Skoda Enyaq vs Volkswagen ID.4

The Skoda Enyaq starts at $55,990 drive-away for the rear-drive Select 60, undercutting the Volkswagen ID.4 Pro's $64,990 by $9,000. The Enyaq range then runs to $64,990 for the Sportline 85 and $79,990 for the RS, while the ID.4 tops out at $74,990 for the GTX. Volkswagen has been clearing earlier stock, so MY25 ID.4 Pro cars have been advertised from as low as $59,990 drive-away while that runout lasts, which narrows the entry gap. Both grades of both cars sit under the electric-vehicle luxury car tax threshold, which is what unlocks the fringe-benefits-tax saving on a novated lease.

The Volkswagen ID.4 Pro claims 547km on the WLTP cycle, the longest figure here, and it does so from the cheapest grade on an efficient single motor. The Skoda Enyaq matches it near the top of its range, with the Sportline 85 rated at 551km, but the entry Select 60 drops to 431km on its smaller LFP battery, and the flagship RS sits at 546km. So the two are line-ball at the top, but if you want the longest range without stepping up a grade, the ID.4 Pro is the one to have. Treat all of these as laboratory figures and expect less at highway speed.

The Volkswagen ID.4 draws up to 175kW on a DC fast charger, enough for a useful highway top-up. The Skoda Enyaq's 82kWh Sportline 85 and RS take up to 165kW, while the entry Select 60's LFP battery is capped at a slower 105kW. Both cars charge at 11kW on AC, so a three-phase home wallbox refills either overnight. Neither runs the 800-volt architecture of a Hyundai Ioniq 5, so both trail the class leaders on outright DC speed, but the ID.4 holds the edge here. The gap only really matters if you lean on public fast-charging instead of charging at home.

The Skoda Enyaq is the more practical load-carrier. Its SUV-wagon body holds 585 litres with the rear seats up and 1,710 litres with them folded, against the Volkswagen ID.4's 543 and 1,575 litres. The 42-litre seats-up advantage is modest in isolation, but the extra 135 litres once you fold the bench makes it the easier car for prams, flat-pack furniture and the weekly shop. Both seat five and both offer a hands-free power tailgate on the way up their ranges. If maximum space is the priority, the Enyaq is the pick; the ID.4 gives up only a little to it.

The Skoda Enyaq carries a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, two years longer than the Volkswagen ID.4's five. It also adds capped-price servicing the ID.4 does without. Both cars share an eight-year, 160,000km battery warranty and the same 30,000km or 24-month service interval, twice the distance of a petrol car's. The ID.4 fights back on roadside assistance, with five years to the Enyaq's two. For a buyer planning to keep the car well past the finance term, the Skoda's longer factory warranty is the stronger safety net; for the shorter hold, the difference matters less.

Both the Skoda Enyaq and the Volkswagen ID.4 wear a five-star ANCAP rating from a 2021 test. Their sub-scores are close enough to call a wash. The Enyaq scores 94 per cent for adult occupant protection to the ID.4's 93, while the ID.4 leads on vulnerable-road-user protection (76 to 71 per cent) and safety assist (76 to 73). Both come standard with autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring. The one caveat applies to both cars equally: the rating dates from 2021, so each has been tested to an older protocol than some newer-rated rivals.

For most families the Skoda Enyaq is the easier car to own: the bigger 585-litre boot, the longer seven-year warranty and the lower entry price. Every grade has tri-zone climate and five seats. The Volkswagen ID.4 earns the nod if range is the deciding factor, because the Pro travels 547km from its entry grade where the Enyaq needs the dearer Sportline 85 to match it. Both are composed, comfort-first European SUVs with strong standard safety, so the call comes down to whether you value practicality and cover, or outright range and charging speed. Families who tow rarely will not miss either car's modest towing.

Both cars fall under the electric-vehicle luxury car tax cap, so both qualify for the novated-lease fringe-benefits-tax saving. The Volkswagen ID.4 Pro is the sharper lease pick on the numbers most drivers use daily: 547km of range and 175kW DC charging from the entry grade, plus five years of roadside cover. The Skoda Enyaq Sportline 85 justifies its money with the bigger boot, two extra years of warranty and capped-price servicing, and the cheaper Select 60 opens the door lower if you can live with its slower-charging LFP battery. Match the car to your mileage: high-distance drivers lean ID.4, long-hold owners lean Enyaq.