Skoda Octavia Estate Review

Badge snobbery aside, there are fewer reasons than ever to discount the Skoda Octavia Estate. It’s incredibly practical, has a plusher interior than ever before and will be very affordable to buy and run.

The 1.5-litre petrol will suit a lot of buyers, but look for a 2.0-litre diesel if you cover lots of miles. If you mainly drive around town and have access to off-road parking with electricity, consider the plug-in hybrid iV model.

The Skoda Octavia Estate's trim line-up is relatively simple. There's the entry-level SE and top-spec SE L plus First Edition models of both. We'd go for an SE L (or SE L First Edition) if budget allows.

The latest SEAT Leon Estate is closely related to the Skoda Octavia Estate. It might be a more stylish choice, but it’s not as practical. There's the estate version of the Volkswagen Golf too and the excellent, hybrid-only Toyota Corolla Touring Sports, although it's not as practical as the Octavia. Otherwise, you could consider the Skoda Octavia Estate an alternative to estate versions of the Vauxhall Astra, Kia Ceed, Ford Focus and Peugeot 308. 

But given its size, it is also up against bigger alternatives like the Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer, Ford Mondeo Estate and even the Skoda Superb Estate or Volkswagen Passat Estate. We'd even say, given the value for money, you could consider it against the likes of the BMW 3 Series Touring or Audi A4 Avant. It may not have the badge prestige but you'll be getting a lot more car and equipment for the money.

Put aside any prejudices you may have about the Skoda brand – you'll find more squishy finishes in the Octavia than in a Ford Focus or Vauxhall Astra Estate. It feels just as posh as the pricier Volkswagen Golf, especially if you buy an SE L model.  Standard kit on the range-topper (this side of a vRS) includes microsuede upholstery and a padded dash panel. You get chrome air vent surrounds, too, and fancy silver square inserts on the dash.

All Octavia Estate models feel like they're built to last. It's too new to know for sure what it will be like for creaks and rattles a few years down the line, but the old model aged well so we suspect this one will do so too. The Skoda Octavia should have no issues coping with family life.

All Skoda Octavia Estate models come with a 10-inch media system, handily perched on the dash for minimal distraction when driving. What's more distracting, though, is its reliance on touch to operate. Rather than a volume knob, there's a touch slider below the media system, although the driver can get around that by using the dial on the steering wheel instead.

There are some useful shortcut buttons below the infotainment screen, although you have to use the touchscreen display to adjust things like the temperature of the climate control. Annoyingly, this can't be done via 'Laura', the otherwise very helpful voice-controlled personal assistant feature.

While the system takes a little bit of getting used to, in our experience, you'll soon get to grips with its menu layout while the graphics are sharp and it responds quickly. All models come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring, which is great for accessing apps from your phone. Only the SE L features nav as standard but, if you're happy with Google Maps or Waze via your phone, that's not really an issue.

Let's not beat about the bush: the Skoda Octavia Estate's boot is huge. Even with all the seats in use, it can lug up to 640 litres of luggage. That's more than the Volkswagen Golf Estate (which manages 611 litres), Ford Focus Estate (575 litres) and Toyota Corolla Touring Sports (595 litres). It's bigger than you'd get in an SUV alternative like the Skoda Karoq, too.

The Skoda Octavia Estate's boot is even more impressive than these numbers suggest, too. Access is easy, with a usefully square opening – although some buyers might be disappointed to find that a powered tailgate isn't available. SE L models come with an adjustable boot floor, which means you can lessen the drop over the boot lip (and keep a handy underfloor storage area). Dropping the rear seats takes seconds (using useful levers in the boot), leaving a relatively flat boot floor which is ideal for IKEA trips (other Swedish flat pack furniture shops are available...) or runs to the local tip.

Boot aside, the Octavia Estate is a very spacious car. There's enough room in the front for the tallest of drivers (and passengers) to get comfortable over a long journey, while there are loads of very generous storage areas for keeping your bits and bobs in order. The door bins are surprisingly large, for example, while the cupholders in front of the gear lever are easily accessible.

Rear-seat passengers ought to be pretty cheerful, too. Maybe not in the middle seat (it's quite tight and there's a lump in the floor where you'd want to rest your feet), but certainly two growing teenagers will be relatively happy back there. There's plenty of head and legroom, while decent visibility ought to reduce travel sickness. 

The Skoda Octavia Estate is available with a wide range of petrol, diesel and hybrid engines, kicking off with a 1.0-litre petrol producing 110PS. 

Don't dismiss this because of its diminutive size – even in a car the size of the Octavia Estate, it's punchy enough for a 110PS car. Opt for the DSG automatic gearbox and this adds mild-hybrid technology which allows the car to coast to a stop while the engine harvests energy.

We reckon most people are best opting for the 1.5-litre petrol, which provides 150PS and is available with a manual or DSG gearbox (the latter, again, with mild-hybrid tech). It suits the car really well with plenty of performance for out-of-town driving, while it won't break the bank in terms of running costs.

Of course, a lot of people buy Octavias to cover a lot of motorway miles. If that's you, we'd recommend the 2.0-litre TDI, which is available with 115PS or 150PS.

Then there's the plug-in hybrid model badged the Skoda Octavia iV Estate. This combines a 1.4-litre petrol engine with a big battery pack and an electric motor, producing a total of 245PS, making it one of the most powerful Octavia Estates on offer. 

If you want serious performance, the hot Octavia vRS tops the range. We're yet to try this, but it'll be available with petrol, diesel and – for the first time – plug-in hybrid power. 

The Octavia's move upmarket has seen a noticeable improvement in refinement. The cabin is almost as soothingly quiet as the bigger Superb, with very little wind or road noise being audible over the radio.

If you buy a diesel Octavia Estate, you'll notice the usual distinctive rumble when the engine's cold. But once up to temperature (and up to speed), it settles down into a gentle idle.

With its ability to complete short journeys under electric power alone, the plug-in hybrid Skoda Octavia iV Estate is likely to be the most refined choice. It will happily dart around town without the petrol engine kicking in at all, making it very relaxing to drive. When the engine is required, you'll barely notice it kicking in.   

Fundamentally, the Skoda Octavia Estate is a very safe car. Euro NCAP awarded it a maximum five-star rating when it was crash-tested in 2019, including impressive 92% scores for adult occupants and 88% for children.

There's a load of driver-assist technology available in the Octavia but, unfortunately, very little of it is provided as standard. Blind spot detection was standard on the SE L First Edition, for example, but is a costly extra on the SE L (and isn't even on available on the SE). Travel Assist (with traffic sign recognition, adaptive lane assist, predictive adaptive cruise , traffic jam assist and – on DSG models – emergency assist) is only available as an option on the hot vRS model.

At £45, the driver fatigue sensor represents good value for money if you're buying the car new, while the optional reversing camera is a desirable but pricey feature, on the options list at £595.   

Insurance groups for the Skoda Octavia Estate are yet to be confirmed. As is usually the case, it's worth shopping around for car insurance, but we doubt the Octavia Estate will be ruinous to insure unless you're a particularly young or inexperienced driver.

The first year's car tax will be taken care of by the initial owner as it's lumped into the on-the-road price. It's based on CO2 emissions, with most Octavia Estate models falling into band G at a rate of £175.

After the first year, you'll pay a flat rate of £150. The exception is hybrid (iV and e-Tec) models which qualify for a reduced rate of £140/year. Rivals will cost the same in tax, unless you consider an electric alternative like the MG 5 EV.

The most basic Skoda Octavia Estate is badged the SE. It's actually anything but basic... standard equipment includes 16-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and a chrome grille surround. Inside, you'll find cloth seats (height-adjustable in the front), a leather steering wheel and gearshift lever and aluminium decorative inserts. 

There's a basic 10-inch touchscreen media system (with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), as well as cruise control and rear parking sensors. Hunt out one of the early SE First Edition models and they came with a smaller 8.25-inch infotainment display and a 10.25-inch Virtual Cockpit in place of conventional dials. The SE First Edition was also sold with slightly different 16-inch alloy wheels (Velorum design rather than the Twister Aero alloys).

Upgrade to the Octavia Estate SE L for 17-inch alloy wheels, some extra chrome exterior highlights (namely the window surrounds and a strip in the lower front bumper), rear privacy glass, headlight washers and electrically adjustable, heated and folding door mirrors. Inside, there's microsuede upholstery, heated seats in the front, chrome air vent surrounds and shiny haptic decorative dash inserts.  Navigation is standard as part of the 10-inch media display including online infotainment (for one year). The SE L comes with front parking sensors (as well as rear), adaptive cruise control, selectable drive modes and keyless entry/start.

If you see an SE L First Edition on the market, this'll be similarly equipped but with the addition of an electrically-adjustable driver's seat (including lumbar support), LED interior lighting and blind spot detection.