Skip advert
Advertisement

New Skoda Octavia 2024 facelift review: entry-level hatch is great value

Entry-level trim could be the sweet in the updated Skoda Octavia's range

Overall Auto Express rating

4.5

How we review cars
Avg. savings
£2,212 off RRP*
Find your Skoda Octavia
Compare deals from trusted partners on this car and previous models.
Or are you looking to sell your car?
Value my car
Fast, no-nonsense car selling
Value my car

Verdict

There's a terrific honesty to the latest Skoda Octavia in base trim. It brings a surprisingly generous line-up of standard kit and is a smooth, comfy performer on the road. Plus of course, it offers every bit as much space as the more expensive versions. That makes it a bit of a star, in our book – and potentially the best model in the entire range, as well as the cheapest.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The Skoda Octavia is a practical car, regardless of whether it’s an estate or a saloon. But can you pick a model right at the bottom of the range and still feel like you’re getting a satisfying product? This evaluation of the entry-level petrol model should give us a good idea.

SE Technology is the starting point for new Octavias, and as we’ve noted in our review of the Sportline estate, it doesn’t exactly want for equipment. Climb aboard and yes, you might find the front cabin lacks a few of the visual flourishes that you get in posher versions, but there’s still a neat finish on the dash. Indeed, the metallic-effect strip that runs right across the centre of the facia does an extremely good job of breaking up the greys and blacks and brightening the overall look.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Used - available now

Octavia

2020 Skoda

Octavia

16,579 milesManualDiesel2.0L

Cash £18,299
View Octavia
Octavia

2024 Skoda

Octavia

54,809 milesManualPetrol1.5L

Cash £12,948
View Octavia
Octavia

2024 Skoda

Octavia

11,886 milesManualPetrol1.0L

Cash £15,083
View Octavia
Octavia

2021 Skoda

Octavia

27,186 milesManualPetrol1.0L

Cash £13,300
View Octavia

The tech doesn’t feel outclassed either, with the same 13-inch infotainment system – the kind of set-up that would have been unthinkable in a base-level family car as recently as 12 months ago. Even heated seats are included – a seemingly luxurious addition at this level. Also standard are parking sensors, but that’s a more sensible feature, given that the Octavia is longer than pretty much anything else in the class. You soon realise that huge boot ends a relatively long way behind you.

Perhaps the best news of all is that SE Technology versions sit on mere 16-inch wheels, and they give the Octavia, with its comparatively long wheelbase, a terrific ability to soak up bumps and scarred road surfaces. There’s so much squidgy sidewall to help cushion impacts from below that the cheapest iteration of the Skoda really is the most comfortable version available.

Of course, this spec is available only with the more modest of the car’s petrol engines – but the 148bhp 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit, complete with cylinder deactivation to boost fuel economy, is well proven from the previous version of the car. 

The same can be said for the dual-clutch transmission; as is often the case, it’s not the smoothest when you’re trying
to perform low-speed manoeuvres, but in general it does a good job of jumping between ratios slickly and quickly. You’d never describe the Octavia 1.5 as rapid, but it’s brisk enough when it needs to be.

Nor, of course, is it the last word in driver involvement; this isn’t a car you buy with dynamic thrills in mind. But it has better cabin space and boot capacity than pretty much anything else in the class – and that’s what really counts.

Model:Skoda Octavia SE Tech 1.5 150PS DSG
Price:£26,775
Powertrain:1.5-litre 4cyl turbo petrol
Power/torque:148bhp/220Nm
Transmission:Six-speed dual-clutch auto, front-wheel drive
0-62mph:10.4 seconds
Top speed:126mph
Economy WLTP combined/CO2:53.2 - 54.3 mpg/118 -121g/km
Size (L/W/H):4,698/2,003/1,470mm
On sale:Now
Skip advert
Advertisement
Editor-at-large

John started journalism reporting on motorsport – specifically rallying, which he had followed avidly since he was a boy. After a stint as editor of weekly motorsport bible Autosport, he moved across to testing road cars. He’s now been reviewing cars and writing news stories about them for almost 20 years.

New & used car deals

Skoda Octavia

Skoda Octavia

RRP £21,750Avg. savings £2,212 off RRP*Used from £12,648
Skoda Superb

Skoda Superb

RRP £35,925Avg. savings £2,880 off RRP*Used from £13,420
Skoda Scala

Skoda Scala

RRP £19,520Avg. savings £1,807 off RRP*Used from £9,495
Hyundai Tucson

Hyundai Tucson

RRP £29,820Avg. savings £5,075 off RRP*Used from £14,448
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k
Kia PV5 Passenger - show front

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k

New entry into the electric people carrier market undercuts the VW ID. Buzz by a significant margin
News
29 Apr 2025
Car Deal of the Day: BMW’s ultimate luxury SUV at an unusually low price
BMW X7 - front

Car Deal of the Day: BMW’s ultimate luxury SUV at an unusually low price

German firm’s flagship SUV could never be called cheap but it is exceptional value at £735 a month – making it our Deal of the Day for Sunday 27 April
News
27 Apr 2025
New Volkswagen ID.3 Match 2025 review: attractive price boosts EV’s appeal
Volkswagen ID.3 Pure Match - front

New Volkswagen ID.3 Match 2025 review: attractive price boosts EV’s appeal

The value-focused Volkswagen ID.3 Match performs well and is easy to live with
Road tests
28 Apr 2025