Written by CJ Hubbard Updated: 11 September 2024

This is the Parkers long-term test of the Skoda Octavia Estate – going beyond the usual short-term press loan to find out what it’s really like to live with one these if you have a small family.

Tested by cj hubbard

Quick links:

• Report 1: Hello, specs and options
• Report 2: Teething troubles
• Report 3: Performance
• Report 4: Practicality
• Report 5: Simply Clever features in detail
• Report 6: Goodbye
• Real-world mpg and other stats

Report 1: Octavia Estate long-term test specifications and options

Hello, and welcome to the latest step on my journey to find the perfect car for a young family. Starting with an electric SUV (the VW ID.4), then swapping to a seven-seater van-style MPV (the VW Multivan), then moving to a seven-seater SUV (the VW Tiguan Allspace), I’ve now ended up at the most traditional choice so far: a Skoda Octavia Estate.

A long-standing legend of the school run, the Octavia Estate promises great value as well as great practicality – but what does it actually deliver? I’ve got the kids as well as the keys (for a few months) to find out.

What kind of Octavia Estate are you long-term testing?

Rather unusually these days, I was able to spec this car from scratch – so I’ve only got myself to blame for any poor decisions when it comes to living with this Octavia. The car I’ve concocted is based on that extensive recent experience with Volkswagen Group products, however, and at least on initial impressions I think I’ve got it about right. For my preferences, anyway.

Under the bonnet is the latest 1.5-litre TSI e-TEC turbo-petrol engine. This is a mild-hybrid version of this modern 150hp motor that’s only available in combination with the seven-speed DSG automatic – which suits me just fine as this car will spend most of its time driving the children around town or taking me down the A1 to the office and back.

The colour is the no-cost option Energy Blue, which I picked specifically for its jolliness – and because it reminds me of the Mariner Blue of my first Mazda MX-5. The trim level is SE L, which is the top regular trim, sitting just below the sporty vRS halo model. This might seem indulgent, but the extensive standard equipment list makes it excellent value.

Highlight items for me here include the keyless entry – which crucially works on the rear doors as well as the fronts, something I now consider utterly essential as a parent – and the heated door mirrors, which also auto-dim on the driver’s side. And useful on my regular long-distance journeys (my commute is 164 miles each way at present) are the comfort front seats, adaptive cruise control and headlight washers – all standard on SE L as well.

Other essentials include the built-in wireless Android Auto (and Apple CarPlay), tyre pressure monitors, dual-zone climate control, variable-height boot floor and DAB radio. I don’t really care for digital instruments, but you get those too, plus an additional airbag – for the driver’s knees.

What about options?

Glad you asked. I’ve been quite specific…

For instance, I’ve consciously avoided the press-fleet-popular adaptive suspension – I generally much prefer a car to have been subject to a definite set-up, rather than a variable one that surely demands compromises. Similarly, I’ve avoided tangling with Travel Assist and its predictive cruise control due to poor experiences of this in the Tiguan.

However, I have gone for all-season tyres, as I now live in the North East of England and am very aware of the approaching winter and how bitter it can be up here. I also have a head-up display, blind spot monitors, and full matrix LED headlights – all intended to maximise real-world driving safety.

I’ve opted for a space-saver spare so we can keep moving in the event of a puncture, too, while ‘crew protect assist’ prepares the car for impact should the worst happen.

Comfort and convenience are covered by the Winter Pack, which adds rear heated seats to the standard front heated seats, and the Sleep Pack, which gives you comfier rear headrests and, slightly oddly, a blanket. Both of these packs are basically for my wife, who often travels in the back with our smallest child. The interior LED lighting boosts night-time visibility inside.

The Simply Clever Pack adds a reversable boot mat – vital for muddy boots and pushchair wheels – as well as a tablet holder for one backseat passenger and a bin in the front door pocket. There’s also a set of cargo-management equipment for the boot.

Wireless charging saves wear and tear on my phone’s USB port (although whether this can cope with long journeys without overheating remains to be seen) while the optional Pulsar Aero 17-inch alloy wheels replace the standard 17-inch Rotare alloy wheels because the look appealed to me.

What’s the total bill?

At the time of ordering, a 1.5-litre DSG SE L Skoda Octavia Estate had a list price of £31,750. My options have sent that up to £37,740 – which I admit is a lot for a conventionally-powered family load lugger. But I reckon my choices will be worth every penny when it comes to ultimate usability.

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Report 2: Oh heck, what’s that hiding in the snow…

I want to preface the first bit of this second report on long-term life with the Octavia Estate by pointing out that I already think it’s quite a brilliant choice for a family. It’s not perfect – nothing is – but there is some really sensible thinking throughout, and I don’t just mean Skoda’s trademark ‘simply clever’ features.

But there’s still no getting away from the fact that the car under the snow in the picture below is missing a vital part of its rump. Which tells you that for a little while I found myself unexpectedly driving an Octavia hatchback. Which is another way of saying that, rather surprisingly for an almost new car, the Octavia Estate broke down.

Wait. What happened to the Octavia Estate?

Nothing terminal. But still a little troubling. As mentioned previously, I’ve had a few VW Group long-termers on the bounce now, and the current crop of infotainment systems have always been a little flaky. So when the Octavia’s started crashing, I didn’t think too much of it.

Until one evening when I was driving home, and it happened several times in a row, finally culminating in a total failure that also caused the car to throw a wobbly about some other systems you wouldn’t automatically think to be related. Namely the rear traffic alert, the exit warning function, the parking sensors and the emergency call system. Odd.

Since it was showing no signs of recovery, the Estate ended up going back to Skoda, and a ended up being able to an impromptu comparison with the hatchback in a totally unplanned fashion.

What’s the spec on the hatchback?

The most conveniently interesting thing about the hatchback – aside from the boot seeming almost more practical than the estate’s – is that it’s a 1.5-litre TSI with the manual gearbox. The less expensive, not-quite-as-similar-as-you’d-think alternative to the 1.5 TSI e-Tec DSG fitted in the long-termer.

As a motoring writer, I’m supposed to go all gooey-eyed about manual transmissions – and, yes, in the right circumstances they provide a much greater connection between car and driver. But for daily transport that does mostly town and long-distance motorway driving, I’d choose a good, modern auto almost all of the time. And the Skoda’s DSG is a good, modern auto.

It’s also bolted onto an engine variant that has a mild-hybrid system, which the manual gearbox car does not. Given the difference in transmission I’d be lying if I could overwhelmingly detect the small performance boost the electric motor delivers but with an extra gear ratio as well the Estate does feel a touch punchier.

Of more relevance to most people, the motor certainly helps give the estate one of the smoothest stop-start systems I’ve ever encountered, and you do definitely notice the difference with the non-hybrid engine there.

Then there’s the lengthy throw of the manual gearlever. I was hardly expecting a quickshift kit in a family car, but I actually bashed my hand on the protruding edge of the dashboard on a couple of occasions. Apparently that’s the price for Skoda still giving buyers some physical buttons.

Only other slight amusement about the whole situation is that, as explained, I specced the estate with all-season tyres, anticipating inclement weather in the North East during my time with the car. And of course, as you can see, almost as soon as the estate departed, it snowed.

So what was wrong?

I’m told diagnostics showed a single fault in the end, and as a result the ‘information electrics control module’ was replaced – under warranty, of course.

The estate is now back, and working flawlessly. More soon.

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Report 3: Is 1.5 litres enough? [Performance]

Modern engines are marvellous. Smooth, powerful – and remarkably green in relation to both of those other things. But can a relatively modest 1.5-litre petrol possibly be enough for a family estate that’s often loaded to the roof and/or dicing with competitive commuter traffic on some of the most densely used dual carriageway in the UK?

These days, 150hp certainly doesn’t sound like a lot. And at somewhere over 1,400kg (the Parkers Octavia Estate specs page list it as 1,405kg, but I have a few extra options) the Octavia wagon isn’t exactly a lightweight even before us pesky passengers get involved. Yet the combination of mild hybrid assistance with the self-shifting transmission means it rarely feels like it’s dragging its feet. In fact, it’s quite a keen little thing, happy to rev if not particularly melodic when going about it.

The gearbox is excellent, too – swift to action when you ask for more acceleration, snappy with the shifts under manual control. Plus there is a distinct difference between the Normal and Sport settings. The way the latter holds onto lower gears gives you a useful extra degree of engine braking and control during spirited driving on twistier roads, while the former is ideal for laid back longer distances, eager to return to seventh to maximise efficiency.

So how is the commute?

My commute largely involves waiting for slower traffic to remember good lane discipline, and making the most of chances to pass when they arise. I could certainly be driving a faster car, but I don’t often wish that I was – the Octavia will plug a safe gap like a determined caulking gun. Or something.

Considering the relatively generous comfort levels, the performance is fundamentally fine for my purposes. And I’m not an especially patient commuter. For my sins.

What about driving fully loaded?

I guess it helps that the kids are small. For while I can tell the difference if the boot is packed for a weekend away, it doesn’t put an annoying dent in the Skoda’s ability to travel uphill. Thank you modern turbocharging and electric starter-generators, I guess – 250Nm of torque is apparently plenty.

Where the postnatal chub does make a more pressing appearance is under braking. The Octavia is an ordinary car that has ordinary discs and calipers, and upping the on-board heft does require a slight adjustment to braking distances.

To be clear, the car has never been in danger of not stopping – and in plenty of time. But I do notice having to press the left-hand pedal a little harder. Once my brain’s recalibrated I just start the slowing down process earlier. Hardly a big deal, though one that is corroborated by the increased amount of brake dust on the alloy wheels after completing longer family journeys.

How’s the fuel economy?

I’m consistently seeing over 40mpg. Which from a family estate powered by a petrol engine seems just fine to me. Those longer distances are tempered by a lot of short hops ferrying the kids around town as well; I think if I was a consistent motorway driver I’d easily be able to get that figure up towards 50mpg – I’ve not even been trying to drive the car for economy at this stage.

But then, if I was on the motorway all the time I’d be better served by a diesel anyway. Officially, the equivalent 2.0-litre TDI with DSG claims as much 63.2mpg, and in those circumstances I’m certain 55-60mpg would easily be on the cards without much effort.

But diesel isn’t as friendly or efficient for short journeys around town, and I remain very happy with my choice of engine here.

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Report 4: Boot space Tetris [Practicality]

Is the Skoda Octavia Estate’s boot big enough for a young family? That question is essentially the centrepiece of this entire long-term test – as this car is the latest step on my quest for the ultimate everyday family wheels. To answer it, I’ve been tirelessly (if only) loading and unloading the Octavia for several months now, ferrying my wife and two small children around the country on various adventures.

The answer isn’t quite as black and white as perhaps you – and I, for that matter – would prefer. For while we haven’t faced a situation where we couldn’t get everything we needed to into the load space (there is a sort of exception to this, which I’ll come back to), on occasion I have had to think about where everything is going to go rather carefully. Which has involved packing and then repacking the car in a couple of instances.

What’s the challenge here – it is an estate car, right?

Well, yes. But it’s a modern estate car, so it has a rather jauntily angled rear windscreen, rather than a flat back end. And I do have a toddler, which means the necessary kit is often a little more space invading than would be the case with a slightly older set of offspring.

In particular, if we’re away overnight, I usually need to pack a travel cot – long rectangular thing when folded, plus mattress – and a pushchair. Those two items alone take up a lot of floor area. In fact, the buggy only really fits in across the very back of the boot, where it’s widest, so everything else needs to go in around this. Or rather, in front of it.

So how do you do it?

The strategy I’ve come up with is not very glamorous, I’m afraid. Simply put, for longer trips away we’ve abandoned fancy luggage in favour of reusable shopping bags.

These are squashy, stackable (if you’re careful about what goes in which one) and will neatly fill all the available space above and between the non-negotiable items. And since the optional Simply Clever Pack includes a mesh screen to separate the passenger compartment from the load area, there’s less danger to occupants that they’re unsealable.

This means only in one exceptional circumstance – when we were away for a week over Christmas with a need to transport decorations and presents in addition to the usual stuff – have I had to resort to even more careful planning. Which meant some items travelling ahead or staying afterwards with my parents.

Therefore, as with the performance discussed in the previous report, perhaps in an ideal world I’d have access to a little more than the room provided by the Octavia. But it’s fundamentally a decent, very useable amount of space. Especially with the option to stash a load of smaller essential but not often used items under the raised load floor.

Aside from luggage, what else has the Octavia’s boot been used for?

I’ve moved house, so there have been loads and loads full of boxes and the usual inevitable tip runs. Somehow we still have a storage container full of some of our possessions, though god knows what most of those things are since we hardly seem to be missing anything vital.

I’ve also managed to maintain the tradition of using the long-term test car to transport parts for my actual car – and I’m slowly expanding this tradition to include hifi kit as well.

In the Octavia’s case, I was able to get a set of large floor-standing speakers in the back when I didn’t feel I could trust a courier not to damage them (this was based on the condition of the boxes when after they were initially delivered, not any kind of anti-postal bias!); the Skoda’s load floor not being totally level with the rear seat backs folded was a minor concern here, but the packaging was pretty substantial (as the shipping company had already demonstrated, etc, etc).

Better still, look how snug a set of silencers for a 996 fit in the back there. Like it was made for it.

Any bits that aren’t so practical?

The Isofix on the front passenger seat is a touch odd. Maybe it’s only designed to accommodate a rear-facing seat, but my five-year-old’s forward facing unit won’t fit neatly because the Skoda’s headrest interferes with it.

My daughter isn’t especially tall, so that’s not even with the top section of the child seat in the highest position. For the life of me I can’t see a way to remove the headrest, but maybe I need to check the manual (in my defence, removing a headrest does not feel like something a manual should be required for).

Only other issue worth pointing out is that it’s not easy to get anyone in the back along with both child seats. Hardly a problem unique to the Octavia, but there are alternative, similarly sized family cars – the Peugeot 5008 springs to mind, even if that is an SUV and not an estate – that have three individual rear seats, making them more versatilely spacious.

And overall?

In my experience so far, the Skoda is a useful balance between interior functionality and exterior dimensions that are modest enough to see it slot easily into most parking spaces. With room enough that you can still open the doors to get the kids out.

This is not something you can say about many SUVs.

I can see it being more or less perfect for a family with slightly older children and slightly less demanding luggage requirements. For me, it results in some colouful swearing on occasion, but I’m happy enough making the effort involved in fitting everything in given the overall quality of the ownership experience.

More about how clever the Octavia is next time.

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Report 5: How true is this Simply Clever business?

Skoda’s Simply Clever advertising slogan is now probably as well baked into the British motoring consciousness as BMW’s Ultimate Driving Machine. And yes, that is a bit of a reference to the old Fabia cake advert. Anyway, point is this probably wouldn’t be the case if there wasn’t a lot of truth to it.

So join me for a tour of all the really clever features available on this Octavia.

Ticket holder on the screen

Getting some of the famous / long-standing ones out of the way, this is the ticket holder on the windscreen. I have a parking permit where I live now, so I can doubly appreciate this as a means of stopping this permanent piece of interior clutter sliding around (as it does in every other car I’ve transferred it into thus far).

5 out of 5

Ice scraper behind the fuel filler flap

Great idea, this – idea being that you’ll never be without a means of removing ice and snow from the car before setting off (as you’re legally obliged to do). And in the post-facelift Octavia it’s even made from recycled plastic for an added bit of consciousness.

However, as I discovered when I actually had cause to use it, this is only a helpful location for an ice scraper if the conditions don’t also manage to freeze the filler-flap shut…

3 out of 5

Umbrella in the door (there’s an optional brush as well)

‘Just like Rolls-Royce’ is the oft mentioned cliche, here, but whatever – having an umbrella with a permanent storage space in the car is a boss-level move. Just ask my older daughter, as it has saved her from getting wet on the school run on a number of occasions.

Only thing I’m uncertain about is the long-term impact of returning a now soggy brolly to its door receptacle after use – for if you take it out again to dry once home you risk forgetting to put it back for next time. First world problems, no doubt.

You also only get one as standard. But you can optionally use the matching storage space in the other front door for an official Skoda snow brush, doubling-down on the cold weather management kicked off by the ice scraper.

4 out of 5

Phone slot cup holder device

This may seem like a minor thing, especially when the car also has a wireless charging pad (which can cause overheating; fixed for the facelift by adding a cooling system as well as more powerful charging). But I have a great deal of appreciation for whoever thought to create an accessory that fits into the cupholder in order to securely hold your phone while its plugged in. Again, nothing else I’ve driven recently solves this problem so well, even if you do lose space for a drink in the process.

4 out of 5

Curry hooks

Hardly a feature unique to Skoda, but the Octavia Estate has four of them, and they fold out of the way when not in use. On the less good side, the aren’t mounted high enough to suspend larger bags, which presents the threat of mid-corner unhooking as gravity isn’t acting as a downwards restraining force. They also feel a touch flimsy, but have endured family life without incident so far.

3 out of 5

Boot space storage and management

My Octavia Estate has the optional Simply Clever Pack, which as well as a bin for the front door pocket and a tablet holder for one of the back seats (which I confess I have no use for), includes a number of load management features, starting with a high-quality reversable boot mat – a fundamental practicality feature when you have small children who like to get muddy.

More excitingly, you also get a selection of load restraining items – a chunky bar thing and a some less robust dividers that Velcro to the carpet, a cargo net and mesh screen that protects passengers from stuff in the boot above seat-back level.

What’s more, the false boot floor can stay up by itself when you need to access the storage space underneath – yet another thing so many other carmakers seem not to have thought about. And that storage space can swallow all of those accessories as well as the load covers.

It’s a very clever piece of design that means you don’t have to find somewhere else to stash that stuff when you’re not using it – and there’s still room under there for other essentials.

And! There’s even enough room in the cutout areas at the boot sides to swallow a headrest, should you need to remove one for childseat-fitting purposes.

5 out of 5

Sleep Pack

Another option – and a touch niche, perhaps. This gives you bigger rear headrests (and yes, it’s one of those stashed in the boot in that earlier picture) with fold-down side sections intended to stop your head flopping over while you snooze.

Plus you get a blanket. Sweet.

4 out of 5

Dangling boot pull

This is designed to make it easier to reach up and pull the boot closed.

Works well enough, just watch out what’s the boot beneath it, as it’s more than capable of punching through a cardboard box…

3 out of 5

Built-in sun blinds

Not entirely essential when the rear windows are also tinted, but a nice feature to have and very unobtrusive. At least until the five-year-old notices them and starts trying to use them like some kind of percussion instrument. She also isn’t quite able to fully operate them herself.

3 out of 5

Washer bottle lid / funnel

You know how refilling the washer fluid bottle in most cars involves removing a simple lid and then inevitably pouring the washer fluid all over the engine bay as you attempt to aim the stuff down the hole? Well, Skoda has attempted to redress this engineering this natty flappy-lid-with-built-in-funnel affair.

It doesn’t work flawlessly, but it’s better than any other solution bar a proper separate funnel (top tip: cut the top off a – clean – water bottle to create your own funnel if you haven’t got one to hand). Nice try, Skoda.

4 out of 5

Keyless entry on every door

Not exactly a Simply Clever feature, nor unique to Skoda. But boy do I miss this when it’s not fitted to a test car. Being able to keylessly unlock (and relock, for that matter) the car from any door is something no parent of young children should be forced to live without. It makes managing kids in car parks so much easier.

5 out of 5

Rear seat folding pull-switch

This probably has a more technical term, but basically there’s a lever in the boot the releases the rear seats so they can fall flat (or as near to it as the Octavia can manage). Again, not unique to Skoda, but so much better than faffing about with tabs at the top of the seat back and so forth.

4 out of 5

Sensible storage and other up-front features

As well as the usual glovebox, the Octavia has a sizeable lidded cubby on the driver’s side – and it’s not obvious, either, making it a good place to stash items you don’t want visible.

The sunglasses holder in the roof is large enough for two pairs, too, which is handy for your front passenger as well as the driver.

I also like that the SOS button proper is beneath a lid, making it difficult to access automatically. There are other vehicles in the VW Group that use a touch-panel for stuff like this, which has occasionally caused me to activate a call centre when trying to change the interior lighting…

Steering wheel controls

Not so much Simply Clever as just good UX design. I really like the way Skoda has made it easy to access the active safety systems menu with a single button-press from the steering wheel. This makes it easy to turn off the lane-keeping assist in my car – and this plus the speed limit warning bong in the facelift model. There are good reasons for keeping this on, but not necessarily all of the time.

I also appreciate the simple and straightforward the cruise control stalk functions.

5 out of 5

Anything that’s not so good?

Well, I mentioned the slightly bizarre issue with the front passenger headrest and child seats in the last report. But I’d also mention the use of fiddly buttons for some common control elements. Skoda actually does a better job here than much of the VW Group, as there are still physical buttons for shortcuts rather than a total reliance on the touchscreen, which makes getting to the climate control relatively straightforward.

But I can’t seem to operate the heated seats properly. I either press the button too much or too little. It’s something to do with the feel of the switch and the lag in the visual signalling that says my actions have been noted. I don’t have this problem in cars where more proper switchgear is employed.

Fundamentally, though – as is probably obvious – the Octavia Estate is a very well thought-out bit of kit. Sad to say it’s heading home soon, so the final report will follow next time around.

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Report 6: Saying goodbye to the Skoda Octavia Estate long-term test car [final thoughts and conclusion]

I have done 9,000 miles in about half a year in this Skoda Octavia Estate – so what have I learned? Fundamentally, that this is an incredibly well thought out machine. There is almost nothing about this car that doesn’t feel like it’s been thoroughly analysed by a group – no, a team – of people committed to delivering a high-quality experience. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect, but it does explain why the recent facelift was limited to detailed tweaks rather than wholesale changes. Skoda basically got it right the first time.

Well, not exactly the first time. As I mentioned at the very beginning of these long-term reports, the Octavia is a long-standing legend of the school run, because it builds on several generations of no-nonsense practicality and clear thinking. The current version is definitely evidence of this, while carrying the compromises apparently necessary for a modern estate car with admirable grace.

What do you mean by compromises?

If I have a problem with this car at all – and I’m not even certain that I do – it’s that I thought it would be more practical. Which isn’t the same as saying it’s not practical, but I still rather hoped the boot would be… bigger.

Stupid, I know; this is a family estate, not a larger (executive?) model, and if you want a bigger Skoda load-lugger there is obviously the Superb Estate. But for a car that sells itself on hardcore functionality (or at least, that’s how I think it sells itself), having to be careful about how to put a pushchair in the back felt like a tiny bit of a fail to me. Similarly, that sloping rear window always felt like it was leaving potential space unmet.

This is what I mean about graceful compromises, though. Literally no-one – okay, maybe Dacia with the Jogger – seems to think it can build a purely straight-backed wagon these days. The Octavia still has one of the biggest boots around, looks inoffensively attractive, and is narrow enough to take the fear out of parking.

So overall, the compromise is an acceptable one. A little like Skoda’s use of touch-sensitive controls – which is much more judicious than parent company Volkswagen’s. Since there’s no escaping this technology in most modern cars, you might as well be driving one that hasn’t gone overboard. As discussed previously, the non-touch controls are still preferable, and the Octavia does at least still have plenty of those.

How has it faired as daily family transport?

In terms of durability, it’s stood up to the tiny terrors very well. The plastics are robust in the back as well as the front, the seats have survived unscathed, and the driver’s side rear window blind resisted repeated assaults from a curious five-year-old without failure. Aside from the blip with the infotainment system – which we can’t blame the kids for – this is a car that feels more than adequately specced for rigorous family life.

As the driver, the Octavia balances well between comfort and composure. No-one ever complained about bouncy or jarring suspension, but I could still have a bit of fun with it when driving on my own. Body control is good, the steering is a little lacking in feedback but otherwise accurate, and the 1.5-litre turbo engine works in excellent combination with the DSG transmission: fast enough, quiet enough, efficient enough.

How was the fuel economy?

Average fuel consumption for the entire test period (after it came back from the infotainment fix) was 40.58mpg. That’s 10mpg  – and about 20% – shy of the official 50.6mpg claim figure for this model, but I’m still pretty happy with that result.

This is not a car I have driven sympathetically or with any deliberate concern for fuel efficiency – and a lot of my journeys involve lengthy stretches of competitive motorway. To achieve over 40mpg in a car of this size that’s also powered by a petrol engine is definitely a win.

Anything you’d change if you were doing it again?

Not really. As I said right at the beginning, I was able to spec this car very carefully and it all worked out as I’d hoped. The safety systems were useful rather than annoying, the Simply Clever Pack came in actual handy, and who doesn’t like heated rear seats?

The all-season tyres were perhaps a bit of an indulgence – in normal weather conditions they squeal more than the regular rubber, and unfortunately the car was away when the worst of the snow hit, so I didn’t get to see any proper benefit.

However, having them didn’t feel like it reduced driving performance enough to make me avoid them in the future. In in ideal world it would be great to test the impact on economy, however; I suspect the all-seasons may have cost me a little mpg, just as they also cost a little ultimate dry grip.

If we’re speaking of ideal worlds, I like music, so maybe I’d opt for a hi-fi upgrade next time; there are plenty of owners who don’t think the more expensive factory system is worth it, though. Also, much as I like the standard blue paint, perhaps a fancier metallic shade would add a touch more premium kerb appeal.

Would you buy one?

As a practical all-rounder for a family, the Octavia Estate would be right up there on my shortlist. It does so many things so well, I appreciate the thoughtful engineering, and I like this engine and gearbox combo a great deal. I did find the boot weirdly annoying – but perhaps that’s just me; maybe I need something bigger, or a different design of buggy.

So if you have slightly older kids, or a different toddler transport system, it might well be absolutely spot on. You could always invest in a roof box for those Christmas holiday moments.

As for myself, if I’m going to buy one vehicle to rule them all… I’m starting to better understand the attraction of more multipurpose vehicles. I don’t mean as in people carriers, but as I’ve been lucky enough to run long-term tests in a wide variety of machinery that includes such things as pickup trucks, I think I’d like something that can cope with an ever broader range of conditions than an Octavia Estate on all-season tyres.

All a bit unnecessary, maybe. But I like the appeal of a little more ground clearance and maybe four-wheel drive. Skoda used to do an Octavia Scout, which would fit that bill, but unfortunately they’re no-longer sold in the UK. So maybe I’m heading back in the direction of SUV-land like so many other buyers.

So, this Octavia has been a good – no, an excellent – car. But it isn’t quite the right thing for me.

Skoda Octavia Estate 1.5 e-Tec DSG
Latest mileage	9,210 miles
Real-world average fuel economy	40.58mpg (overall)
Official combined fuel economy (WLTP)	50.6mpg
Parkers miles per pound calculation (mpp)	6.2-8.0 (across all petrol engines)
Car on Parkers fleet	November 2023 – June 2024