Skoda Enyaq vs Volkswagen ID.5

The Enyaq opens the range cheaper because it offers a value grade the ID.5 does not: the LFP-battery Select 60 from $55,990 driveaway. The Volkswagen has no equivalent entry car, starting with the Pro at $67,990. Compare like for like and the gap shrinks. The Enyaq Sportline 85 at $64,990 undercuts the ID.5 Pro by about $3,000 for a near-identical, slightly longer-range car, while the flagship Enyaq RS sits a little above the $76,990 ID.5 GTX. So the Skoda is the cheaper way in, and usually the cheaper like-for-like buy, though driveaway pricing shifts with each campaign.

Underneath they are the same car: the Volkswagen Group MEB platform, the same 210kW and 250kW drivetrains, the same 82kWh battery on the mid grades, the same 11kW AC charging. The differences are what you can see and sign. The Enyaq is an upright wagon with a bigger boot and a broader grade ladder; the ID.5 is a fastback that adds a standard panoramic roof, 360-degree camera and Matrix LED lighting. On ownership the Enyaq brings a longer seven-year warranty and capped-price servicing; the ID.5 answers with five years of roadside cover to the Skoda's two.

The Enyaq is the load-lugger. Its wagon body holds 585 litres with the rear seats up and 1,710 with them folded, against the ID.5's 549 and 1,561. The upright roofline also frees more rear head room. The clever part of the ID.5 is how little its coupe roof actually costs: 549 litres is impressively practical and even beats its own ID.4 sibling. But if maximum space and easy access matter most, the Skoda is built to haul, and the Volkswagen trades a little of that for its sloping style. Both seat five and fold 60:40.

Grade for grade the range is close. The Enyaq Sportline 85 claims 551km to the ID.5 Pro's 544km, and the Enyaq RS 546km to the GTX's 526km. The entry LFP Enyaq Select 60 is the outlier at 431km from its smaller battery. On charging the ID.5 has a slight edge, peaking at 175kW DC where the Enyaq Sportline and RS manage 165kW; the LFP Select is capped at 105kW. AC charging is 11kW across both ranges. None of it leads the class on outright speed, but all cover a working week between home charges.

Both cars carry a five-star ANCAP rating dated 2021. Both fit autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring as standard across the range. The sub-scores split the difference: the Enyaq scores a touch higher for adult occupant protection at 94 per cent to 93, while the ID.5 edges ahead for vulnerable road users, 76 per cent to 71, and safety assist, 76 to 73. In practice it is a wash, and either is a safe five-seat family EV with a strong active-safety fit-out.

This is the Enyaq's pitch. It carries a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty to the ID.5's five, and reviewers rate its capped-price servicing among the cheaper ways to run an electric SUV. Both cars service on the same relaxed EV schedule, every 30,000km or two years, and both back the battery for eight years or 160,000km. The one column where the Volkswagen leads is roadside assistance, five years against the Skoda's two. Weigh the longer warranty against the longer roadside, but on headline ownership terms the Enyaq is the stronger hand.

The two flagships are closely matched. The Enyaq RS and the ID.5 GTX both make 250kW, both drive all four wheels, and both claim 0 to 100km/h in 5.4 seconds. The GTX is the cheaper of the two at $76,990 to the RS's $79,990, while the RS travels a little further, 546km to the GTX's 526km, and includes the adaptive Dynamic Chassis Control as standard. Reviewers describe both as composed rather than savage. Read the RS as the pick if you value range and the standard adaptive chassis, the GTX if the lower price wins.

For most family buyers the Enyaq is the easier default: a bigger boot, more rear head room, a broader and cheaper grade ladder, and the longer warranty. Tick the Sportline 85's Ultimate package for its ride-fixing adaptive chassis and it is the pick of the pair to live with. The ID.5 makes its case on style and standard kit. If you want the fastback shape and value the standard glass roof, 360-degree camera and Matrix LED lighting, it gives up very little practical to get there. They share a platform, so buy the body you want.