What’s pleasantly surprising is that to some extent they’re better than the old guard. Zero tailpipe emissions, of course, and lively acceleration, but also a good amount of interior space in the case of those cars designed to be electric from day one, and some user-friendly details that can make your passengers very happy. And if they’re happy, you’re happy.

Here we have the new Renault Scenic – current European Car of the Year – going up against the new Peugeot E-3008 and new-ish coupe version of the Skoda Enyaq. All broadly the same size and a similar price range, and all aimed firmly at families who want something just that little bit special. And if they’re good to drive, all the better.

First up, the Scenic. Like the Megane and the imminent new 5, the Scenic gets its name from Renault’s back catalogue. While the Megane and 5 remain hatchbacks, the Scenic joins the Espace – a model not available in the UK – in becoming an SUV rather than the MPV it used to be. Sort of. 

At 1589mm, the Scenic’s 89mm taller than a Megane and just 27mm taller than a VW ID. 3. It’s also the shortest and lowest of our three five-seat competitors, helping it weigh a good couple of hundred kilos less. A 260-mile version, the ‘Comfort Range’, is available, but this is the Long Range that boosts the battery size to 87kWh for a claimed 369 miles of driving – the best on test. Here, it’s in top Iconic trim with two-tone paint the only option on our test car. 

Like the Scenic, the Peugeot 3008 made the switch from MPV style to SUV, although it did that with the previous generation (and bagged the 2017 Car of the Year title). It’s now in its third generation and is available as, among other choices, the all-electric E-3008. It’s the first Stellantis group car to get the latest STLA architecture, a platform optimised for electric but capable of accepting engines. That allows Peugeot to sell a 3008 hybrid alongside the E-3008, unlike the EV-only Enyaq and Scenic. 

At launch the E-3008 is only available with a 73kWh battery, 207bhp electric motor driving the front wheels and a best range of 326 miles. Joining later will be a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive version with over 300bhp, and a long-range front-driver that’ll be good for 400 or more miles, at least according to the official figures.

Our test car is the top-spec E-3008 GT with fancy paint, additional driver-assist features and a heat pump (a range-boosting addition that’s optional on the Enyaq, but not fitted to our test car, and standard on the Scenic).

The current shape of the E-3008 is quite coupe-like. Skoda takes a different approach, offering two bodies, the regular SUV-shaped Enyaq and the Coupe version tested here. The Enyaq is one of today’s best all-round electric SUVs, and is sensibly priced. While the Coupe is less adept at swallowing chests of drawers, it shares a few updates with the SUV, including a revamped infotainment system.

The most notable update is a more efficient electric motor that boosts range by a few miles and increases power by around 80bhp on the rear-wheel-drive 85 tested here. A twin-motor, all-wheel-drive version is also available, with the same 282bhp as our car. And at the top of the range is the four-wheel-drive 335bhp vRS. We’ve gone with the entry-level but very well equipped 85 Edition, plus £5k of options.

Performance wise, it’s the Enyaq that’s the sprinter here despite being the heaviest of our trio. It’ll hit 62mph from a standstill in 6.7 seconds. There’s no instant thump in the back, just linear but forceful acceleration. It’s plenty for a sensible family five-seater.

It’s the same story with the Scenic: the 7.9 second 0-62mph sprint time is quick enough. The slowest of the trio, the Peugeot, with its time of 8.8 seconds, would seem lively if it were keeping company with some similarly sized combustion cars, but you find yourself expecting more punch from a £50k EV.

The Peugeot’s brakes are more impressive, blending regenerative and friction braking pretty smoothly. The Scenic’s not bad either. But the Skoda has a disconcerting inconsistency to its deceleration, depending on whether it’s the regen or the calipers grabbing the discs that’s slowing you down. This makes it hard to drive smoothly.

The Enyaq cleverly adjusts its braking, automatically providing more retardation if its sensors detect something slowing ahead of you. It’s an effective system. Those who would rather keep full control for themselves can turn it off. The E-3008 and Scenic both have multi-stage regen that can make the driver feel more engaged with the car as you tap the level-adjustment paddle as you slow for a bend, almost like making downshifts on a car with a double-clutch automatic gearbox.

There are, however, few other driving pleasures to be had from the Peugeot. It’s tempting to point to the weight, and that certainly doesn’t help, but in reality the Enyaq weighs an extra 32kg and is more pleasant on the road. The E-3008 feels over-stiffly sprung, which is most noticeable around town, where the usual array of craters, crevices and carbuncles cause the Peugeot to thud and crash unpleasantly. Pick up a bit of speed out of town and it improves, yet there’s always an underlying fidgetiness that can irritate.

The Enyaq, by contrast, has more compliance over bumps and a more settled feel on the motorway. You are aware the suspension is trying to contain a lot of mass, though. As it gets towards the extremes of compression or extension, you feel strong rebound damping trying to pull the body back to normal ride height. It’s not uncomfortable as such, just not as soothing as it could be. The situation is improved by the optional adaptive dampers, part of the pricey Maxx options pack.

It’s the Scenic that’s comfiest, even when riding on the large 20-inch wheels that are standard on all but entry-level Techno trim. Body control is good despite the Scenic having the softest suspension here, thanks to its sizeable weight advantage. It still gets a little upset by dilapidated urban roads but on the whole it’s the gentlest-riding car here, and much better in that regard than the big-selling Tesla Model Y.

A supple ride doesn’t come at the expense of handling, either. The Scenic has the quickest steering on test at just 2.3 turns lock-to-lock which, like the Model Y, takes a bit of getting used to. Once you’re keyed into the precise and predictable steering rack, the Scenic feels keen to turn in to a bend. Body lean isn’t excessive for a family car and there’s plenty of grip, with the nose happy to tuck in if you come off the throttle sharply. It’s clearly a bigger, heavier car than the Megane E-Tech, yet that keen hatchback feel is in there. 

The Enyaq generally feels safe, secure and a quite nimble. Slower-paced steering makes it an easier car to get in and drive initially, and it does feel more in keeping with the car’s size and weight. It’s no less accurate than the Scenic’s steering, allowing me to place the Enyaq confidently while enjoying the neutral balance and good grip.

Where both the Scenic and Enyaq have a certain appeal about the way they handle, the same can’t be said of the E-3008. It too has quick steering, and thankfully a normal-sized steering wheel. Neither of the Peugeot’s rivals could claim to have feelsome steering, but the E-3008’s is particularly PlayStation-like in its artificiality.

And the E-3008’s considerable bulk is highlighted by its quick-acting steering system, making it the car that’s least at home being driven quickly. Push hard and the nose will start to run wide before the electronics kick in, making it a safe but unsatisfying steer.

Two USB-C ports can be found between the front seats, and that’s just the start of the Scenic’s child-calming measures. Pull down the central rear armrest and flip up the cushioned bit to find two more USB ports in a felt-lined tray. The pair of cupholders have rotatable ears that cunningly have smartphone holders in them. They can be angled at will, or spun around 180º to combine into a more suitable tablet holder. It’s so easy to use that you wonder why it’s not universal. 

The Skoda also has some neat details, such as Velcro dividers attached either side of the low central floor bump to create a storage area, a smaller smartphone pocket attached to the main pockets on the back of the front seats, and folding tables. 

It’s spacious, too. Rear legroom is still enough for six-footers and headroom isn’t as negatively impacted by the coupe roofline as you might expect. Your tall friends will probably be fine back there, something that may not be the case with the Peugeot. It has the least legroom of our trio, with my tallest testing assistant finding not much space between their shins and the driver’s seat.  

The E-3008 isn’t badly equipped for family life, with a couple of USBs on the back of the centre console, nets on the backs of the front seats and an armrest with cupholders. What you won’t find is the cleverness of the other two, although it does have the largest boot on test at 588 litres. That’s 18 up on the Enyaq and a useful 43 more than the Scenic. 

It isn’t just in capacity that the Peugeot scores. All versions of the E-3008 get a two-position boot floor that gives you either a small loading lip and some underfloor storage, or a deeper boot when you need it. It also makes pushing in long items easier, as there’s no step from the boot floor to the backs of the folded rear seats. That they fold in a 40/20/40 split is another bonus, maximising versatility. The Scenic matches this, but the Enyaq has a 60/40 split, albeit with a load-through facility. 

A variable-height boot floor is an option on the Enyaq. Without it there’s a big drop from the boot’s opening to the floor, and the boot-mounted seat release is handy. So too is the standard gesture-controlled tailgate, something that comes with GT-spec E-3008s but no Scenic. That does get a conventional electric tailgate, though. 

Where the E-3008 and Enyaq’s loadbays are quite long, the Scenic’s is shorter and deeper. There’s still plenty of capacity, but there’s more of a loading lip to contend with and more chance you’ll be stacking stuff to make it fit.

When it comes to rapid charging, the Long Range Scenic maxes out at a relatively weedy 150kW to give a 37-minute 15 to 80 per cent charging time, the longest here. Its big 87kWh battery also means nearly 13 hours for a zero to 100 per cent charge on a home wallbox. This can be cut to nine hours on an 11kW charger or just under five with a 22kW unit.

While four-wheel-drive versions of the Enyaq have their maximum charge speed upped to 175kW, rear-wheel-drive 85s still only charge at a maximum of 135kW for a 36-minute 10 to 80 per cent time. That’s still faster than the Renault on account of the Enyaq’s smaller 77kWh battery. AC charge times are 7.5 hours at 11kW or just over 12 at 7.4kW, both for a zero to 100 per cent charge. 

The E-3008 is speedier, thanks to a smaller 73kWh battery and maximum 160kW charging rate, but not by much. A 30-minute rapid charge time sounds great, but that’s for a 20 to 80 per cent top-up, while the maximum AC charging rate is 11kW. That allows for a seven-hour nought to 100 per cent charge, increasing to 10.5 hours on a normal 7.4kW wallbox. 

So clearly all three cars leave room for improvement, but even the least impressive of them is a pretty decent package. Where the headline-grabbing electric hypercars have little to offer beyond the novelty of rarely-used acceleration, EVs of this type make a lot of sense every day: the school run is cleaner, the cabin is quieter for family conferences on the move, there’s a good amount of room, and running costs should be pretty keen. Feels like progress to us.