Skywell BE11 review

What do you get if you cross a bus manufacturer with an electronics firm? It's the Skywell BE11 we're reviewing here.

The BE11 is more than just a punchline, of course. It's an electric SUV that's the result of Skyworth (a consumer electronics company) and the Nanjing Golden Dragon Bus Company (a commercial vehicle manufacturer) coming together to develop a car for the first time.

It was first launched in China in 2020 in two versions – an electric car and a plug-in hybrid – but only the all-electric BE11 will be sold in the UK.

Much like Jaecoo and Omoda (two other Chinese automotive brands) Skywell has ambitious plans. While it has only 10 fully operational dealers in the UK at the time of writing, it aims to have 50 by the end of 2025. In terms of sales, it hopes to sell 600 to 800 cars in its first full year, and intends to expand its range to include a small car, an executive car and an electric van.

Anyway, that’s enough background info. What’s the Skywell BE11 like, and is it good enough to challenge established electric SUV rivals, such as the Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia Niro EV and Renault Scenic E-Tech? Read on to find out…

There are two versions of the Skywell BE11 to choose from: the 72kWh Standard Range with a 248-mile official range and the 86kWh Long Range model with a 304-mile range. In other words, both versions can – in theory – take you further than a 48kWh Hyundai Kona Electric but not as far as a Renault Scenic E-Tech.

All versions of the BE11 are powered by a 201bhp electric motor that drivers the front wheels and delivers 0-62mph in 9.6 seconds (there's no four-wheel-drive version). That’s not as quick as a Kona Electric or Scenic but it should be fine for most situations.

However, the BE11's accelerator pedal responds very quickly to minor inputs, which means the car is difficult to drive smoothly. What’s more concerning is the lack of traction from the front tyres when you pull out at a junction. We felt like a sitting duck at times – and didn't have to press the pedal very hard for the wheels to spin up.

The brake pedal feel isn’t much better. There’s a degree of sponginess to it, which makes it difficult to stop smoothly, plus there’s a lot of travel before anything happens. Adjusting the brakes from Comfort to Sport mode does improve the response slightly, but then it jumps to the other end of the spectrum, where they become too grabby.

When you adjust the regenerative braking to maximum strength (you can do this very accurately, from 0% to 100%), the braking effect is sudden and jerky. For maximum smoothness, it's best to switch the setting off.

The steering is disappointing too. It's inconsistent to say the least, no matter which mode you have it in. It’s very light at low speeds, which helps with manoeuvring, but as you increase speed to 20mph you almost can’t feel any attachment to the front wheels.

From 30mph to 60mph the steering weighting increases ever-so slightly, but not enough for you to accurately point the wheels where you want them. At motorway speeds the BE11's steering becomes much quicker and heavier. Overall, the inconsistency takes a lot of getting used to, and can be disconcerting at first.

On a motorway there’s a noticeable amount of wind and road noise, but the BE11's ride is comfortable. The suspension does a good job of soaking up expansion joints, plus it keeps the car level and settled.

Unfortunately, on undulating back roads the suspension loses composure and becomes quite fidgety, with occupants moving around noticeably in their seats. It get even worse when you go over a pothole or speed bump, with a harsh thump felt through the interior. There's also considerable body lean in corners.

Other electric SUVs are much better to drive than the BE11. The Skoda Enyaq is more comfortable and quieter on motorways, while the Smart #3 is much tighter in the corners. The Renault Scenic E-Tech offers a better overall balance.

“I like the fact you can adjust the regenerative braking so specifically. However, it’s a shame you have to switch it off, because even in low-strength settings the car becomes jumpy to the point where it can make you feel a bit nauseous.” – George Hill, Used Car Writer

You sit high up in the Skywell BE11 with great all-round visibility. The front seats are supportive, with six-way electrical adjustment offered as standard.

It’s reasonably easy for the driver to get comfortable, with a good amount of rake and height adjustment for the steering wheel, but the driver’s seat doesn’t adjust very far back. Tall drivers might struggle to find a comfortable driving position.

All BE11’s come with a 12.8in infotainment touchscreen. While it looks quite swish, the software it runs – called Caacoo OS – is clunky to use, which is particularly annoying because you have to use it for most things. For example, there's no knob to adjust the sound-system volume so you have to dive into sub-menus to change it. And if you've connected your smartphone to the screen there are five sub-menus, so it's not a quick operation.

If you want Skywell's TurboDog9 sat-nav app (which is, indeed, tempting – just for the name) you’re out of luck for now. Early UK BE11s won’t be offered with the system and the car isn't set up for over-the-air updates so it won't be possible to add it later. 

At least you get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard so you can run your own apps through the Skywell system. However, getting them running can be frustrating: it took us three attempts and two phones to connect to the system wirelessly.

As is the way with many new cars, there are minimal physical buttons or dials for the climate controls, other than a few shortcut controls below the touchscreen. That means you have to tap into the screen to adjust the fan speed. It’s particularly fiddly when your phone is connected because you have to exit Android Auto or Apple CarPlay to access most of the climate settings.

The Google-based system in the Renault Scenic E-Tech is easier to use and it has physical climate controls. It’s a similar story with the Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia Niro EV and Tesla Model Y, which have more intuitive infotainment systems and more responsive touchscreens.

All BE11s have a 12.3in digital driver’s display behind the steering wheel. It's configurable and can show functions such as your trip and media information, but otherwise it’s quite simple in terms of its functionality. It can’t show your sat-nav directions, for example, which the Scenic's can, but the graphics are at least reasonably clear and crisp.

Interior quality is mixed. While there are plenty of soft-touch plastics and suede-like materials on the dashboard and doors, the actual build quality doesn't seem very good. The door handles feel flimsy when you pull them, plus the few physical buttons there are feel cheap. Overall, it doesn’t feel as plush or solidly put together as a Smart #3 or Skoda Enyaq.

“The Skywell BE11’s interior is smart to look at. The screen looks slick and you get some pleasant materials on the upper dashboard and doors, but I think it’s a shame it’s let down by the clunky infotainment system and average build quality.” – George Hill, Used Car Writer

The Skywell BE11 wins back some points for storage, space and practicality. In the front there are plenty of storage areas dotted around, with a split-level centre console (with a storage tray and central cubby), two cupholders and large door bins.

Other than the seat not sliding very far back for taller drivers, space up front is good, with plenty of head and leg room for the front passenger.

In the back, there’s a huge amount of space. There’s loads of leg room for taller passengers to stretch out, plus there’s a flat floor and plenty of room for your feet under the front seats. You can even tilt the seats forwards or backwards if you want to.

Head room is very generous in the back seats, with no intrusion of space with the standard-fit sunroof – even for those more than 6ft tall.

The BE11’s boot size is 467 litres. That’s bigger than a Smart #3 boot and similar to the Hyundai Kona Electric but less space than you get in Renault Scenic E-Tech or Tesla Model Y. The BE11's back seats split and fold completely flat in a 60/40 configuration to give you up to 1141 litres of storage space. To make the extended load bay's floor flat you have to flip up the bases of the back seats first.

The boot is a usefully square shape and all BE11s come with an electric tailgate. Unfortunately, there’s no front boot for storing your charging cables – as there is with a Model Y – but there is space for the cables under the boot floor.

“I’m 6ft 2in and I was impressed by the amount of space in the back of the Skywell BE11. I had no shortage of leg or head room. I also like the fact the seat backs are adjustable, so you can trade rear seat space for boot space, or vice versa.” – George Hill, Used Car Writer

The Skywell BE11 is more expensive to buy than the Hyundai Kona Electric and costs about the same as a Kia Niro EV, Renault Scenic E-Tech or Skoda Enyaq. In terms of depreciation, it's expected to lose more value over three years than a Scenic Comfort and Long Range and an Enyaq Long Range.

Skywell says the BE11 is a value-focused electric SUV and the equipment list is designed to reflect that, with loads of kit included as standard. You get 19in alloy wheels, LED headlights, wireless phone-charging, ambient interior lighting, front and rear parking sensors, a 360-degree parking camera, part-leather seats, a panoramic sunroof and a powered tailgate.

The BE11’s charging speeds fall short of most rivals, with a maximum rate of 80kW. That means a 20-70% charge takes around 36 minutes or, for the BE11 Long Range, 45 minutes. Most competitors, including the Enyaq, Scenic and Kona Electric can charge up more quickly.

If you’re charging with a 7kW home EV charger, a 20-70% charge is expected to take four hours and 30 minutes for the standard-range BE11 and an hour longer for the long-range model.

The BE11 has not been submitted for Euro NCAP safety testing, which is a concern, and it comes with minimal safety kit other than front, side and curtain airbags. Skywell says it wouldn’t expect it to get a five-star safety rating.

The BE11 underwent European-type approval before July 2024 so it's not legally required to offer the active safety features many rivals do. It doesn’t come with automatic emergency braking (AEB), intelligent speed assist or traffic-sign recognition, and you can't add them (or blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control or lane-keep assist) as an option.

The Nissan Ariya, Renault Scenic E-Tech, Skoda Enyaq and many other new-car models do have a full five-star Euro NCAP rating.

The Skywell BE11 is too new to have featured in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey so we can't tell you if it's likely to be dependable. It does come with a competitive seven years or 100,000 miles warranty, which is a match for Kia’s cover. For the battery, all cars get eight years or 155,000 miles of cover.

“I always advise looking closely at the quoted charging speed of an electric car. Most manufacturers quote 10-80% charging times, but some quote 20-70% or 30-80%, which can lead you to think they’re quicker to charge than they actually are.” – George Hill, Used Car Writer

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