Skoda Superb Estate running costs and reliability

• Diesels offer impressive running costs
• But some petrols not far behind
• Plug-in hybrid best on paper

The best performer for real-life fuel economy is the 1.6 TDI DSG – achieving up to a claimed 48.7mpg but in lower-spec cars. The official figure can vary between models due to the size of the wheels fitted. Moving up the range and the 2.0 TDI 190 manages 44.1-47.1mpg, while 4×4 versions of this are lower at 39.8-43.5mpg. 

For the petrols, the 1.5 TSI claims some almost diesel-like figures of 35.8-39.8mpg (DSG) and 38.7-42.2mpg (manual). The 2.0 TSI isn’t quite as impressive at 35.3-37.7mpg, while it’s not surprising to learn the 272hp 4×4 model weighs in with the worst official claimed fuel economy at 30.4-32.5mpg. 

While the figures for fuel economy are up to date and WLTP-compliant, the CO2 emissions are not, calculated under NEDC conditions. As such, they are subject to change, but for the time being the best performer is the 1.6 TDI with 113g/km, with 2.0 TDI models claiming 118-132g/km. 

The petrols manage 122-125g/km for the 1.5 TSI, while 2.0 TSI models range from 141g/km for the 190hp unit and 161g/km for the 272hp model. 

What about the plug-in hybrid?

On paper, the Superb iV plug-in hybrid is by far and away the best performer for fuel economy, with 149-217mpg Combined claimed in the WLTP real world test. To achieve anywhere near this, you’ll need to be utilising the car’s plug-in hybrid powertrain to the full, charging wherever possible and using just electric power almost all the time, and trying to avoid journeys of more than 50 miles.

In our own testing, we found that the Skoda Superb iV will cover just under 30 gently-driven miles on a full battery, and on a longer motorway journey, it will get you up to 50mpg depending on how you manage the car’s many drive modes. It’s a good result, just don’t let those WLTP figures riase your expectations too highly.

If you’re in town, the car’s claimed 35-mile EV range should see you achieve this, although as said above, we averaged 28 miles on full charge. Plus, CO2 emissions of 30-42g/km keep things nice and tax efficient for company car drivers. 

Is it reliable?

• Everything feels solidly built 
• But there have been seven recalls
• Three-year warranty from new 

The Skoda Superb has established itself as a reliable performer during its production run, a fact that’s helped by the dealer network’s above average dealer support and backup if things do go wrong. Materials used throughout feel of high quality, even plastics found in the boot area have durable feel which suggest they’ll easily last the lifetime of the car.

The car’s underpinnings are essentially identical to those found on the Volkswagen Passat, which in turn are a stretched version of the MQB platform found under a plethora of models from the smaller Skoda Octavia to the Volkswagen Golf and even the Audi TT.

Aside from a few DSG transmission glitches and problems with cold running on the 1.5 TSI Evo engine, mechanically there are no serious gripes – engines and transmissions have already seen hundreds of thousands of miles of service elsewhere in the Group’s range offering a level of mechanical integrity rival manufacturers would be envious of.

That said, there have been seven recalls, varying from issues to do with the sunroof to electrical niggles, but these should have been fixed if you’re buying a used model. If you are worried, the Superb comes with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty from new. The Parkers owners’ review score is a very healthy 4.8 out of five stars.