Skoda Enyaq 85 Sportline SUV 2026 Review

For a headline base price of $63,990 drive away, the updated 2026 Skoda Enyaq 85 Sportline immediately piques the interest. For the cash you’re getting an attractively-styled, electrified medium SUV from a company with plenty of runs on the board in our market.

Not only that, but the Enyaq – a blood relative of the Volkswagen ID.5 – comes with almost all the stuff you want, and none of the things you don’t need (except for one, which I’ll get to).

The powertrain comprises a healthy 210kW/545Nm electric motor attached to the back axle, fed by an 82kWh lithium-ion battery which offers a claimed WLTP-rated range of 547km. That battery is built in a modular style, too, with pouches of cells enclosed in 12 bread loaf-sized boxes which can be accessed individually if one goes bad.

Skoda claims it’s a first, but not so; MG used a similar build style in its 2019 ZS EV. Regardless, it’s a good idea on both sides of the ledger; it’s easier to assemble and to repair.

On the outside, the Enyaq scores matrix LED headlights and dynamic LED tail-lights, 20-inch alloy rims, a new grille and bonnet treatment, cool black exterior highlights, a heated windscreen and privacy rear glass.

Inside, it’s neat, stylish and familiar, especially if you’ve ever been exposed to VW/Skoda products before. It’s an important distinction; not everyone wants to unlearn user habits formed over a lifetime of driving.

The electronic gear shifter remains in between driver and passenger, while the big screen treatment is limited to the 12.1-inch item in the centre of the console. The driver relies on a small, simple and graphic-light dash panel, which suits this old curmudgeon just fine. Ditto the line of climate-control buttons below the central screen and the audio adjustment (somewhat oddly) located at either side of the screen.

Seats are a mix of suede (or Seudia, if you’re being picky) and PU leather, which are well shaped and low-slung in the car. In a nice touch, Skoda has equipped both front seats with electric controls including the bolster, as well as heating, venting and massage.

It’s a rare thing to see, and the brand should be lauded… then immediately poked in the eye for removing the telescoping functionality from its sun visors, which results in a huge gap when they’re swung out to cover the side windows. Skoda isn’t alone, but come on…

There is plenty of other content provided for the ticket price, including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging, a comprehensive and well-tuned ADAS safety suite, heated steering wheel with paddles for the regenerative braking, heated outboard rear seats, rear window shades and plenty of USB-C ports.

Want more? There’s a $5000 Ultimate pack that provides a head-up display, premium sound, park assist, 21-inch rims and adjustable dampers, while the optional sunroof will set you back $2000.

There are seven colours, available, including an odd military olive, two shades of grey, black, white and blue, which are all no-cost options. If you want Velvet Red in your life, it’s an extra $770.

Straight out of the gate, the 2026 Skoda Enyaq 85 Sportline makes a great impression. With normal door handles providing access to terrifically shaped seats that are set nice and low in the floor pan and face a sweetly sized steering wheel that feels just right underhand, the essentials are done right.

The controls are logically laid out, too, and it’s easy to comprehend how to get moving; that’s not necessarily a given with all EVs on sale today.

The old-school cruise control stalk is a weird throwback, though, and potentially a workaround to get them off the steering wheel, which now sports genuine buttons and thumbwheel controls in place of the haptic pads that have plagued other VW-based products for a few years now.

Visibility is terrific, as is the Enyaq’s throttle control; again, not something all EVs get right. It eases away under moderate pedal pressure and feels normal once up to speed.

A big thumbs-up for the three-stage regenerative brake control paddles, which are intuitive and useful. If more regen brake pressure is needed – though I think it’s unnecessary – the driver can select B instead of D for genuine one-pedal driving.

The Enyaq hums along at the national limit with effortless fuss, wends its way through bendy terrain with aplomb and just gets on with the job of being a thoroughly decent electric five-seat SUV.

If you need rear-seat space, there’s plenty to be had, with terrific headroom, decent incline on the seat backs and good knee room. There are ISOFIX points for two baby seats, as well.

Testing the 2026 Skoda Enyaq 85 Sportline without the optional adjustable dampers reveals a chassis that’s a little too tied down for the target audience. The driver may well appreciate the added roll stiffness and sporting pretensions of the passive suspension tune, but they are almost guaranteed to get the evil eye from their passengers before too long, especially over bumpy terrain.

However, a quick spin in a car equipped with the optional adjustable dampers – accessed via the drive mode button and offering an even deeper level of adjustment in Individual mode – gives the Enyaq a brace of distinct personalities from firm and fast to soft and cossetting, and many more in between.

The brake pedal feel is a bit odd, as well, but certainly not lacking in stopping prowess. When the pedal is pushed, the Enyaq starts to brake with regenerative force before engaging the pads onto the brake rotor. And, in another odd throwback, the rear set-up compromises with drum brakes, something that’s shared across the Enyaq’s MEB platform.

Of course, being an EV, it can’t tow much (1000kg, according to Skoda). Some might find the 585-litre seats up, 1710-litre seats down cargo bay a bit underdone, with a high floor thanks to the electric gubbins under the boot floor.

There’s an old saying in the auto game that you only have one chance to launch a car, so Skoda took a pretty big risk to bring the new/old Enyaq in when it did. Yet, the updated one has been worth the wait.

The new/new Enyaq presents well, looks terrific, drives great and doesn’t require the driver to change the habits of a lifetime simply to get from A to B.

The Sportline gains compelling spec, a decent seven-year comprehensive warranty (eight years/160,000km on the battery) and two-year service intervals. Those dealership visits can be locked in as low as $195 per year on a 10-year/150,000km pre-purchased service plan. And with a guaranteed buy-back scheme within its internal financing product, the Enyaq is not here just to make up the numbers.

It’s a bums-on-seats game, and if an electric medium SUV is on your radar, it would be an absolute crime to not test out the Enyaq Sportline.

2026 Skoda Enyaq 85 Sportline SUV at a glance:
Price: $59,990 (plus on-road costs)
Powertrain: Single permanent magnet synchronous motor
Output: 210kW/545Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 82kWh lithium-ion
Range: 547km WLTP
Energy consumption: 15.9kWh/100km WLTP
Safety rating: 5-star ANCAP 2025

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