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In-depth reviews

Skoda Kodiaq SUV - MPG, running costs & CO2

Smaller, cheaper SUVs and SUV crossovers may be more economical, but the Skoda Kodiaq is a true family wagon with affordable running costs.

Carbuyer Rating

4.5 out of 5

Owners Rating

5.0 out of 5

Read owner reviews
MPG, running costs & CO2 Rating

4.5 out of 5

Not long ago, if you wanted a large SUV with seven seats like the Skoda Kodiaq, you’d have to face steep fuel bills. Not so now, as the Kodiaq makes use of efficient petrol and diesel engine technology and fuel-saving measures. This means it can return over 40mpg and won’t cost the earth to tax – despite having seven seats and weighing up to 2.5 tonnes. It’s a shame the lower-powered 2.0-litre TDI diesel was discontinued, as this offered up fuel economy figures of just over 50mpg.

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It seems a little behind the times that Skoda isn’t offering the Kodiaq as an electrified hybrid or plug-in hybrid, as seen with rivals like the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento. These tend to be even cheaper to run, especially for company-car drivers.

Skoda Kodiaq MPG & CO2

The 2.0-litre 148bhp diesel that returned around 50mpg was discontinued leaving the 197bhp diesel as the most economical version. It gets fuel economy of up to 42.8mpg and emits between 174 and 179g/km of CO2. Although it boasts the best fuel economy, the 2.0-litre TDI is significantly more expensive to buy than the 1.5-litre petrol, as it’s only offered on SE L Executive trim and above – even in the same trim it costs around £5,500 more than that model, so the fuel savings might not feel worth it.

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The front-wheel drive 1.5-litre petrol model is not far behind on fuel economy, thanks to its ‘active-cylinder technology’ which shuts down one of the four cylinders during gentle cruising to save fuel. This engine is capable of up to 40.4mpg with emissions of 158-166g/km of CO2. The 2.0-litre TSI engine with four-wheel drive returns the worst fuel economy of the standard Kodiaq range, with up to 35.3mpg, and CO2 emissions between 183-187g/km.

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All Kodiaqs under £40,000 are charged at the standard VED (tax) rate – models over this incur a surcharge that increases the cost for the first five tax renewals.

We’d generally caution against specifying four-wheel drive unless you really need it. The Kodiaq should be competent over moderately rough terrain and the four-wheel-drive system is effective, but it costs about £2,000 and dents fuel economy.

All Kodiaqs cost the standard VED (tax) rate, unless you breach the £40,000 mark, at which point a surcharge takes the cost up for the first five times you renew.

Insurance group

The Kodiaq is pretty affordable to insure, sitting in groups 15-29 out of 50, making it slightly more affordable than the smaller Volkswagen Tiguan.

Servicing

You can choose to maintain the Kodiaq based on fixed or variable servicing schedules, depending on the sort of journeys you do. If you’re going down the fixed route (recommended for those who drive hard, fast or take lots of short journeys), expect to book the Kodiaq in every year or 10,000 miles. Skoda typically charges around £300 for two years’ worth of maintenance via its service plan.

Warranty

Skoda’s three-year warranty is decent if unexceptional. There’s no mileage cap for the first two years, while the third year has a 60,000-mile limit. Extended warranties will be available to purchase, should you want extra reassurance.

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Charlie writes and edits news, review and advice articles for Carbuyer, as well as publishing content to its social media platforms. He has also been a regular contributor to its sister titles Auto Express, DrivingElectric and evo. As well as being consumed by everything automotive, Charlie is a speaker of five languages and once lived in Chile, Siberia and the Czech Republic, returning to the UK to write about his life-long passion: cars.

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