Skip advert
Advertisement

Skoda Octavia (2013 - 2020) review - Interior, design and technology

Restrained and sensible styling wraps up a full house of technology options

Interior, design and technology rating

4.5

How we review cars
RRP
£27,390 £39,285
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

The Octavia isn’t going to win any beauty contests, but the Skoda’s upright lines and straight edges are handsome and well defined. The nose features a rectangular main grille and headlights, while the second grille under the bumper stretches the full width of the front end. This makes the Octavia look wide and low.

Advertisement - Article continues below

From the side, the Skoda looks long, while the rear windscreen’s shallow angle and the lengthy rear overhang are saloon-like. As standard, the Octavia doesn’t look particularly racy, and inside, the Skoda is restrained and sensible, with a conventional dashboard and centre console layout. The dash features a lot of dark grey plastic, and some of it has a hard finish, but the silver trim around the gearlever and the gloss black trim on the centre console and steering wheel give the cabin a lift.

This means it doesn’t feel like a dreary place in which to spend time. The dials and trip computer are simple to read, while the touchscreen sat-nav is a breeze to use, with a logical layout and straightforward controls allowing you to input destinations with ease. The optional 9.2-inch ‘Columbus’ touchscreen display is better still, but does away with too many buttons. We'd prefer to keep as much functionality as possible accessible via a button rather than a touchscreen.

Elsewhere, there’s dark grey cloth upholstery and more dark grey plastic throughout. However, this is countered by a light grey roof lining, which helps the Octavia’s cabin feel more spacious. Overall, the Skoda is functional rather than flashy, but it’s arguably all the better for it, while build quality is excellent.

Advertisement - Article continues below
Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Used - available now

Octavia

2022 Skoda

Octavia

25,433 milesManualDiesel2.0L

Cash £15,806
View Octavia
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

Skoda offers the Octavia in a range of trim levels, which are available in either a hatch or estate body style. Mainstream models are the entry level S, mid-range SE and SE Drive, while SE L, SportLine and the hot Skoda Octavia vRS offer more kit and performance.

Skoda's reputation for good value is well deserved and standard equipment on the Octavia is excellent, with alloy wheels, DAB radio, a touchscreen system and Bluetooth connectivity all coming as standard on the entry-level S model.

The racy Skoda Octavia vRS adopts a sporty appearance, with a boot spoiler, 18-inch alloy wheels, a red strip across the rear bumper and a more aggressive bodykit. It’s also available in a bright range of colours. The interior of the Skoda Octavia vRS is also given some much needed flair thanks to sports seats, which are available in black and white alcantara, aluminium dash-inlays, aluminium pedals and a sports steering wheel. 

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

The infotainment systems on the Octavia are bang up to date, with full connectivity, touch screens with motion sensors that call up menus, and the option of advanced navigation systems offering intuitive controls and clear mapping. However, for an extra £450, customers may want to upgrade the standard instrument dials to Skoda's Virtual Cockpit, which includes a 10.25-inch digital display. 

You can connect your smartphone using MirrorLink, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto interfaces, while SmartGate tech allows you to send vehicle driving and performance data to a connected device.

There’s a decent 8-speaker sound system as standard, but you can also upgrade to a Canton system for around £500, which adds a central dash speaker and a boot-mounted sub-woofer.

Skip advert
Advertisement

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 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645
Kia PV5 Cargo on display at Commercial Vehicle Show - front 3/4

New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645

All-new entry into the van market promises competitive pricing and comes with a range of up to 247 miles
News
30 Apr 2025