Long-term report: More time with the Skoda Elroq vRS shows what it can do

I feel that it’s when you’re in the doldrums of winter that you can find out quite a lot about a car. Whether you’re sprinting to get inside a car to avoid a downpour – which has been most of 2026 so far, in truth – or making the most of a vehicle’s headlights to cut through the gloom, it’s a good period to get to know a make or model.

This rather grotty start to the year has meant that I’ve spent a lot of time behind the wheel of the Skoda Elroq vRS. As a result, I feel that I’ve got a good understanding of this go-faster electric car in quite a short space of time.

For starters, I love how practical it is – but the regular Elroq is the same, in fairness. The boot is large and square and easy to access, and though there’s no ‘frunk’ for the charging cables, there’s a handy net attached to the parcel shelf that you use instead. This little ‘cable hammock’ is, for the most part, a good idea. The only issue lies when – sigh – it’s raining outside, because you have to put your now-wet cables into this storage area and water then drips down onto anything you’ve put in the boot. A good idea for most of the year, but a rather damp one in winter.

There are loads of storage elsewhere, too. I like the well-sized door bins and I like the large central cubby, which is ideal for loose items. However, something I still cannot get my head around is the absolutely minuscule cup holders. It’s a similar story on other Skoda models. It’s not like I’m trying to lug around some massive Big Gulp cup, but they’re not even big enough to fit a standard takeaway coffee cup. As someone who drinks a lot of coffee and drinks it in the car a lot, it’s a real pain.

But hey, you can’t write a car off just because of the size of its cupholders. Elsewhere, I’ve been really enjoying the Elroq vRS. This sportier model gets Dynamic Chassis Control as standard, and that means you can make the ride softer or firmer as and when you like. For me, that means I’ve been keeping it as soft as possible and, when it’s set like this, the Elroq does far better at dealing with potholes than you might expect. It’s also got a nice bit of ‘float’ when you’re on the motorway, making it all more comfortable in the process.

The tech on board has been working well, too. I like the associated Skoda app which allows you to check on the car’s range and even activate the heating remotely. Since it’s been chilly lately, this feature has been really helpful and since you can do it while the car is still plugged in, it doesn’t zap any of your range away.

That range, however, has yet to improve. I mentioned in my last report that the Elroq’s range was some way off its claimed 339 miles. I’m still getting nowhere near that, with around 250 miles coming from a 100 per cent charge. It has been cold, in fairness, but that is still a huge deficit on the claimed range and limits the car overall.

That said, I have been trying to see more of the Elroq’s performance side. With its dual-motor setup, it’s actually one of Skoda’s most powerful models currently and when you do give yourself a little room to try that out, it’s quite impressive. Particularly with all of the wet weather we’ve been having, I’ve enjoyed having that all-wheel-drive traction to get you safely through wet and slippery conditions.

The Elroq vRS fits very nicely into everyday life – in most areas – but I’m often caught wondering how much you’d need this higher-performance version over the standard, cheaper model. For the most part, all of the features that I like the best about the vRS are found in the ‘regular’ Elroq, too – but perhaps this will change as the weather (hopefully) gets warmer.