niro is far from being a bone-shaker.
Both have good brakes, for electric vehicles (EVS). Each has a system that regenerates electricity (to top up the battery) as you slow that works in conjunction with their normal brakes. The two systems are integrated well, with both cars stopping effectively during hard braking while being predictable in traffic. That means you won’t end up screeching to a staccato halt or squeezing the brake pedal harder than you expect, as you might in some EVS.
Now, you might think the Enyaq’s more supple suspension would make it less nimble, but that’s not entirely true. Yes, the e-niro does have less body lean and its quicker steering makes it feel slightly more willing to dart into turns, but the Enyaq’s more progressive, naturally weighted steering gives you at least as much confidence to hustle it along. It also has more grip, so you can carry a bit more speed should you wish, although neither car feels quite as enjoyable to drive as the lower, squatter Volkswagen ID.3.
BEHIND THE WHEEL Driving position, visibility, build quality
These SUVS have slightly higher driving positions than, say, a Volkswagen Golf, but you feel oddly perched in the e-niro, because its seat feels high in relation to the dashboard. And that’s with its height-adjustable driver’s seat set as low as it’ll go (a facility that both cars have). Both cars come with adjustable lumbar support, although we wish the Enyaq’s extended farther into the small of the back. Its seats provide more shoulder support than the e-niro’s, though.
The e-niro’s large digital instrument screen displays information legibly. The Enyaq’s version is smaller and the range indicator’s digits are surprisingly tiny. It also embeds its air conditioning controls in the infotainment touchscreen, but at least the temperature controls are permanently displayed. Still, overall we prefer the fuller suite of simpler buttons and knobs on the e-niro’s dashboard.
Visibility is fine in both. You can see past the e-niro’s windscreen pillars more easily than the Enyaq’s thicker ones, but it’s easier to see out the back of the Enyaq because of its bigger rear side windows. The e-niro’s standard rear-view camera (a £505 option on the Enyaq ) helps out when backing up, and both cars come with rear parking sensors. Only the Enyaq has LED headlights, and the halogen bulbs you get with the e-niro are dim by comparison.
Skoda has done a great job with the Enyaq’s interior. For an electric car at this price point, there are few better, and it’s much nicer than the ID.3’S, for example. In the main, it’s well screwed together, the plastics are generally soft and smart, and it has some bright chrome and gloss black elements to push up the ‘plush-o-meter’ needle. The e-niro isn’t bad for the money, but the finishes aren’t quite as pleasing and there are more harder plastics on display.
SPACE AND PRACTICALITY Front space, rear space, seating flexibility, boot
The e-niro is the smaller car overall. Up front, it has enough room for six-footers, but there’s more head and leg room in the Enyaq, which is also broader between its front doors. It has slightly better storage as well, mainly thanks to bigger door bins that are carpeted to stop items from jangling, but both cars have a good range of trays and cubbies.
The Enyaq’s rear seats are clearly roomier, though. Two tall adults have more leg and head room to spare than they do in the e-niro (which, it must be said, has enough) and the Enyaq is a better fit for three adults. There’s no hump running along the centre of its floor (there’s a small one in the e-niro) and it has a bit more shoulder room for three. Other pluses include more pockets on the back of the front seats for tablets and phones, and bigger door bins. The Enyaq also offers the option of rear USB ports; the e-niro has them only up front.
Finally, the Enyaq’s boot dwarfs the e-niro’s. Nine carry-on cases fit below the tonneau cover, while the e-niro can swallow five. Then again, the e-niro has a bit more room under its boot floor for charging cables and the extended floor is flat all the way to the front seats when you drop the rear seatbacks, which, as in the Enyaq, are split 60/40. The Enyaq adds a ski hatch, but drop its seats and there’s a step to overcome unless you add the optional Transport Package (£260), which brings a height-adjustable boot floor to even that out when raised.
BUYING AND OWNING Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security
It’s no coincidence that these two cost roughly the same; as we said, they’re priced to qualify for the government grant. Interestingly, the grant is based purely on a car’s list price, so you can add as many options as you like, bump up the invoice price well beyond £35,000 and still receive the £2500 bung.
The Enyaq is predicted to shed value at a slightly slower rate than the e-niro and costs less to insure and service. We’re not talking about huge disparities, but over three years the Enyaq will be a bit over £1300 cheaper for a private cash buyer to run than the e-niro.
If you’re financing, there’s a big advantage in opting for the Enyaq. Let’s assume you stick £3500 down on a three-year PCP deal. If you do no more than 8000 miles a year, the Enyaq is £433 per month and the e-niro £33 more. The Enyaq is also advantageous to lease, costing about £40 per month less.
These cars are equally great if you’re a company car driver. In total, you’ll pay only around £650 in benefit-in-kind tax over three years if you’re in the 40% bracket.
Neither car is exceptionally well equipped. You get a few niceties, such as alloy wheels (17in with the e-niro, 19in for the Enyaq ), climate control, power-folding door mirrors and auto lights and
wipers. The e-niro adds keyless entry, while the Enyaq has that leather seat upholstery.
Both come with active safety aids, including automatic emergency braking and lanekeeping assistance. The e-niro has never been put through the Euro NCAP test procedure, so we can’t tell you how safe it is in a crash. The Enyaq has been tested and showed impressive protection for adults, children and pedestrians, so it gets the full five-star rating.
One option worth adding to the Enyaq is 100kw fast charging (£440). As standard, it charges at 50kw, and doubling the speed gives the potential for a 10-80% charge in as little as 30 minutes. The e-niro’s maximum rate of 77kw and slightly bigger battery accounts for a longer delay of around 45 minutes. A 7kw home wallbox takes them both from empty to full in about 10 hours.
So, on the subject of charging, how did we find the infrastructure? Well, we made it home so in essence it works, but our journey would’ve undoubtedly been quicker in a petrol or diesel car.
Scotland has fewer fast chargers outside of its main cities, but its national charging network is free to use. In England, you’re more likely to find a rapid charger (on average these are 50-100kw) but some require you to sign up before you can use them, and reliability is decidedly variable; occasionally, we had to make phone calls to get chargers online, while others refused to work at all.
Some chargers offer contactless card payment, and all are cheaper per mile than filling up with petrol. We’d qualify the current infrastructure as adequate and some way behind Tesla’s prolific, reliable and easy-to-use Supercharger network.
Our advice is to plan your route carefully between charging stations (the Zapmap app is one useful aid to help you) and always leave yourself spare capacity, just in case a charger isn’t working and you need to get to another one.
‘We made it home, so in essence the public charging network works’
Foracar that has seen a few birthdays, the e-niro still impresses.the world is on a manic mission to extend battery range, yet this Long Range version is far from obsolete.
Were this test simply about which car travels farther, it would win, but there’s more to it than that.the e-niro’s overall package is still excellent, but against the Enyaq it falls behind in a few areas, such as practicality, refinement and safety.
In fact, for this kind of money, the Enyaq is the best new EV we’ve tested. It’s very comfortable and has masses of room for the family among its list of strengths. Anyone looking to do long distances regularly has the option of the pricier 80 model, but after our extreme test, the 60’s range is fine for the odd family holiday and more than enough for everyday journeys.
Skoda Enyaq
For Comfy ride; surefooted handling; quieter at speed; cheaper to finance; huge practicality; strong safety rating
Against Slower acceleration; shorter range; unstable infotainment software
Recommended options 100kw DC charging (£440)
Kia e-niro
For Great real-world range; strong performance; tidy handling; relatively practical in the wider class
Against No Euro NCAP rating; pricier PCP finance; slightly firmer ride; less plush inside Recommended options None