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Skoda is kicking off a new era with the unveiling of the Elroq, a bold-looking electric crossover that’s poised to steal sales from some of the market’s best-selling EVs.

Available to order from 4 October, the Elroq undercuts its most prominent rivals – and many smaller alternatives – by a significant margin, with prices starting from £31,500.

That’s £5825 cheaper than the Kia Niro EV, £14,375 less than the Ford Explorer and even £450 less than the smaller Smart #1.

The Elroq is the first Skoda to adopt the brand’s latest Modern Solid design language. It is most obviously distinguished from older Skodas by the new Tech Deck face, comprising a prominent black bar that spans the width of the front end. It’s fitted with segmented LED daytime-running lights, while the main headlights are on the lower section of the front end.

As well as bringing a new look to the Skoda range, the clean surfaces and sloping roofline introduced with Modern Solid also benefit aerodynamics. Working with a series of active elements – including a cooling flap in the front end that automatically shuts to reduce air resistance – they help the Elroq record a drag coefficient of just 0.26.

The new crossover is underpinned by the Volkswagen Group’s MEB architecture, which is also used by the Audi Q4, Cupra Born and Volkswagen ID 3, among others. Here it has been stretched to 4.49m long, making the Elroq slightly larger than the combustion-engined Karoq (4.39m long) but significantly smaller than the Enyaq (4.65m).

Three powertrains will be offered at launch, labelled 50, 60 and 85. The entry-level 50 gets a 52kWh battery pack and a 168bhp rear-mounted motor, yielding a range of more than 230 miles. The 60 version is boosted to 59kWh and 201bhp, and gives a range of more than 250 miles, while the 85 range-topper gets a significantly larger 77kWh battery and 282bhp, with more than 360 miles per charge. The 50 and 60 can both be charged at up to 145kW, going from 10-80% in 25 minutes, and the bigger 85 pack can take 175kW, completing the same recharge in 28 minutes.

Inside, the Elroq takes clear inspiration from the Enyaq. The new model gets the same 13in infotainment touchscreen and physical button bar as its larger sibling, with shortcut buttons for the driver assistance systems, drive modes, climate controls and other functions.

It majors on recycled materials: three-quarters of the entry-level Loft interior is upholstered in recycled PET, recovered from items such as drinks bottles. The more expensive Lodge trim is 75% made of Econyl – nylon sourced from fishing nets and waste carpets, which itself can be recycled without wastage – and the rest is recycled polyester.