Skoda Elroq vs Ford Explorer: same platform family, different boot

The platform claim holds. Skoda says the Elroq shares the MEB platform with the Enyaq, and ADAC says the Explorer uses Volkswagen Group's MEB and is technically related to the ID.4 and Enyaq. Wheelbases are 2,765 mm and 2,767 mm on ADAC's sheets.

So you're choosing between two bodies around much the same hardware. In Germany, the Elroq 85 Selection lists at €46,890 and the Explorer Select at €48,900, both checked 2 November 2026. Other countries differ. Measured results below are ADAC's, on an earlier Elroq 85 and an all-wheel-drive Explorer, and I've driven neither.

The boot depends on who's counting

EV Database's list runs higher for both, and its Elroq figure is the maker's 470 l plus the 21 l front compartment. The Explorer spec on this page prints that 532 l. I'd plan around ADAC's measurements, since one method covered both cars. The Explorer holds 45 l more to the shelf, and that's the real gap.

ADAC found no front storage in the Explorer it tested, though Ford's July 2026 list offers a 16.5 l front organiser, in a €250 pack on the Select. ADAC's sheet for the Elroq lists a 21 l front compartment. In exchange Ford gives you a 17 l centre console big enough for three 1.5-litre bottles and a one-litre one.

Range: rated Ford, measured Skoda

Rated figures favour the Ford, at 602 km against 576 km. Both of those are the best case in a spread that depends on spec.

ADAC can't settle it directly. Its Elroq 85 was rear-drive, measuring 18.2 kWh/100 km and 475 km. Its Explorer was the 250 kW all-wheel-drive version, at 19.2 kWh/100 km and 445 km. A rear-drive Explorer should do better than that, but I can't find a test that shows by how much.

Charging

ADAC's sheets carry the makers' figures: 29 minutes from 10 to 80% for each, with peaks of 183 kW for a 79 kWh Explorer Collection and 165 kW for the Skoda. AC is 11 kW on each. Call this one even on paper.

Towing is messy

The Elroq is simple. ADAC's sheet for the 85 Selection from April 2026 says 1,800 kg, and so does EV Database.

The Ford's towing limit is not verified. OpenVan, relaying Autoblog.nl on 22 May 2026, reports Ford raising the 79 kWh version to 2,000 kg, and EV Database's model-year 2027 entry agrees, while its earlier entry says 1,000 kg. ADAC's sheet for the 79 kWh Collection from March 2026 predates that report and still shows 1,000 kg, and Ford's July 2026 price list gives no weight at all. So a car built before the change may carry the lower limit. If you're buying to tow, get the number in writing from the dealer for your exact order.

Options are close. The towbar is €840 on the Elroq Selection and €1,000 on the Explorer Select. The heat pump is €1,110 against €1,100. Those are the German lists of October and July 2026.

Which suits you

The width decides some garages by itself. ADAC's sheets give 2,148 mm with mirrors for the Elroq and 2,063 mm for the Explorer, even though the Ford is only slightly shorter at 4,468 mm against 4,488 mm. Measure the door, mirrors out.

ADAC's verdicts lean to the Skoda: grade 1.6 for its Elroq 85, 1.9 for its Explorer, on the 0.6 to 5.5 scale where lower is better. It calls the Explorer's cabin slightly hemmed in and finds rear headroom tight only past 1.95 metres. The Elroq takes people just over 2 metres. ADAC's warranty entries match at 8 years or 160,000 km, with a 70% floor.

I'd buy the Elroq for a family with tall teenagers or a tight budget. I'd take the Explorer for a narrow garage or a weekly load that needs those 45 l. If neither boot is enough, the family car roundup has larger ones, and the Elroq review goes further into its charging curve.