Skoda Elroq review: The long-term verdict

By Ashley Morgan 09/08/2026 3 min read 9 views

The 2026 Skoda Elroq is arguably in the Goldilocks zone for compact SUVs. It is on the large side for a small SUV, and on the small side for a mid-size SUV, making it perfect for a city dweller. This is why the fully electric Elroq has been a great car for me to long-term test in this three-part review. More on that later. Explore the 2026 Skoda Elroq Range Skoda Elroq 2026 review: 60 Select long-term | Part 1 Familiar hatchback on the chopping block: 2026 Skoda Scala could be axed in Australia as the segment dominated by the Toyota Corolla Hybrid, Kia K4 and Hyundai i30 shrinks Ballistic new SUV locked in: Skoda confirms new hot rod rival for 2026 Tesla Model Y, Polestar 4 and Porsche Macan If you missed the first instalment covering the entry-level MY26 Select 60’s pricing and specification details, check out the link above. As promised, this second look will focus on the Elroq’s design and practicality, while the upcoming third and final part will be headlined by my full driving impressions and overall verdict.

Smart looking – if a little forgettable Starting with design, the Elroq’s exterior is arguably unremarkable, but I like it all the same. Up front, Skoda’s new tech-desk face is in full force, with a black panel taking the place of what would have been a grille in an internal-combustion model. Flanking it are sharp LED daytime running lights, which are separate to the low and high beams below. I particularly like the heavily creased bonnet with its SKODA lettering, and the chunky front bumper, which has a well-executed black plastic element that flows through to the wheel-arch and door cladding around the side. The Elroq has a particularly strong character line with real doorhandles below – yes, they are an increasing rarity these days. And then there are the Select 60’s 19-inch ‘Proteus’ alloy wheels, which I initially thought were quite plain in design, but I now reckon look decent. At the rear the Elroq has unmistakably Skoda tail-lights and in case you still do not pick it, there’s even more SKODA lettering in between. I quite like how upright the tailgate is as you know that means good things for boot, but more on that in a moment. The bumper is quite plasticky, but even with light paintwork like my test vehicle’s Timiano Green, I do not think it looks bad in this instance. That said, the chunky tailgate spoiler looks noticeably cheap with its plastic finish, but we are talking about a base model after all.

Inside, the Select 60 features the Elroq’s Loft interior theme, which means it is covered in a denim-like cloth upholstery with synthetic leather accents. We are talking about seats, armrests and even door and dashboard inserts here, so there is no missing the divisive material. I don’t mind it, but some of my passengers had strong opinions against it. The leather-trimmed, two-spoke steering wheel feels very premium in hand and is enhanced by its physical controls for key functions, which are welcome because they are another increasing rarity these days. There is also a row of physical buttons below the 12.9-inch touchscreen multimedia system, but sadly none of them are dedicated to temperature or fan-speed controls. There is a CLIMA button that opens the touchscreen’s climate-control menu, but it is only useful if you want to change the airflow direction as the temperature and fan-speed controls are permanently in the bottom row of the multimedia system’s shortcuts. The multimedia system is easy enough to use once you get your head around it, but the reality is most drivers will instantly take advantage of its wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support and use smartphone mirroring instead. It is also nice to see physical air-vent controls as they too have come under threat recently as some brands irrationally try to move them to the touchscreen. Criticisms? Well, it is rather dark inside the Elroq, with only the light headliner trying to brighten things up. 2026 Skoda