Skoda Octavia Review

There's a point in most people's lives when they just want a car that ticks all the boxes without a fuss – and the Skoda Octavia is exactly that car. Practicality? Huge tick. Economical range of sensible engines? Tick. Smart interior without any distracting chintz? You got it.

An Octavia is never going to set your loins ablaze when you look out at your driveway, but it will give you a warm fuzzy feeling to confirm you did The Sensible Thing. With its 2024 facelift, Skoda gave the Octavia a nip and tuck to its headlight design (they're brighter and now extend down into the front bumper), and replaced the sometimes problematic old infotainment system with Volkswagen Group's latest 13-inch effort, which is fast, simple to use and now seemingly bug-free.

Perhaps the only real water boatman in the Octavia's gazpacho is that more and more people are buying SUVs – despite the Octavia giving a more secure, less floaty driving experience than most of its high-riding rivals. Then there's the fact that the Skoda Superb exists, which does everything the Octavia does, but is even bigger, with noticeably more back-seat space and boot space. But then it's more expensive.

So, rather than break out a predictable Goldilocks metaphor, we'll simply say the Octavia – especially in estate form – is really all the car you'd ever really need. It speaks to the head, not the heart, but chat to an Octavia owner and they'll likely tell you it's an irreplaceable family member.

Skoda calls the design language of the Kodiaq ‘Modern Solid’, but we reckon that sums up the Octavia’s interior nicely. With a large 13-inch central touchscreen, digital dials now on all models and a smart two-spoke steering wheel, it’s certainly modern-feeling. Solid, too, thanks to the impressive build quality and durable materials.

The new touchscreen, fitted as standard to every Octavia, is large and impressive, and it finally responds quickly to touches without any frustrating hiccups or lag. It's also packing wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and you can easily set up shortcut buttons along the top for disabling the speed-limit warning bong. There's also now the option to spec a head-up display, which projects your speed, the speed limit and sat-nav directions directly onto the inside of the windscreen.

The Skoda Octavia has a completely different body shape to the Volkswagen Golf it’s based on, and it’s a whole 40cm longer. By far the largest family hatchback on the market, the Octavia is leagues ahead of its rivals for practicality. It’s so big that Skoda offers a second family hatch, the Scala, for drivers who find the Octavia hard to park.

Rear-seat space is more than generous – we're talking limousine levels of legroom. It’s almost hard to see why you’d step up to the even bigger Skoda Superb, and Octavia back-seat passengers won’t feel like they’ve drawn the short straw. Big door bins, a handy phone pocket in the seatbacks and USB-C chargers mean that people sitting in the back can be kept fed, watered and entertained on long journeys.

And while the 380-litre boot in the Golf is pretty average these days, the Octavia has a boot to get excited about. The Octavia hatch offers 600 litres and the estate 640 – more if you fill higher than the parcel shelf. Both figures are class-leading. Both also come with handy hooks and cubbies, and levers to fold the rear seats down from the back of the car.

There’s a wide range of engines available in the Octavia, and all of them are great. Skoda's quietly dropped the entry-level 1.0-litre petrol engine from the facelift car, but don't be put off if you find a used Skoda Octavia with that dinky motor. It's more than powerful enough for most uses, but the fact you end up revving it harder means it's not usually as economical as the bigger 1.5-litre petrol, which comes with manual or auto gearboxes.

Long-distance drivers will be happy to know that there are still two diesel engines available, and both the 116hp and 150hp 2.0-litre engines return around 60mpg.

If you want a fast Octavia, you'll need to turn to the Octavia vRS. The facelift killed off the old diesel and manual options, leaving a powerful 265hp 2.0-litre petrol engine with an automatic gearbox. It'll get from 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds and power on to a limited top speed of 155mph.

Sadly, Skoda hasn't brought back the plug-in hybrid Octavia iV with the facelift. If you find a used pre-facelift version, it will give you up to 44 miles of electric-only driving.

Besides the range-topping vRS, there’s little in the way the Octavia drives to excite keen drivers. It’s a confident, easy driving experience that has a hint of sportiness, so all bases are pretty much covered. The steering is light but doesn’t require any guesswork or mid-corner adjustment, and the Octavia doesn’t become twitchy at high speeds like some cars with light steering.

The Octavia doesn’t completely insulate you from broken road surfaces but, in truth, neither does a Range Rover. You’ll still notice potholes and big impacts, but the harshness is successfully filtered out. Whatever the road surface is like, the Octavia is a car that you’ll be happy to drive long distances in. If you find an Octavia equipped with optional Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC), you can adjust the stiffness of the suspension on the move, and it makes it a tad more comfortable than the standard setup.