Reviews of the Skoda Octavia Estate

The Skoda Octavia Estate is the perfect family car. The latest model in the Octavia range blends practicality and space with a comfortable drive, offering a range of possibilities for young and older families.

Although not the most exciting car, the Skoda Octavia Estate will be a fine servant of your family, proven by the fact it won the Best Estate Car award in the Carbuyer Best Car Awards 2022.

Rivals to the Octavia Estate include the estate versions of the VW Golf, Toyota Corolla Touring Sport, Vauxhall Astra and Ford Focus.

Our Skoda Octavia review covers:

• Typical Octavia look with a smart and slick design
• Practical and spacious interior with comfort a priority
• 640-litre boot, which expands to 1,700 litres with the seats folded
• Available with a range of petrol, diesel, hybrid and PHEV engines
• Four trim levels, including SE, SE Technology, SE L and vRS

The latest Skoda Octavia Estate is consistent with its predecessors, maintaining that distinctive Octavia look; after all, why fix something if it’s not broken? Down the side, there is a crease that makes it look a bit sportier, and there are LED lights on the front and rear of the car. 

The new front-end design also introduces Vauxhall's 'IntelliLux' front lights, which comprise of 84 LEDs in each headlight to provide dynamic high beam lighting that doesn't dazzle. 

Further design enhancements include new bumpers, a contrasting gloss black roof, two-tone paint finish, body-coloured wheel arch cladding, and side skirts on SRi versions.

Step inside, and the Grandland's much-improved cabin offers a reasonable amount of rear passenger space and enough room for a family of four. Access to the rear seats is easy due to the wide-opening doors. There's also lots of storage inside for all your odds and ends, including large door bins, a useful cubby ahead of the gear lever, two cupholders on the centre console and a decent sized glove compartment. 

At the rear, the Grandland's 514-litre boot, which expands to a maximum of 1,652 litres with the rear seats folded, offers adequate room for luggage. Boot capacity, however, falls to 390-litres with the hybrid versions due to the car's 13.2kWh battery, which is located under the boot floor. 

There’s no denying that the interior of the Octavia Estate is bland, but an effort has been made to try and keep up with its rivals. The seats are thickly stuffed, allowing for a good level of comfort, and there’s a range of soft-touch plastics on the dashboard that make the car feel more expensive.

Furthermore, the entry-level Octavia Estate houses a 10-inch infotainment touchscreen with voice control, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The software is occasionally prone to crashing and lagging, but this is countered by sharp, sophisticated graphics and a responsive touch screen.

Four trims are available for the Octavia Estate, with the entry-level SE, the SE Technology, SE L and vRS.

The SE entry-level trim adds to the essential equipment with 16-inch alloy wheels, black window surroundings, heated mirrors, height-adjustable front seats, and cruise control.

The SE Technology adds a Columbus satellite navigation system, textile floor mats, infotainment online (1 year), and front and rear parking sensors with manoeuvre assist.

The SE L comes with 17-inch alloys, chrome window surroundings, microsuede upholstery, Columbus satellite navigation, front and rear parking sensors with assist, and keyless entry and start/stop.

The vRS is the sportiest version of the Octavia Estate. It comes with 19-inch Altair alloy wheels, a three-spoke leather sports multi-function steering wheel, full LED matrix headlights, LED rear lights, and black vRS sports upholstery with red stitching.

A range of petrol, diesel, mild-hybrid and PHEV engines are available on the Octavia Estate.

Petrol and hybrid engines are available regardless of trim. Once you get to the SE Technology, diesel engines become available. For the top of the range vRS, a plug-in hybrid EV is available.

All petrol engines provide a smooth drive and a good relationship with their six-speed gearbox. The smallest engine available is a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol unit. It offers 110hp and moderate performance but will struggle if the car is packed and has several suitcases on board.

If you have a large family, the 1.5-litre engine would be better suited to accommodate the weight. The top-of-the-range petrol engine is a 2.0-litre DSG that gets from 0-62mph in 6.7 seconds.

If long journeys with the family are your forte, one of the three 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engines would be the best choice. The 150hp version offers the best balance of economy and power. All diesel engines are available with manual and automatic transmissions.

You can also have a plug-in hybrid for the first time in the Octavia range. It uses a 1.4-litre petrol engine and an electric motor to produce a top speed of 140mph and is available with a six-speed DSG automatic gearbox. However, this is only available for the vRS.

With practicality at the heart of the Octavia Estate, it doesn’t provide much excitement in terms of performance. It has plenty of grip and accurate steering but won’t offer much fun on twisty country roads and the motorway.

It doesn’t compare to its rivals on the road, and if you’re after an exciting drive, the Ford Focus Estate and Toyota Corolla Touring Sport would be more to your choosing.

Prices for the new Skoda Octavia Estate start from £24,645.00 OTR* or to lease from £259.27 per month.

Do you have any questions about leasing a Skoda Octavia Estate? Nationwide Vehicle Contracts is one of the largest car leasing providers in the UK. Our car leasing offers include the manufacturer’s warranty, road tax for the duration of the lease, breakdown coverage, and free mainland GB delivery (exclusions apply).

Leasing a Skoda Octavia Estate may be less expensive than an outright purchase because of fixed monthly rentals, a low initial investment, variable mileage, and contract terms. 

*'On the road' price correct at time of publication and includes one year's road fund license, DVLA first registration fee and number plate fee. Prices are subject to change, always check with your nearest retailer.