Skoda Superb review: a supremely spacious family car that’s hard to fault

Quick verdict

The Skoda Superb combines everything we loved about its award-winning predecessor with newfound sophistication. Both the king-size hatchback and massively practical estate car versions are comfortable, hugely spacious, and offer a well-finished interior at an affordable price. There’s also a host of smart and intuitive technology on offer that’s equally impressive, as it adds more functionality without overcomplicating matters – in typical Skoda fashion. 

Skoda Superb: price, specs and rivals

The fourth-generation Skoda Superb has a lot to live up to. The last one was such a brilliant all-rounder that it won our Family Car of the Year award an impressive four times. That was no mean feat against a sea of talented alternatives and underlines the car’s strengths as a tempting option for modern families that are inevitably also having their heads turned by SUVs.

Like before, the Superb is offered as a five-door saloon-cum-hatchback and a hugely practical estate car. The Skoda Superb Estate is expected to be the more popular of the two in the UK, as was the case with the previous model, because the large hatchback bodystyle has fallen out of favour.

Most of the Skoda Superb hatchback’s key rivals (like the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia) have kicked the bucket, and even its sister car, the Volkswagen Passat, is offered exclusively as a wagon these days. The Peugeot 508 is probably the most direct rival to the Superb Hatch still left, although the unconventional Citroen C5 X is also a worthy adversary. 

Mid-size SUVs such as the Hyundai Tucson are the bane of the Skoda Superb Estate, but it also faces competition from the latest Passat, the Peugeot 508 SW, and our reigning estate car of the year, the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports. Meanwhile, the BMW 3 Series Touring and Mercedes C-Class Estate offer more premium alternatives.

The Skoda Superb stands out because of its impressive value, because prices start at just under £35,000 for the hatchback, and a little over £36,000 for the estate. The entry-level SE Technology spec – which Skoda expects to be the most popular with Brits – comes generously equipped with a big touchscreen, 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, cooled wireless charging pad, keyless start, heated and massaging front seats with adjustable lumbar support, a reversing camera, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning and traffic-jam assist.

Upgrade to mid-range SE L trim to add larger 18-inch rims, sports comfort seats, a hands-free powered tailgate, leather and artificial upholster, and matrix LED headlights with dynamic range control and cornering functionality. Estate models in this trim also benefit from an electric sliding parcel shelf for the boot.

Skoda’s poshest specification, Laurin & Klement, costs over £10,000 more than the base cars, and gets a dark chrome grille surround with matching exterior trim, unique wheels, a choice of either black or cognac brown leather upholstery, a heated leather steering wheel, heated rear seats, a heated windscreen and even heated washer nozzles. Range-topping models do feature Dynamic Chassis Control Plus (DCC Plus) adaptive dampers and more driver assistance features.

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While it isn’t surprising to read that the Skoda Superb isn’t a particularly engaging car to drive, it is a refined and comfortable place to spend time on a long trip. In particular, the ride manages to balance comfort and control well, so it doesn’t feel all at sea over undulations at motorway speeds or tackling a few bends on a B-road blast. The smallest petrol tends to hang on to gears a bit too much when accelerating, while the 2.0 TDI 150 provides plenty of grunt in all situations. Read more about the Skoda Superb's engines, performance and drive…

A mixture of efficient petrol and diesel engines, competitive insurance costs, and residual values that are on par with its main rivals means the Skoda Superb shouldn’t be all that expensive to run. The diesel will give the range you’d need for long trips, while the plug-in hybrid has a long electric range and low emissions to keep company car drivers paying Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax happy. The only downside with the latter, is that it costs over £40,000 when new, and is, therefore, liable for a surcharge in yearly VED tax. Read more about the Skoda Superb's MPG, emissions and running costs…

The exterior design of the Superb is classy and restrained, while the interior has seen a significant upgrade in terms of technology. Every version gets a digital virtual cockpit for the driver’s instrument cluster that’s easy to use and comes packed with features. We’re impressed with ‘Smart Dials’ that easily allow you to switch between various functions without having to delve into the central touchscreen – unlike on the pricer Volkswagen Passat. Read more about the Skoda Superb's interior, design and technology…

The Skoda Superb is supremely practical whether you go for it in hatchback or estate form. The 28 simply clever touches help set it apart from rivals, such as the handy umbrella in the driver’s door and the convenient ice-scraper that lives behind the fuel filler flap. There’s virtually limo-like amounts of room for passengers in the back, and the estate version, in particular, could embarrass estate cars costing significantly more with the amount of cargo carrying capacity it has. Read more about the Skoda Superb's boot space, comfort and practicality…

It’s too early to comment on how the latest Skoda Superb will do in our Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, but the brand has historically performed better than its VW sibling. Safety experts Euro NCAP have given the Superb the maximum five out of five-star result in terms of its crashworthiness, and the Superb comes with all the latest safety assistance technology you’d expect. The standard Skoda warranty is on par with most manufacturers, but a growing number will offer significantly greater coverage. Read more about the Skoda Superb’s reliability and safety…

Should you buy a Skoda Superb?

Just because it isn’t an SUV is no reason to dismiss the Skoda Superb, because it does everything you’d need of a family car while being more efficient and cost-effective to run. The estate is likely to be the more popular choice, and given how cavernous the boot is, we can understand why. 

That boot is just as big as what you’ll find in the pricier Volkswagen Passat, but the Superb is the better choice because it offers a more diverse range of engines, including diesel power that’ll be important to private buyers and anyone who uses their car to tow a caravan. Company car drivers can also get exactly the same plug-in hybrid system as the Passat, but for thousands less, which all helps in terms of costs. 

We think the Superb has a more user friendly interior thanks to its ‘Smart Dials’, which offer a neat physical control for frequently used functions that you would otherwise have to delve into the central infotainment system of the Passat to find. While the Superb might be a small step behind the Passat in terms of refinement, we think the difference is small enough that you can easily use its lower price to justify choosing the Superb