Overall room is the strongest point of the Skoda Octavia Estate. Passengers are treated to lots of head- and legroom front and rear, as well as a bright and airy cabin. The cabin design is conventional aside from the infotainment screen and touch-sensitive controls – and it’s well trimmed with tasteful materials that are well screwed together.
The front seats are inviting and comfortable, and it’s easy to get into a good position regardless of your size. On top of this, those sitting in the back are very well catered for. There are phone storage pockets on the front seatbacks and are a raft of other comfort options, including the sleep package (two larger headrests and a blanket), retractable sun blinds and child safety locks that can be operated electrically from the driver’s seat.
Boot space and storage
The Octavia Estate has always been one of the most spacious vehicles in its class and often those a size above, particularly in terms of boot volume. This continues with the fourth-generation model, coming in at 640 litres with the rear seats in place and 1,700 litres with them folded; surpassing the BMW 5 Series Touring in the process. The boot has a false floor (not on iV plug-in hybrid versions, though), while the electric tailgate gains a Tip-To-Close function, meaning a gentle pull will make it close, rather than having to push a button. Finally – and this is a big one for parents – there are now sensors to operate the keyless open and close system in all four doors.
Practicality-wise the gargantuan rear legroom is unchanged in the plug-in hybrid iV, while the boot is slightly smaller as the space under the floor is taken up by the battery and a cable storage slot. In reality this isn’t the end of the world as the Octavia’s boot starts off so large anyway, so this reduction in volume means it’s merely average for this size of car, rather than compromised, dropping from 640/1,700 litres to 490/1,555 litres seats up/down.
Something Skoda has been doing for years is including handy little objects in hidden areas – most notably an ice scraper in the fuel filler flap and umbrellas in the front doors. Well, the former now includes a tyre tread depth gauge and you can choose a snow brush for one of the doors instead of a brolly.
Is it easy to park?
While the Skoda Octavia Estate is one of the larger cars in the compact estate sector, it benefits from large windows and door mirrors to make it easy to judge your dimensions. Add in light steering and engines that respond quickly, and it’s pretty easy to manoeuvre.
Rear parking sensors are fitted as standard on all models, while moving to a higher-spec SE L sees front sensors added, too. If you want a rear-view camera, it’s only available as an option on the vRS.
Safety
Lots of driver assistance included
LED lights standard, optional matrix LEDs
New tech protects cyclists and pedestrians
Euro NCAP tested the Skoda Octavia Estate in 2019, where it earned a full five-star rating. This score applies to all versions, too, since the standard estate was tested, and covers the iV plug-in and vRS variant – the Estate’s score also applies to the Octavia hatchback.
The Octavia comes with everything you might expect to find. LED lights are standard front and rear on all models and are bright enough to offer good visibility ahead, with the option to upgrade to adaptive Matrix LED units. Other gadgets include a head-up display for the first time, as well as adaptive cruise control and blind spot monitors.
Here’s a full run-down of the Skoda Octavia Estate’s safety kit:
Turn Assist – detects oncoming traffic when turning left at a junction
Exit Warning system – warns if a vehicle or a cyclist is approaching from behind when a car door is open
Local Traffic Warning function – automatically warns of hold-ups in the immediate area
Area View system – 360-degree overhead camera
Side Assist blind spot warning
Predictive Cruise Control – uses camera and sat-nav data to adjust the cruise control speed, works down to a full stop, even on cars with a manual gearbox
Crew Protect Assist – prepares the car for a head-on or rear-end collision, or even a roll, by tensioning the front seat belts, and closing the windows and panoramic roof
Multi-Collision Brake – stops the vehicle after a collision to prevent rolling
WATCH: Skoda Octavia Euro NCAP crash test video
Basic equipment
The basic equipment list includes equipment that is standard across all versions of the Skoda Octavia Estate.
3x3 point rear seat belts
ABS
Alloy wheels
Climate control
Cloth seat trim
Driver`s airbag
Electric mirrors
Folding rear seats
Front electric windows
Height adjustable drivers seat
Isofix child seat anchor points
Lumbar support
PAS
Passenger`s airbag
Rear electric windows
Remote locking
Roof rails
Side airbags
Traction control
Equipment by trim level
To view equipment options for a specific trim level, please select from the following list:
Equipment included on some trim levels
Audio remote
CD
Cruise control
Electric driver`s seat
Front fog lights
Headlight washers
Heated mirrors
Heated seats
Metallic Paint
Sat Nav
Sports seats
Steering wheel rake adjustment
SE equipment
SE standard equipment
CD
Cruise control
Heated mirrors
SE optional equipment
None available
SE First Edition equipment
SE First Edition standard equipment
Cruise control
Heated mirrors
SE First Edition optional equipment
Sat Nav
SE L equipment
SE L standard equipment
Headlight washers
Heated mirrors
Heated seats
Sat Nav
SE L optional equipment
None available
SE L First Edition equipment
SE L First Edition standard equipment
Electric driver`s seat
Headlight washers
Heated seats
Sat Nav
SE L First Edition optional equipment
Cruise control
Heated mirrors
SE Technology equipment
SE Technology standard equipment
Cruise control
Heated mirrors
Sat Nav
SE Technology optional equipment
None available
vRS equipment
vRS standard equipment
Audio remote
Front fog lights
Headlight washers
Heated mirrors
Heated seats
Metallic Paint
Sat Nav
Sports seats
vRS optional equipment
Steering wheel rake adjustment
Euro NCAP Rating – 5 stars
The Skoda Octavia Estate was tested by Euro NCAP in 2020 and was awarded a 5 star overall rating.
This overall rating is calculated from the following individual ratings:
Euro NCAP provides motoring consumers with a realistic and independent assessment of the safety performance of some of the most popular cars sold in Europe.
The safety ratings are determined from a series of vehicle tests, designed and carried out by Euro NCAP.
These tests represent, in a simplified way, important real life accident scenarios that could result in injured or killed car occupants or other road users.