Introduction to the 2025 Skoda Enyaq RS
Skoda's larger of its two electric SUVs, the Enyaq, was recently updated and facelifted as a range, and now to cap it all off the performance-oriented RS flagship model gains the same treatment.
With front-end design mimicking the newer, smaller (and also electric) Elroq, and possessing the joint-fastest 0-100km/h time of any production Skoda seen so far, does this high-performance Enyaq convince as the smart choice in its line-up? We went over to west Wales to try it out for size.
Pros & Cons of the 2025 Skoda Enyaq RS
Pros: blend of ride comfort and sharpened handling, very quick, visually appealing
Cons: expensive to buy, not thrilling enough for RS badge
Exterior & Design of the 2025 Skoda Enyaq RS
• New 'Tech Deck' face changes front-end look
• Usual sporty RS accoutrements
• Two body styles available
Aside from its emblems changing from the company's old roundel featuring the winged arrow motif to the wordmark that spreads 'Skoda' across the leading edge of the bonnet and boot lid, the new Enyaq RS is most easily identified at the front, where it adopts the 'Tech Deck' face first seen on the smaller Elroq.
This ties it in with every other 2025-model-year Enyaq and it sees the old radiator grille plus separate headlights replaced with a full-width illuminated light band up top, accompanied by secondary lamp units beneath.
It's a slick appearance and does at least mean there's no way you can mistake the latest Enyaq for the older model; indeed, it's such a dramatic new look that you might wonder if this isn't an all-new version. It isn't, of course, but still.
Beyond that, to mark it out against other Enyaqs, the RS sits on 21-inch 'Vision' alloy wheels, it's 15mm lower to the deck at the front and 10mm lower at the rear than other models in the SUV's family, and much of the exterior detailing - the wheels, the window trims, the sides of the rear spoiler, the door mirrors and the bumper inserts - are rendered in black.
Throw in some bold body colour options, like Velvet Red or the RS-specific (and eye-catching) shade of Mamba Green, and you have a good-looking big EV.
The Enyaq RS's dimensions are:
Length: 4,660mm
Width: 1,879mm
Height: 1,618mm
Wheelbase: 2,772mm
Interior, Practicality, Tech & Comfort of the 2025 Skoda Enyaq RS
• No major changes to cabin
• Lovely material finishing, plenty of space
• Option for lime-green stitching and details
The Enyaq's cabin continues unchanged through this major facelift, but that's no bad thing because it's a fabulous blend of high-quality fixtures and fittings, the intuitive integration of tech and of course oodles of practicality brought about by Skoda's insistence on providing plenty of space within its vehicles.
Certainly, on this latter score, no one should complain about either the amount of room rear-seat passengers have to lounge around in, nor the 585-litre cavern of a boot that's situated behind them.
Up front, there's a good driving position attainable, while the main 13-inch touchscreen is crisply presented and reasonably easy to use, as these things go - helping matters here is a row of physical shortcut buttons underneath the central air vents, which includes one that takes you straight to the climate menu.
Further digital real estate comes in the form of an impressive, augmented-reality head-up display on the windscreen, and then a somewhat less impressive (but perfectly fine to read and use) five-inch instrument cluster.
The RS model benefits from some sporty bucket seats up front that are good and supportive, and the upholstery mix is either microfibre and synthetic leather or all-black synthetic leather as an option.
The first of these two comes with lime-green stitching and piping for various parts of the Skoda's cabin, so that helps it stand out even more as the range-topping RS variant, but however you specify it, this Enyaq has a superb passenger compartment.
Performance of the 2025 Skoda Enyaq RS
• Peak power stands at 340hp
• Firmer suspension leads to capable handling
• Not quite as thrilling as an RS could be
With 340hp from its dual electric motors and a chunky 545Nm on tap, the 2025 Enyaq RS is - along with the Elroq RS - the fastest-accelerating production Skoda yet seen. It is capable of 0-100km/h in a headline-grabbing, if arguably entirely needless for an electric family SUV like this, 5.4 seconds.
That is a tenth quicker than the last of the pre-facelift Enyaq RS cars could manage, at 5.5 seconds, but there's really been no change to the technical make-up of the latest version. It still has a sportier suspension tune than any other Enyaq, which sits the SUV closer to the ground fore and aft (as we already talked about in the styling section), and there's no doubt this is the swiftest, most engaging Enyaq of them all.
The blend of acceptable ride comfort and rolling refinement Skoda has managed to engineer into the RS, along with handling which is surprisingly competent given the whopping 2.4-tonne kerb weight as tested, means this is a vehicle that - when driven in isolation - you'd have few complaints with.
The steering could maybe do with a bit more feel and the electric powertrain doesn't ever make any synthesised noises that bring a racier experience to driving the RS quickly, but even on challenging roads it manages to mask its bulk quite effectively, hunkering down through compressions in the road and refusing to get right up on its tiptoes when taking on crests. All of which allows you to quickly build a rapport with the RS and enjoy it.
But not that much. Where an Octavia RS feels sharper and more involving than any other model of the big fastback without sacrificing any of its inherent everyday civility, the Enyaq RS isn't quite as far removed from its related range as it could be. We think you'd have almost as much fun at the wheel of the 85x model that sits a little down the family tree, which in turn makes the RS feel as if it is ever so slightly surplus to requirements.
That might not bother you, and you might just want the extra straight-line speed and styling updates the RS brings to the Enyaq party.
The 15-setting Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) variable damping system is standard in the RS, and at its softest it allows the RS to summon up a good level of comportment. True, with its dynamic focus and big 20-inch wheels, the low-speed ride is always a little firmer-edged than it might otherwise be in an SUV like this, but it's never intrusively uncomfortable, and even if you wind the dampers up all the way in the other direction then the Enyaq remains usable and bearable.
Quiet, comfortable and composed in all situations: that's what this Skoda EV is. But truly sporty like a good Skoda RS? Maybe not so much.
Range, Battery & Charging of the 2025 Skoda Enyaq RS
• Slightly bigger battery
• Peak charging of 185kW
• Range creeps up to 535km
Prior to this update, the Enyaq RS had a 77kWh (usable energy) battery pack. This has been modestly increased to 79kWh, in turn allowing the SUV to go a little further on a charge - at up to 535km. While the RS comes with a longer official range figure in some countries due to the fitment of 20-inch wheels as standard, it is only sold on 21-inch rims in Ireland.
You can add another 8km onto that by going for the slipperier shape of the Enyaq Coupe if you prefer for your electric SUV, but as even this facelifted RS with the traditional rear-end styling has a drag coefficient of 0.251, you don't necessarily need to opt for the curvier bodywork.
Despite driving it quite enthusiastically on some of Wales's most up-and-down roads, we saw a reasonable 18.2kWh/100km from the Enyaq RS and we have no doubt that moving closer to the official 16.7kWh/100km level would be possible with some steady day-to-day motoring.
Charging speeds for the Enyaq RS peak at 185kW and that means a 10-80 per cent top-up will take around 26 minutes at the Skoda's best on a suitably fast public charger.
No change has been made to the AC portion of its system, though, which still maxes out at 11kW (there's no 22kW option), and that means 8.5 hours for a 0-100 per cent charge at 11kW, or 12 hours for the same process for anyone using the more typical 7.4kW domestic wallbox.
Running Costs of the 2025 Skoda Enyaq RS
• Zero-emission status brings tax benefits
• Warranty is unlimited distance for first two years
• Fixed-price servicing plans available
Being an electric SUV, the Skoda Enyaq RS offers hot-hatch-like performance with admirably low running costs, as it ever has. Its zero-emission nature brings various tax benefits, such as low annual motor tax.
Skoda's warranty is a decent three-year effort for peace of mind - the first two years are unlimited distance, with a 150,000km cap coming into effect for the third and final 12 months.
The battery itself gets an eight-year/160,000km warranty to retain 70 per cent of its energy capacity.
There are also fixed-price maintenance plans available, that let you spread out the cost of routine servicing and which also ensure you know precisely what you'll be paying during your ownership of the car.
Irish Pricing & Rivals of the 2025 Skoda Enyaq RS
• About €7,000 more than next Enyaq down
• No grants at this price level
• Rivals include vehicles on the same platform
The Enyaq RS costs €61,740 'on the road' so it is not eligible for any SEAI grant or VRT rebate. That's quite a robust figure when you can get in a new Enyaq from as little as €43,790.
Admittedly, the standard specification of the RS is generous to mitigate that cost, so then it becomes a case of whether you think this version is special enough to merit Skoda's most hallowed badging.
Muddying the waters in this regard is the fact there are three obvious alternatives, all using the same underpinnings as the Enyaq RS - the Volkswagen ID.4/ID.5 GTX twins, the dual-motor variants of the Ford Explorer and Capri (though these are not officially sold in Ireland) and the Cupra Tavascan. And that's not even mentioning the Audi Q4 e-tron, which also uses the same hardware, but which is, ostensibly, supposed to be from a class above any of these alternatives.
Then there's the Elroq RS, which also make a strong case for itself as it feels almost identical to drive from a behind-the-wheel perspective, it doesn't come across as markedly less spacious inside, and it's just as rapid and good to look at as the Enyaq RS, only for a starting price of €54,100. Food for thought.
Verdict - Should You Buy the 2025 Skoda Enyaq RS?
There's no glaringly obvious reason to avoid it. The Skoda Enyaq RS is everything you'd expect of this company - dynamically polished, supremely practical, good to look at inside and out and expected to be priced at a reasonable level for what it is.
It neatly blends the sporty side of its character with the everyday sensibilities it must satisfy as a zero-emission SUV aimed primarily at families, and for that reason the RS is a highly likeable thing.
But is it worth spending the extra money to go from a 'normal' Enyaq to this RS-badged halo model? In other words, does this 340hp EV justify Skoda's use of the fabled RS moniker? In our opinion, not quite. It's certainly good to drive and very quick, but then so's a regular variant. The RS needed to bring a little more to proceedings to validate the extra expense and reduced range you'll have to endure if you select it, and for our money it hasn't quite achieved that.
FAQs About the Skoda Enyaq RS
Is the Skoda Enyaq RS available as a Coupe too?
Yes, it comes as both a regular SUV and rakish Coupe model. The latter has even more range (up to 559km, due to its aerodynamic shape) but it is usually a few thousand euro more expensive than the SUV equivalent, and not quite as roomy in the boot either.
Does the Skoda Enyaq RS have a limited-slip differential of any sort?
No, it has firmer and lower suspension, and a clever tuning of its traction control system for its dual-motor set-up to give it a sportier drive, but it does not use a limited-slip differential of any sort.
Will there be an even faster version of the Skoda Enyaq RS?
It's not likely. The company has shown off two 'hardcore' concept versions of the RS Coupe, known as the Enyaq RS Race, but they're not slated to come to market. Neither had more power than the RS, instead trimming out weight (more than 300kg) to drop the 0-100km/h time to 4.6 seconds.
Want to know more about the Skoda Enyaq RS?
Is there anything else you'd like to know about the Skoda Enyaq RS? Or anything you feel we haven't covered here? Then just head over to our Ask Us Anything section and, well, ask us anything.
