The Enyaq iV is Skoda’s first electric SUV

Being the traditional Tour-leading ”Red Car” at the head of the epic cycle race represents a high profile way to unveil this important new Skoda, with its messages of sustainability and clean electric power. There’s also a dose of sportiness in the Enyaq iV, with the firm confirming a vRS version with 305PS and a 0-62mph time of 6.2 seconds.

The Red Car has been kitted out as a command centre for the race director and is not quite like the Enyaq iV you will be able to buy from around £30,000 next spring. But – lights, aerials, sirens and signwriting apart – it’s just the same underneath, and it comes with all the attributes expected of a member of Skoda’s high-riding SUV family.

That means more car for the money than the opposition. It’s larger than the upcoming VW ID4 whose bespoke electric MEB platform the Enyaq shares, and boasts an amount of long-wheelbase, flat-floored cabin room unlikely to disappoint even the largest family.

Outside it is shorter than the Octavia (at 4,649mm) but inside it’s as spacious as the Kodiaq SUV, says Skoda (though available only as a five-seater). There is a 585 litre boot and with the back seats down you should even be able to get a bike in there… With a typical Skoda eye on practicality, it will also tow trailers up to 1,400kg.

The Enyaq iV also brings with it a bold new front-end style. Outlined in black, the grille surround looks a little fish-lips, but with the chunky vertical bars backlit by LEDs in the top versions, this grille is the one part of the design that makes an overt electric-car statement. Skoda calls it an “illuminated crystal face”. There are other trick new lighting features as well, though as options.

As a VW Group MEB-based electric car, the platform’s modular nature allows for a range of motors and battery sizes, just as it does with the VW ID.4. You will be able to buy an Enyaq iV with rear- or all-wheel drive, and with 62 or 82kWh power packs.

The UK entry 60 version, priced from £30,450 after the government grant, has 148PS, gets from 0-62mph in a leisurely 11.4 seconds, and has a range of 211 miles. Best for the range is the single-motor 80, with a WLTP-approved distance of 316 miles, while the twin-motor versions get 31 miles less range but more power, 264PS and, in the vRS, 305PS. All versions are limited to 100mph except the vRS which can hit 112mph.

The cars can be charged up at home or, with a special cable, at fast-charging stations. Like its sister car the VW ID.4, Skoda claims a range-enhancing low drag figure for the Enyaq, with a Cd of 0.27.

The interior fits the modern idiom with big central touch screen and uncluttered design. Three interior packs – Loft, Lounge and Suite – offer different features and styling themes and there is an emphasis on natural and recycled materials.

The top Enyaq is the Founders’ Edition, 1,895 of which are being made available worldwide to mark Skoda’s 125^th anniversary. This gets all the good gear – biggest batteries, twin motors, fast-charge cable, 21-inch wheels, all the lighting novelties, leather lined cabin – and costs £46,995. All versions of the first all-electric Skoda are available to order now with UK deliveries from next spring.