Skoda Octavia - Interior, design and technology

For 2024, the Skoda Octavia has been facelifted with revised daytime running lights and matrix LED headlights, a sharper front bumper look, fresh tail lights with animations and some new alloy wheel and colour options you can choose from.

The facelift also saw some trim level and engine changes. The base model is now SE Technology, which means all cars now come with a 13-inch touchscreen as standard, along with heated seats.

SE Technology comes with 16-inch alloys - great for comfort - plus LED lights, umbrellas in the doors, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wireless phone charging, dual-zone air-con and keyless start.

The SE L specification includes bigger 17-inch alloys, adaptive cruise control and front parking sensors, while SportLine models get 18-inch alloy wheels, metallic paint, a black spoiler, tinted windows, chrome exhaust pipes and sports seats.

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Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

The infotainment is one area where the Skoda Octavia has moved on. All models feature a 13-inch touchscreen with sat-nav. There’s no volume knob, with a slider function located beneath the screen allowing you to adjust the level. This works okay, and at least you can tap the slider to a point for your desired volume.

There are also no physical climate dials, with the left and right temperature controls integrated into the bottom of the touchscreen. There’s an advanced climate-controlled function to warm your feet or cool your face, but you can still set everything up manually, too.

The menus are well laid out, the screen response is good, and the graphics are sharp. You also get lots of kit, with sat-nav, Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay, but you have to pay extra for a wireless charging pad. The standard digital dash is a plus point and, overall, the digital approach is a positive step, but could be better with a few analogue touches.