in association with
Current fleet
Tales from the battery-powered vehicles in the EV Fleet World car park
Škoda Enyaq 85 Edition
List Price
BiK
TBC
Efficiency
miles (Range)
TBC
miles (On fleet)
The return to electric motoring has on the whole gone extremely well and I’m embracing the opportunity to cut my carbon footprint and my motoring costs at the same time.
We did have a slight hiccup a few weeks after the Enyaq arrived when it suddenly came up with an error one morning. A rather scary looking message told me ‘Electric drive not working correctly. Stop vehicle safely.’ It also flatly refused to start.
A quick Google indicated that other drivers of other Enyaqs, as well as Volkswagen’s mechanically related ID.4, have also suffered the same issue but with some very different causes.
A very nice man from the AA came out but couldn’t sort the error and thought it was related to a software update. So the fully electric SUV headed back for a check-up with its Czech maker.
Every cloud has a silver lining – and the issue with our silver Enyaq (well, Brilliant Silver Metallic) turned out to have a silver lining too as we ended up with a bright orange Enyaq vRS for some two weeks.
The pinnacle of the Enyaq line-up, it has two electric motors, giving all-wheel drive along with a hefty 340hp of power and 545Nm of torque. It also delivers a top speed of 111mph and a 0-62mph time of 5.7 seconds – making it the fastest-accelerating production Škoda ever made.
Despite all that extra performance, its 77kWh battery delivers a WLTP range of 336 miles – only a smidge off the 348 for the 85 Edition with the same battery.
It also looks the part – from the in-yer-face Metallic Orange paint job, 20-inch alloys with aero inserts and sports bumpers, through to the vRS Suite design selection for the interior with carbon-look dashboard. My favourite bit – it came with the divisive Crystal Face grille that my husband and I argued over getting for our own Enyaq, ordered through a salary sacrifice firm before a series of delays put paid to plans.
I thought I would struggle with the return to our slower and less flamboyant original test car – which turned out to have a fault with one of the sensors connecting to the 12V battery. This was replaced as part of a sealed control unit. But in the end, heading back to the 85 Edition, with its 286hp, longer range and softer suspension was by no means a chore.
In fact, the biggest drop was with the actual price tag – including all extras, our standard Enyaq comes out some £10k less than its haloed vRS brother, providing some veritable food for thought.
Natalie Middleton
Volvo EX30 Single Motor Extended Range RWD Plus
List Price
BiK
4.84mpkWh
Efficiency
miles (Range)
miles (On fleet)
Our Volvo EX40 long-termer has temporarily diversified, downsized and added a punchy splash of colour to make up for the lack of sunshine in the sky recently. And it has made me realise why the EX30 is Fleet World’s Best EV Small SUV of 2024. For starters – and irrespective of the arresting Moss Yellow hue making it easy to find in any car park – it’s a very nicely designed car, signalling Volvo’s cleaner design language also evident in the EX90. It’s also incredibly easy to drive, with a light touch, a ride quality the envy of many rivals, and seats that are just right.
That said, I have been spoiled of late behind the wheel of the XC40 (now known as EX40 for MY 2025 onwards, so we’ll will call it that here) whose electrically adjustable front seats are about as good as it gets for any type of journey. So it’s a testament to the EX30 that I didn’t feel too out of pocket.
And speaking of pockets, those of EX30 drivers won’t have to be quite as deep as future EX40 drivers’ – to the tune of over £10k – so inevitably, there needs to be some price-point differentiation to justify opting for the bigger Volvo brother. For sure, the EX40 feels more substantial, as its 2,480kg kerb weight would suggest, but this also affects the efficiency of the similarly sized battery. For example, driving the EX30 with its useable 64kwh battery, it would be returning around 310-320 miles of range, whereas the EX40 is more like 280-290 miles, and some of this can be attributed to carrying an extra 250kg around.
The EX40 single motor model, by comparison, offers 0-62mph of 7.3 seconds, which is plenty for daily use, but obviously doesn’t quite deliver the punchy acceleration of its smaller sibling. Also, the EX30’s cabin, despite having a beautifully simplistic design, can’t quite match the premium feel of the EX40, which again is understandable given the price points.
The large touchscreen in the EX30 has been contentious in some quarters, and there is an argument to have your speed visible in your eyeline, rather than the top right of the central screen, but living with the car for a few days, you get used to this. You also get used to everything running off the screen – heating controls etc – and marvel at Volvo’s driver understanding system noticing when you’re slightly tired or yawning at the wheel.
In handing the yellow Volvo back, I felt nothing but admiration for the new car – entirely worthy of its award win – but also a new-found respect for our XC40/EX40, proving that most of the time in life, you get what you pay for.
Luke Wikner
Renault Megane E-Tech Iconic
List Price
BiK
3.86mpkWh
Efficiency
miles (Range)
TBC
miles (On fleet)
If Renault’s name was already good in the world of EVs thanks to the legacy of the popular Zoe, then it’s fair to say that 2024 will probably see that boosted still further.
The unveiling of the retro-styled new Renault 5 will be at the forefront of that, but so will the arrival of the all-electric Scenic running alongside this Megane E-Tech, which joins the Fleet World long-term fleet for the next six months.
Mean and moody in its optional Ceramic Grey bodywork and black roof with gold accent trimmings on this flagship Iconic model, it certainly looks the part.
In fact, while I’d got used to larger SUVs with my outgoing Mazda CX-60, this Megane feels small by comparison, but that’s very welcome in tight car parks.
And that’s also no bad thing with its 60kWh battery, which at first glance seems a little on the small side, compared to the VW ID.3’s 77kWh, but the claimed 280-mile range is still respectable. The larger Scenic gets the choice of the same 60kWh battery or an 87kWh long-range pack too.
Would it be good to have the same choice in the Megane? Perhaps, but with a claimed efficiency of 3.86mpkWh, there’s a strong argument for ‘right-sizing’ of batteries in cars and first impressions of the balance in this Megane are that this might be ok. Just.
I especially like the low and sleek look, accentuated by that black roof, although the only thing narrower than the rear windscreen is the opening on editor Challen’s wallet when it’s his round. The look out of the rear-view mirror is like peering out of a letterbox and the rear wiper is comically tiny.
It’s only been with us a few days so far, but I like the ability to quickly switch the level of regenerative braking on the steering wheel paddles (something that should be obvious, but isn’t always) as well as the consistency of the feedback. Not so great has been the infotainment system, which is only randomly successful when linking to Apple CarPlay, and the screen, which feels oddly small compared to rivals. I’m looking forward to coming back to this, and the other highs and lows of the Megane, over the next six months.
Nat Barnes
BMW i5 eDrive40 M Sport Pro
List Price
BiK
3.1mpkWh
Efficiency
miles (Range)
miles (On fleet)
A combination of some warmer weather and a few long trips – including one to Milton Keynes and back for the Great British Fleet Event (and Awards) – means that the i5’s available range has rocketed. One morning – having charged the car overnight after one of the aforementioned cross-country jaunts – I was delighted and, admittedly, a little surprised to see 325 miles on the range indicator. This was a good 30 or so miles above what it had been on the previous charge and is enough to make the difference between having to stop to charge and eking out the power in order to make it back to Challen Towers in one hit.
As previously noted, the i5 is pretty faultless, although the ride quality could be a little more supple at times. However, there are enough other positives about the performance, comfort and general capabilities of the car to make allowances. Longer journeys, even on motorways, are less of a chore than they have been in previous cars I’ve run. For example, a late night departure from MK for the south coast was less gruelling than I’d anticipated (even after a long day) and the two and a bit hours home flew by. Conscious that a round trip on one charge might be pushing it, I took things steady, which probably helped me feeling pretty good on arrival.
There’s one minor issue I’m having – and that’s with the connectivity, specifically when it comes to Spotify, managed through Android Auto. Sometimes, when starting up, it will automatically kick in and other times it won’t. I don’t expect it to be a mind reader to know what I want to listen to but, when I try to cancel it, it keeps defaulting to playing music or a podcast. There’s also the odd occasion where the Android Auto tab doesn’t show at all, but the phone is clearly connected – and no amount of restarting and trying it again will fix it. But, just like the ride, it’s not enough of an issue to get overworked about, but confusing nonetheless.
On a more positive note, a subjective highlight for me is the colour of this thing. When the sun decides to makes a rare appearance – and the car is clean – there is a stunning blue hue that comes from the ‘carbon black metallic’ exterior paint. I’m not normally one to go overboard about colours, but it’s a beautiful shade that makes it stand out from the plethora of actual black cars around. Long may that – and the sunshine – continue!
