Hi Folks

Got a MY23 Octavia RS, which I'm thinking about a change to an Elroq, but am concerned about range in the winter, charging times etc.

Is it worth specifying a heat pump if possible?

Would it be worth having a monthly charging account to get reduced charging fees? Because home charging may not be possible as I have a grade II* listed building as a house, so attachment of the charger is very unlikely to be allowed, so public charging will be the norm.

What packs would you recommend adding to the car, I'm considering a 85 model for the range, possibly a Sportline or Edition

Thanks

You might investigate a charger in a garage / handy shed or mounted on a post by your drive before giving up on home charging.

I'm investigating that but I think that the electrical board & input is at its limit.

I’m not convinced there is any advantage getting a heat pump over the normal system in the UK. It isn’t cold enough for the added cost and complexity to really pay off in my opinion. Winter weather will hit the range by about 25% in my experience, if you are able to get home charging you can mitigate this by preheating before you set off, likewise in the summer you can precool it with the aircon.

Not sure on the packs, mine is out of the box SE L spec and I’m not missing anything. Apparently the matrix headlights are good.

@TheWanderer , I'm curious about what is motivating you to consider a move to an EV from a 2023 Octavia RS?

I have been giving the change some thought myself, but despite having several domestic factors in place (3 phase electricity, some solar panels but only generating about 2.5kw at best, off-road parking/garage, more clement winters than the UK) I can't quite justify the change at this time.

The Elroq 85 is a two-tonne vehicle, no spare tyre, although not sure I like the idea of jacking up two tonnes by the roadside. Here in Adelaide, Australia the public charging infrastructure is pretty poor especially since (cheap) Chinese EV sales have gone through the roof and overwhelmed existing facilities where they are not affected by vandalism or poor maintenance. Things are probably better in the UK?

EV is better around town but range is especially affected by cold and high speeds relative to an ICEV.

What is the situation there regarding trained maintenance staff for EV when things go wrong (very poor here), EV depreciation and insurance costs. Also make sure the payload capacity of the car meets your needs (surprisingly low on many EV).

I guess it depends on the majority of the type of driving you do (local or long distance) but even at the higher fuel costs currently hurting us it does not justify our making a change from our current (old) ICE vehicles.

Have you test driven an Elroq and what was your experience relative to the RS?

Edited yesterday at 13:231 day by Gerrycan

Hi.

I'm finding that if I want a new RS it's £40k + any options which puts in well inside the luxury car threshold so instead of paying ~£200 annually for "road tax" it would be a whopping £625!

Also I'm thinking that whilst the RS is a lovely car to own & drive, it's now gone over the 3 year barrier and so is going to start needing much more expensive maintenance & services. I also have leg & knee issues so it's a comfort issue too. I don't need a large car like the Octavia anymore as I have no family

Ive not tried any EV, but there's no Skoda that will give me the HP & zip of an RS other than an EV, I've had a look at an Elroq and whilst I'm not a fan of the driver cockpit, but I can live with it.

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.

Edited 10 hours ago10 hr by iSamage

On 03/08/2026 at 11:56, TheWanderer said:

I'm investigating that but I think that the electrical board & input is at its limit.

Sorry I meant to reply to this earlier....

If your distribution board is full there are alternatives. For instance my supply is split after the meter via a Henly block with one set of tails going to the board and another to a weatherproof mini fuse box to feed my charger. All extra wiring is in the existing meter cupboard. There are ways and means.

Just got to deal with the Grade I I* listing issue though

23 hours ago, TheWanderer said:

Hi.

I'm finding that if I want a new RS it's £40k + any options which puts in well inside the luxury car threshold so instead of paying ~£200 annually for "road tax" it would be a whopping £625!

Also I'm thinking that whilst the RS is a lovely car to own & drive, it's now gone over the 3 year barrier and so is going to start needing much more expensive maintenance & services. I also have leg & knee issues so it's a comfort issue too. I don't need a large car like the Octavia anymore as I have no family

Ive not tried any EV, but there's no Skoda that will give me the HP & zip of an RS other than an EV, I've had a look at an Elroq and whilst I'm not a fan of the driver cockpit, but I can live with it.

I think a test drive before purchase would be mandatory (maybe you can wrangle an extended test over a couple of days since you are a long-time Skoda owner).

It may have the herbs you require but consider that it is a two tonne vehicle and driven enthusiastically will probably wear through the tyres quicker than an RS.

Surely some sort of home charging would be possible even if at a nominal 2400 watt. That should be enough to provide most daily local requirements and avoid the hassle/costs of regular public charging.

I can't believe that warranties on Skoda are still only 3 years in the UK as they are 7 years here is Aus and have been for a while.

^^^ If getting only 6 hours offpeak tariff then with a 3 pin AC charge cable you can get near 15 kWh in that time, so maybe 60 miles of range. The normal home tariff might be near 1/2 that of the cost of a kWh at public chargers.