Skoda Octavia Hatchback (04 on) - Review

Review by David Ross on
Last Updated: 15 February 2011
The Skoda Octavia is one of the best family cars around. Spacious, reliable, well built and good to drive, it also comes with a great range of engines. But the Skoda's biggest strength is its value for money - it's priced competitively against the likes of the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf but able to offer more interior space and impressive levels of standard equipment with all cars getting climate control and electric windows. The Octavia has been a major force in helping the growing reputation of the Czech brand. Skoda dealers have a superb reputation for customer care and the Octavia regularly tops owner satisfaction surveys. A clean and economical Greenline II version that averages 74mpg and emits 99g/km of CO2 emissions is available – making it exempt from first-year and annual road tax. It’s not just about the environmentally friendy folk though, and there's also an excellent pefromance-focused vRS version - which is covered in a separate review. It was given a bit of a refresh in 2009 with a number of styling changes to differentiate it from the previous car. These included newly shaped headlamps, new grille and bumper. The rear got a revised bumber and new lights. The interior was given a well-deserved update too, with more modern VW Group audio and sat-nav system, new steering wheel and a white backlit instrument panel. A new 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine was included in the range which, along with the existing 1.8-litre TSI enghine, was made available with the seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox. There’s an excellent mixture of small and efficient petrol engines as well as more economical and low-emitting diesel engines on offer. The value-for- money factor was ramped up further in 2011 with the addition of the SE Plus trim. This added 16-inch alloys, upgraded upholstery, touchscreen sat-nav, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth and multi-function steering wheel – all for a substantial saving when you take into account the extra cost. Efficiency, excellent value, reliability and comfort were the factors behind the Skoda Octavia 1.2 TSI S winning the 2011 Parkers Cost of Motoring New Car Award in the family car sector. The 1.6-litre TDI S model then went on to win the 2012 Parkers Cost of Motoring New Car Award in the family hatchback category. Read on for the full Skoda Octavia review…
4.5 out of 5

Other Skoda reviews

4 out of 5

Running costs

It's exceptionally good value when buying new but the badge is yet to gain full acceptance in some quarters and that means residuals aren't as strong as they deserve to be. There's a good choice of economical engines to choose from and parts, servicing and insurance costs are pleasingly low.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,252 - £1,805 *

Diesel

£866 - £1,364 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

Fixed (10,000 miles) or variable can be chosen.

Warranty

Three years/60,000 miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£0.00 - £250.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

4 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
    99
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
    198
  • K
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The Octavia scores well on the eco front, as its emissions are relatively low for a medium-sized hatchback. Eco-conscious buyers should consider the Greenline II model which emits just 99g/km of CO2 and is claimed to be capable of averaging 74mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2