Volvo EX30 Twin-Motor vs Skoda Elroq vRS: which performance electric SUV is best?

I’ve been living with my Twin-Motor Volvo EX30 for a few months now, and I’m really growing to like this funky little electric car. However, for similar money as this range-topper you could also have a Skoda Elroq vRS, and I’ve been curious to find out whether that car would be the more sensible buy.

It’s bigger than the EX30, more spacious and it has a more sporty suspension setup, which could make it better to drive. To find out which I’d rather have on my driveway, I’ve swapped my Volvo for this luminous green Elroq vRS.

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Skoda Elroq vRS vs Volvo EX30 Twin-Motor: prices and discounts

Prices are the whole reason I wanted to compare these two cars, because there’s not a huge gap between them.

My Volvo is a top-spec EX30 Ultra Twin-Motor Performance, and it currently has a price tag of £45,860 as it sits, however Volvo is currently offering £1,500 off to bring this down to £44,360. You can also lease one for £426 per month at the time of writing.

The Elroq vRS starts from £46,560, although this one has upgraded wheels and the Winter Pack, which adds a heated windscreen and heated seats, bringing the total to £47,780.

So that’s just £3,500 extra for a much larger and more practical car than the EX30, but how do they compare out in the real world?

Skoda Elroq vRS vs Volvo EX30 Twin Motor design

Both of these cars stand out, but for different reasons.

I love the Volvo’s sleek Scandinavian styling. It’s quite subtle, but it’s also effortlessly cool with its clean lines, funky lights and squat stance. This black paintwork may be a little too plain though, I think it looks better in a brighter colour.

Dull paintwork isn’t a criticism I can level at this Hyper Green Skoda though. Parked beneath the living room window of my first floor flat it actually made my walls glow when the sun hit it, and I’ll take this opportunity to apologise to my downstairs neighbor, who’s front room must’ve looked like the site of a nuclear disaster.

In any other colour I think the Skoda looks smart, but not scintillating. This colour scheme is what makes it stand out against the normal Elroq, because it’s exclusive to the vRS, but on the whole I much prefer the way the EX30 looks. I’m a bit gutted that Volvo has dropped the bright yellow paint option for this car though.

Skoda Elroq vRS vs Volvo EX30 Twin Motor: how do they drive?

I’ve always found the EX30 Twin-Motor to be a bit of a weird option, because it feels massively overpowered for the suspension. There’s no denying that it’s ballistically fast in a straight line, with 428hp launching you from 0-60mph in just 3.6 seconds, but there’s nothing about the way it drives which encourages you to exploit this.

It’s a soft and comfy little car, with suspension which does a great job of soaking up bumps in the road and a quiet cabin for motorway cruising. But if you try to hustle it down a twisty road you get a sense that it’s out of its comfort zone.

I find it leans a bit if you stick it into a bend with any sort of enthusiasm, and the front end tends to push wide as well. The power is great for zipping out at busy junctions or overtaking slow-moving traffic, but 99% of the time I just tootle about at a relaxed pace enjoying the comfy seats.

The Skoda does feel more like it’s set up for fast driving. The steering has a better weight to it, and it actually has a sport mode which makes it respond faster and firms up the adaptive dampers.

It feels much more at-home being driven quickly, with much less body roll than the Volvo and more grip through the bends, but it’s still not grin-inducing. The Elroq just feels a bit heavy, and you still don’t feel particularly connected to the road.

It’s also not as fast as the Volvo, with a 340hp dual-motor setup propelling it from 0-60mph in 5.4 seconds.

Skoda Elroq vRS vs Volvo EX30 Twin Motor: interior and practicality

Being a larger car, the Elroq vRS is much more practical than the EX30. There’s enough rear legroom for me to sit behind my driving position, something I couldn’t dream of doing in the Volvo without surgery.

The Skoda also has a 470-litre boot, which dwarfs the Volvo’s 318-litre capacity. If you’re after a sporty EV which is suitable for families, the Elroq vRS wins hands-down.

The Volvo does win back some points for interior design though, because the cabin looks way cooler. My car has the Pine interior, Volvo speak for light green, and the recycled materials lift things even further. The Skoda looks pretty dour by comparison.

Both cars rely pretty heavily on their touchscreens, but the Skoda does at least have some physical shortcut buttons for things like climate control and driving modes. The Volvo has no such buttons, and the screen is pretty aggravating to use on the move.

My final verdict: which would I rather have

Truth be told, I wouldn’t buy either of these cars in their sporty guises. I found that neither of them are particularly engaging to drive, just comfy and relaxing. Therefore, I reckon you’ll be better off with the slower and more efficient versions to get better range and lower running costs.

If you are shopping between the standard versions of these cars, then the Elroq is a better buy. Go for the Editon 85 and you get loads of kit and decent performance, all for around the same price as a mid-spec Volvo EX30 – both cost around £38,000. The Skoda is more spacious and practical for the money, and the interior is more user-friendly, but if you don’t need the added space then the Volvo is still a charming EV which looks great and is nice to drive.

If I absolutely had to choose between the vRS and the Twin-Motor, I’d have the Volvo. I think it has way more character, I prefer the way it looks and it’s cheaper. As a singleton I also don’t need the added space offered by the Elroq.

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