Enter the Skoda Elroq SUV. Skoda has transformed itself beyond recognition in recent years: it’s owned by Volkswagen Group so has great reliability and uses high-quality materials. It shares the same screen, satnav, audio system and buttons as other sibling brands including VW, Cupra and Audi. Moreover, the Elroq is one of a tiny group of electric SUVs which costs the same as its petrol equivalent (the Karoq), instead of 30 per cent more because of the battery. So it’s a canny car that’s ahead of its time in the race for price equality, which all car brands are desperately trying to reach.
Joy of joys, it also still has all the same surprise-and-delight tricks up its sleeve as other Skodas, such as hidden umbrellas in the front doors, a concealed ice scraper in the boot lid, and a net for the charging cable, sewn in to the underside of the parcel shelf. Buy this car and you’ll have bragging rights for the year over your mates, who all spent way more money and ended up with way less car.
Aspiring to feel at one with nature in our zero-emissions electric car, we treated our Elroq to a jaunt in the New Forest, to commune with the open heathland and wild ponies (note that some of them can commune a little too up close and personally in the carparks). There’s plenty of space in the back of the car for teenagers and the odd dog (suitably secured), a decent boot for luggage and coats, and storage for phones, water bottles and snacks up front. We also love the Loft design version, with its smart recycled grey cloth covering on the dash.
What an incredible place the New Forest is when the sun dances off the still water of the blue ponds and finds its ways between the trees onto the mossy forest floor. Is there a prettier part of the UK? It’s spellbinding, and I kept annoying my teenage sons by insisting they look up from trying to pair their phone with Apple CarPlay, in order to admire the views. “Less Kendrick Lamar, more cloud-gazing,” became my pointless refrain.
The New Forest is blessed with some fantastic places to stay, too, and we (my 14-year-old and 12-year-old sons, plus our six-year-old black Labrador) had plumped for one of Chewton Glen’s incredible Treehouses, which felt apt for an adventure in such a simple, clean and energy-efficient electric car. To be among the trees, breathing in oxygen, watching the birds flit between the branches, felt like the perfect complement to the Elroq.
