Long distance drives in the electric Skoda Peaq left me convinced it’s the firm’s best seven-seater yet

Electric options in the seven-seat arena have really picked up lately, with the Mercedes-Benz GLB, Hyundai Ioniq 9, Kia EV9 and Peugeot e-5008 all vying for a spot on your large family’s driveway. Now Skoda is wanting in on the action with the Peaq, its largest and most premium SUV to date.

Quite how often all those seats get filled is something I’m curious about – but having them as an option if your kids have several friends has got to be a bonus. I also think the Peaq will work just fine for anyone with less need to get bums on seats yet craves getting out on the open road as frequently as possible. This car drives really well, comes with premium levels of comfort and all of the everyday necessities for tackling longer hauls. Surprisingly, given its chunkiness, the Peaq works well around town too, with a supple powertrain that is wonderfully forgiving.

There’s a beefy 86kWh battery for the UK market, with a 59kWh option in European territories (No US ones, as usual). The sizeable SUV comes as a rear-wheel drive car (the 90) or as an all-wheel drive model (the 90X). Power for the two options stand at 282bhp and 295bhp, so the Skoda Peaq feels plenty powerful; range at 395 and 373 miles respectively feels more than adequate too. So, which one to buy? Read on to find out…

The styling

I don’t know what magic the Skoda designers have been working with the Peaq as, despite being 4.9-metres long, the SUV weirdly doesn’t look or drive like something so chunky. That is a good thing, especially when it comes to space, with a yawning gap created between the axles that makes popping people in and out a breeze.

There are three trims on offer, all of which are a nice variation on the theme and range from £51,980 for an SE L, while the Sportline is £58,280 with all wheel drive. A host of options can then push the price up still further.

Around the outside, it’s fair to say the Peaq carries all the trademark styling touches of a typical Skoda. There are bold panel lines, tasteful trim touches and an imposing stance produced by large alloys sitting on decent tyres. Skoda has some cool colours for the Peaq as well, so there’s no doubt that it carries a reasonable amount of presence on the road. Lots of cool details were evident too, like the wipers that had integrated washers although the pop-out door handles felt a little awkward to use. I also loved the umbrellas stored inside the front doors.

Lots of carmakers have adopted the ‘living room on wheels’ vibe of late and that’s a feeling I got getting in to both the front and the back of the Peaq. It’s warm, welcoming and very well thought out with great attention to detail on the convenience features. Depending on your chosen trim (SE L, Edition or Sportline), the interiors are all very individual; it was really refreshing to see some striking differences between them.

Naturally there are some compromises required for folks who are pushed to the third row. I didn’t think there was a lot of space on offer, but it would work perfectly for transporting a bunch of kids to the cinema, for example. Short journeys would be fine, but the slightly confined feel generated further back might not be quite as bearable on a long trek. However, the 2.1-metre long optional panoramic glass roof did a great job of throwing light into every corner or the car.

The technology

I like the way Skoda has executed the cockpit layout of the Peaq. It strikes a nice balance between touchscreen input and physical controls. There was no missing the 13.6in infotainment screen, which boasted some of the best map graphics I’ve seen in a while and an excellent, user-friendly overall design. Anyone who’s a fan of Android will find it especially appealing, and it works beautifully in tandem with the slender driver display. Higher trims get a head up display too.

Lower down on the central dash were some real buttons, adding another level of user-friendliness to proceedings. Climate controls and a volume roller are basic essentials that get used so much that having them right to hand makes perfect sense to me. Talking of volume, I got to hear the Peaq’s Sonos sound system a lot during my time in the car and can report that it’s every bit as good as you’d expect.

The Sonos system is part of an optional Relax package, which adds in other comfort-focused goodies including massage seats, an electric footrest and even a folding table for the centre console. Again, this underlines just how much of a ‘living room on wheels’ vibe is going on with the Peaq, although start heading for the options, such as the aforementioned nigh-on-two-grand dimmable panoramic sunroof, and this is a car that starts to look decidedly expensive.

The drive

One of the nicest surprises with the Skoda Peaq was the way it drove. The steering was a highlight, allowing its reasonable size to be easily coaxed through tricky situations on busy streets. For a large SUV, the performance was solid too and I thought the Peaq felt plenty fast enough, especially on the motorway where both wind and tyre noise were minimal. Anyone feeling happier when there’s more grip to play with should find the four-wheel drive 90X model their preferred option although the rear-wheel drive only car was fine.

While the all-wheel drive model does feel a little zestier in the power department, I thought either model looked impressive when it came to range and efficiency. Getting towards the 90’s 395 miles and 90X’s 373 miles seemed entirely achievable, which was impressive given the size and weight of the car. Just over 3 miles per kWh seemed to be the average during punchier driving periods. Driven casually with an eye on the range readings could have probably squeezed a little more out of that chunky battery.

I had no doubts about the overall drive appeal of the Skoda Peaq, but where it really came into its own was during manoeuvres. This sizable SUV was extremely agile and, going back to the steering again, this was a standout. In tandem with the high comfort levels on offer the Peaq is a doddle to pilot.

The Sportline edition has suspension that can be tweaked for anyone who doesn’t find the car comfortable enough, or who wants a more rigid sporty ride. However, I found the Peaq really quite dreamy to drive in its default setup. Family-buyers with no time to mess around with such things will find they can just get in and go, while that agile steering setup will make it a surefire hit at school run time.

Skoda Peaq verdict

While it is a genuine seven-seater, the Skoda Peaq reaches the pinnacle of comfort when it’s used as a five-seater, which frees up the rear row and boot to produce an area of storage that is dazzling. The versatility offered by the Peaq is without question. Add comfort, performance and dependable levels of efficiency and the package looks very strong indeed.

While something like the Kia EV9 might be a tad better for folks who carry seven on a regular basis, the Peaq is perfect for occasional multi-passenger use. It’s also a great SUV for folks who simply enjoy plenty of their own space.

Skoda Peaq technical specifications