Nomen est omen. A peak is a summit. So, conveniently, the new Peaq sits at the top of Skoda’s electric range. Stuffed with seven seats and a 91 kWh battery at best, the Czech brand has built its largest vehicle in 130 years.
The Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9 are facing a strong contender, as prices for the base version begin at €49,900.
Longer than Superb
Forget the Kodiaq. Not a lilliputian SUV by any measure, but the Peaq measures 4,874 millimeters from nose to tail, which makes it another 116 millimeters longer than its combustion sibling.
Compared to the quite popular Enyaq, its stretched wheelbase (2,965 mm) makes it even 200 millimeters longer. Even the Superb, Skoda’s low-budget limo, is surpassed by 124 millimeters.
So there’s the proof. The Peaq is indeed Skoda’s largest and most spacious SUV it has ever produced. Despite its size, the drag coefficient of 0.249 remains quite good, thanks to a combination of active and passive aerodynamic measures.
MPV in an SUV outfit
The five-seat boot swallows 935 liters. The seven-seat configuration still leaves 299 liters in the back. A 37-liter frunk hides under the hood for cables. This is not a crossover pretending to be practical. It is a family MPV in SUV guise, with a zero-emission driveline.
Talking about batteries, Skoda is offering the Peaq 60 with a 59 kWh usable NMC pack, rear-wheel drive, and 456 km of WLTP range for the same money most brands ask for a mid-size hatchback.
The 90 and 90x versions get an 86 kWh usable pack, with the rear-drive 90 delivering up to 642 km on the generous WLTP cycle. All-wheel drive in the 90x drops that to roughly 609 km. DC charging peaks at 199 kW for the big battery, 160 kW for the small one. 10 to 80 percent takes 27 to 28 minutes across the range.
But why NMC?
The curiosity is that Skoda stuck with NMC cathodes for both batteries, while the trend – especially for brands targeting budget-conscious buyers – is moving toward cheaper LFPs. The parent company, Volkswagen Group, does intend to switch to its 60-ish kWh packs.
In this case, there might be a supply chain quirk at play, and we’ll likely see LFP arrive later. But the current choice isn’t a handicap. Even if it costs more to build, NMC outperforms LFP on energy density.
Hence, the practical range is given its small size. And with an entry point of € 49,900, Skoda seems to be absorbing the cost. A clear advantage over the Kia EV9, which starts at €63,690 for a similarly specced base model, and which seems to be the main competitor.
Platform politics
But unlike the Korean contender, you don’t get 800 V. Under the hood, the Peaq rides on the familiar MEB+ architecture. That means 400 V electrics. But all the rest is there. Heat pump? Check.
Bidirectional charging? Check. One-pedal driving? Check. Towing capacity of 2,000 kg on the top AWD variant? Check. The platform doesn’t leave much out of the equation if you don’t depend on fast charging.
Bi-directional charging is where Skoda quietly chooses a different path from the Volkswagen Group. While VW pushes its Elli wallbox, Skoda is using Moon Power and its Ambibox DC wallbox for V2H and eventually V2G.
Same group, different jersey. For buyers, it means the Peaq can power the house from day one without waiting for VW’s ecosystem to catch up.
The Peaq also introduces hardware that Skoda has stubbornly avoided until now. Flush door handles, for instance. There’s also a panoramic roof with Dynamic Shade Control, split into nine individually dimmable segments.
Inside, there’s a 13.6-inch vertical Android-based touchscreen, complemented by sixteen Sonos speakers. An optional Relax Package with massaging front seats, legrests, and a wellbeing app that coordinates climate control, ambient lighting, and seat vibration into six modes, including ‘energy boost.’ This reads like the equipment list of a Mercedes.
An ID.Buzz by Skoda?
We shouldn’t be mistaken: Skoda is not trying to be more luxurious than the big names in the sector. It is trying to undercut them. Even the fully loaded 90x, at €60,400, gives the aforementioned Korean rivals a run for their money.
The only European three-row EV that competes at that price is the VW ID. Buzz. But the Peaq tows more and doesn’t look like a van, though it has no retro charm to match its family member.
CEO of Skoda, Klaus Zellmer, calls the Peaq a vehicle for “everyday explorers” who need space, confidence on long journeys, and modern style “without compromise.”
The translation: families who outgrew the Octavia, fleet managers who need seven seats without overshooting the CO2 budget, and anyone who looked at the cool EV9 and thought the price was a lot less cool.
