By Iain Gray
As the News Letter revealed earlier this year, city councillors have voted to push the next few mayors into a cut-price car for their official vehicle. Now the council is moving to go further still, picking an even cheaper Skoda that will see the capital city鈥檚 first citizen travel in a make described as one affordable enough to bring electric cars to the masses. In February, councillors agreed that replacing the previous official vehicle, a plush Audi E-Tron, with the same make鈥檚 most recent model would be too expensive, and went on to rule out a suggested mid-range alternative of a BMW i5. The car politicians picked, an electric Kia EV6, was the cheapest option available at the time and actually costs less than the official vehicle enjoyed by the city鈥檚 first citizens since 2021. Now officials have uncovered an even cheaper option still 鈥 a Skoda Enyaq Estate. The Skoda, say officials, is over 拢1,000 a year cheaper to lease than the Kia they were going to use, but gets broadly the same mileage, has a larger luggage capacity and provides greater rear legroom. Reviews say the Skoda is better on fast roads than in urban environments 鈥 which, of course, may not pay off that well for a Lord Mayor being chauffered to official events along Belfast鈥檚 cramped city streets. States What Car, the vehicle 鈥渋s not particularly fun to drive but it handles tidily and is easy to make relaxed progress in鈥. A reviewer concluded: 鈥淎s long as you’re not overzealous, it stays fairly upright in corners, and the light-but-precise steering lets you position the car with confidence. 鈥淭he Enyaq is up there with the best-riding electric SUVs we’ve tried. It鈥檚 a little unsettled at low speeds in an urban environment but becomes much smoother on faster roads.鈥 The Lord Mayor鈥檚 car is replaced every four years, with the current vehicle鈥檚 contract due to run out in October. The past few mayors have been carried to engagements in a high-end 2020 Audi E-Tron that cost 拢8,400 per year to hire. According to council reports, the hire price of a 2024-model Audi GT E-Tron Saloon is around double that amount. As a result, the idea of simply getting the newest model was ruled out. Council staff pushed for a BMW i5 Saloon as a mid-range option; factoring in the mayor鈥檚 duties and responsibilities with mileage and cost concerns, they argued the BMW was the best pick. But politicians pointed out that the hire price was still 拢2,600 more than the 2020 Audi and instead plumped for a Kia EV6, downgrading the Lord Mayor from a saloon car to an estate. The Kia cost 拢6,700 per year, but the Skoda proved to be an even more budget option 拢5,500 鈥 bringing it in at almost 拢3,000 a year less than the old Audi that鈥檚 to be replaced.