Used Skoda Octavia (Mk4, 2020-date) buyer’s guide: the ultimate second-hand family car

Verdict

With more than seven million examples sold so far, the Octavia is by far Skoda’s biggest-selling model. It’s said that the perfect car doesn’t exist, but the Skoda Octavia is probably the closest thing there is for anyone wanting a family car that’s truly multi-talented. However, there are gripes on owners’ forums about how the latest model is much less easy to live with than its predecessors because Skoda has tried to be too clever with the tech, just like many other car makers. We think it’s a really good all-rounder, but make sure you can live with all of the technology before you buy one.

Car makers have had to really up their game over the past decade or so to remain competitive in an ever more cut-throat world. They’ve had to build cars that are comfier, safer, better equipped and more practical, while still remaining as affordable and reliable as possible.

Some companies have been more successful than others at ticking all (or at least most) of these boxes, but one that stands out is Skoda. Its Octavia has long been a great success in the sales charts as well as our Driver Power surveys, but how does the current Mk4 stack up?

History

The Octavia Mk4 arrived in July 2020, in Estate and hatchback forms, both with 148bhp 1.5 TSI petrol or 2.0 TDI diesel engines; the latter came with 114bhp or 148bhp. Those wanting more excitement could buy an Octavia vRS hatch or Estate from October 2020, in 242bhp 2.0 TSI, 197bhp 2.0 TDI or 242bhp vRS iV forms; the latter was Skoda’s first plug-in hybrid. At the same time a 109bhp 1.0 TSI petrol engine was introduced, plus the 201bhp Octavia iV plug-in hybrid.

A facelifted Octavia has just hit UK roads, with a refreshed nose, revised exterior lighting, range-wide digital instrumentation and bigger infotainment screens. The 2.0 TSI vRS was also boosted to 261bhp.

On the road

The Octavia won’t set your pulse racing with its safe chassis set-up, but Skoda has done a great job of producing a car that’s easy to drive, comfortable and refined, with ample performance unless you buy one with the 1.0 TSI engine; that’s lacklustre but fine if you’re in no hurry. Even in vRS form, the handling isn’t scintillating; this halo model is faster than the other models, but it isn’t as engaging to drive as a Ford Focus, for example.

Which should I buy?

The 1.0 TSI unit is fine if a little underwhelming; buy any of the other engines and you’ll have loads of pep with reasonable economy, while the plug-in hybrid is potentially spectacularly frugal and cheap to run, depending on how you drive it.

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No Octavia is spartan, with even the SE model having 16-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, a 10-inch touchscreen, dual-zone climate control, automatic headlights and wipers, plus rear parking sensors. The SE L has 17-inch alloys, privacy glass, microsuede trim, heated front seats, navigation, adaptive cruise control and front parking sensors.

Alternatives to the Skoda Octavia

There are surprisingly few alternatives, especially if you want a hatchback. The Ford Mondeo was axed in spring 2022 and feels dated in comparison, but it still offers good value and masses of space. Peugeot’s 508 is much more modern and eye-catching, and is enjoyable to drive, but uncommon on the used market.

The Mazda 6 is great fun to drive, feels very upmarket and is stylish, but was only made as a saloon or Estate. The Volkswagen Passat is also a high-quality product that came as a saloon or Estate; it shares much of its engineering and tech with the Octavia, but at a higher price.

Or how about an Audi A5 Sportback/A4 Avant? These are even posher but more expensive.

What to look for

Auto Gearbox

Some owners have found that the 1.5 TSI engine can be very jerky with its power delivery, especially when cold and fitted with the DSG gearbox.

Spare wheel

There’s no spare wheel, but full-size and space-saver wheels were offered with all models apart from the plug-in hybrids; these didn’t have room for a spare.

Software

Electronics glitches are the most common gripe. These can affect many systems, but infotainment problems are the most likely. Software updates often help.

Fuel economy

The iV plug-in hybrid could achieve up to 43 miles running only on electricity, and average up to 235mpg, according to Skoda. In the real world, you should expect up to 70mpg and 25-30 miles.

Interior

Skoda was always supposed to be the value brand within the Volkswagen Group, but the Octavia’s interior doesn’t suggest this is an entry-level car. The fit and finish are impressive, while the large infotainment screens, high-quality switchgear and generous equipment levels give an upmarket feel that’s on a par with much of what Volkswagen offers, but at higher prices.

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The fly in the ointment is the climate-control system, which is adjusted via the touchscreen. But there’s loads of room for three adults in the rear seats, and the boot capacity is excellent, at 600 litres, or 1,555 litres with the seats folded down. The Estate boosts this to 640 or 1,700 litres

Running costs

Octavia owners can choose between fixed or flexible servicing regimes; the latter is the default,  but it can be changed. Whereas the flexible programme allows up to 18,600 miles between services, the fixed option sets the interval at 12 months or 9,300 miles. Most Octavias are on the flexible set-up, which means a £350 bill every other year for routine servicing, although this drops to £285 from the car’s third birthday.

On top of this, all engines have a cambelt that needs to be replaced every 15 years or 186,000/130,500 miles (petrol/diesel), at £750.

Insurance groups are competitive; the 1.0 TSI is in 12 or 13, the 1.5 TSI is typically in group 18 and the 2.0 TDI is in 14-20. The PHEV is group 21 whereas the vRS is in 24 or 25.

Recalls

Skoda has recalled the Octavia Mk4 five times so far, the first in June 2020 because of eCall software glitches. The next campaign was launched in March 2022, because the engine compartment covers of some Octavias could work loose.

Recall three came in April 2022 because some plug-in hybrids were made with faulty fuses in the high-voltage system. Just a couple of Octavias were recalled in July 2023, this time because of sub-standard wheelbearing housings.

The most recent recall, in January 2024, was to deal with some Octavias leaving the factory with faulty DSG transmissions. It affected 15,729 cars.

Driver Power owner satisfaction

Previous Octavias have provided Skoda with some very impressive Driver Power results, but the current model hasn’t appeared in our New Car surveys. The last time an Octavia appeared was in 2022, when the Mk3 managed 66th out of 75 entries; the same car came 43rd the previous year. Despite Skoda’s reputation for happy customers, it came 23rd out of 32 in our 2024 Brands survey.

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