Skoda is billing its new Elroq as the most affordable compact electric SUV on the market, but the gaps are tight as electric car prices finally begin to moderate - relatively, at least.

Manufacturers have finally stopped concentrating on bigger, heavier and more profit-friendly cars in favour of smaller, lighter cars with less prohibitive price tags following a major drop in sales across Europe, including Ireland.

For example, the Elroq will be coming onto the market next April at a starting price of €35,795 but that's only €245 more than the new Kia EV3 starting price.

The EV 3 also has a claimed range of 436 km’s, as against 370 km’s for the basic Skoda. As car companies chase the lucrative family car market, these things count. However, prices are generally going in the right direction, as they need to be to convince more people to go electric, even if many are still unconvinced about the issue of range anxiety, charging or even battery issues.

We can also expect an increase in the choice of more smaller EV’s over the next year or so, as cars like Dacia’s Spring (€16,990) and Hyundai’s Inster (€18,995) are joined by cars from companies such as BYD and Kia.

The Elroq is designed to be the EV equivalent of a Karoq petrol or diesel option and it’s longer and taller than the Karoq. It’s the result of a new design strategy that manages to make it look fresher and much less boxy than the Karoq. The lines are cleaner and sharper and that sloping roofline should help considerably in terms of aerodynamic efficiency and fuel consumption.

The interior is very impressive, mostly because of its spaciousness. It has very good head and legroom for everyone and the cabin is extremely well finished.

There’s a good central storage bin and there are two wireless phone chargers, along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability.

There’s a generous 13" info-tainment screen that has a very good display but we did have some niggles with the satellite navigation being slow during the initial drive.

The Elroq is a little short on buttons, but does have some below the screen and at least the temperature controls are permanently available on the screen itself.

Initial driving impressions were very good although the 20" wheels made things a little jittery at times on secondary roads - smaller wheels would be a better option. Otherwise the ride and handling are as commendable as the interior.

There are three battery options. The entry-level 50 car has a 55 kWh battery (the claimed range is 370 km’s), the 60 Sportline has a 63 kWh battery (claimed range is about 430 km’s) and the 85 Sportline version has an 82 kWh battery with a claimed range of up to 580 km’s. At the risk of boring you, I’ll repeat again the caveats about manufacturers’ claimed ranges - they don’t often match ranges in achieved in real life, especially in colder weather and at motorway speeds.

The 50 version starts at €36,545, the 60 Sportline at €38,416 and the longer range 85 at €42,315. The more expensive cars get extras such as matrix headlights with cornering function, an electric tailgate and automatic rain and lights sensors. Skoda is expecting buyers to gravitate more to the long range version.

Standard equipment on the Elroq includes those 20" wheels, LED head and rear lights, two-zone air conditioning, adaptive cruise control, rear camera, heated front seats and steering wheel and keyless entry. There is a good package of safety features also.