iSamage

I'm 8 months in to Elroq 85 ownership from previous 2.0TSIs in different forms. It's fantastic. Really comfortable, the range has never been an issue. Range in summer at 100% is above 300, and in the deep winter around 240-250. We've gone further afield twice now - as long as you use some basic common sense to plan your charges, it's no issue. I first drove EV in 2023 as my dad had one as a business lease and the public charging infrastructure has completely transformed even since then. I would argue that potentially no home charging is a big deal; public charging prices whilst still cheaper than petrol, will hamper any savings on fuel. Also, it's big. And heavy. It rides really well; I'm on the standard Sportline suspension, but you just can't escape the weight. We also have a Cupra Born with the 59kwh battery; that is a lot more fun and hides its weight better, helped by the smaller battery. In terms of trim, Sportline comes very well equipped. Driver package (DCC) would be recommended just to soften the ride further. Having Sportline also reduces the price of the extra packs; if I were given the choice, I'd spec the Advanced package too. It brings a lot of extra goodies including the HUD which you might think is a gimmick, but it's absolutely brilliant on our Born and helps to avoid looking at the small drivers display screen for speed/limits/ACC & Nav info.

But would the higher 50k threshold apply to previously registered EVs, or just ones registered after 01APR26? If not there will be a horrendous slow down on EV sales for the next few months. Edit: Answered my own question, see below from the full budget report: Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) – Expensive Car Supplement (ECS) – The government will increase the Vehicle Excise Duty Expensive Car Supplement threshold to £50,000 for zero-emission vehicles only. This change will take effect from 1 April 2026 and will apply to ZEVs registered from 1 April 2025 onwards.

I used to have a Cupra Ateca before covid happened, the price I paid was I believe 27k. Now the absolute cheapest available looks to be 31k second hand, so I can believe that. What's strange is that my current Cupra Leon Mk4, 3 months old, is only worth 25k according to the valuation sites. Crazy.

My old Octavia vRS TDI 4x4 (2018/68) is listed nearly 6k above the price I got it for in Jan 2021, and they've had it since October '21. Jumped ship pretty quick in to a Cupra thanks to the higher prices but it just goes to show how crazy all this is at the moment.

Just want to add to the topic, what a fantastic guide and thank you to the OP. Just fitted the referenced camera to my new vRS estate and it works a treat. Cable rods are a must. And for the original boot release button, I gave in to my anger after 20 minutes and just prised one of the clips off. Obviously only do this if you don’t mind essentially breaking the original.