Skoda Octavia review - Reliability and safety

Skoda is renowned for its reliability and the Octavia has performed consistently well in our Driver Power customer satisfaction surveys, although its 43rd-place finish in the 2021 poll will be a little disappointing to the Czech manufacturer. With the Skoda Karoq and Kodiaq models finishing in 5th and 6th place respectively on a 75-car list, the Octavia's showing may be reflective of buyers showing more enthusiasm for SUVs and crossover-styled family cars.

Euro NCAP tested the Octavia in 2019 and awarded the family hatchback a full five stars. There were strong scores for adult and child passenger safety of 92 per cent and 88 per cent respectively.

The Octavia offers good levels of safety kit, with vRS cars featuring front and rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection and a head-up display. Optional safety technology include Park Assist, a driver fatigue sensor, a rear-view camera and the Travel Assist pack, which offers traffic sign recognition, adaptive lane assist, predictive adaptive cruise control and traffic jam assist.

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Warranty

A three-year/60,000-mile warranty is standard, although this can be extended to five years/100,000 miles. However, rivals such as Hyundai and Kia offer more extensive standard coverage.

Servicing

Service intervals for the Octavia are every 12 months or 10,000 miles, and the manufacturer offers fixed pricing for all servicing and maintenance work.