Skoda Octavia GreenLine now on sale

The Skoda Octavia GreenLine, the most economical model in the hatchback range, has gone on sale in the UK, capable of 88.3mpg and CO2 emissions of just 85g/km for free road tax.

The Skoda is powered by the 109bhp, 1.6-litre diesel engine that is also found in the Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion, which means it will do 0-60mph in around 10 seconds, and hit a top speed in the region of 125mph.

Low-rolling-resistance tyres have been fitted to the Octavia to aid economy and the car also gets unique alloy wheels, GreenLine badging, and front fog lights that come on when turning to help to illuminate bends. The Skoda also has an extremely low BiK (benefit in Kind) rating of 13 per cent, which makes it extremely cheap to run for company car drivers.

It is also one of our favourite family cars, thanks to a spacious interior that has plenty of room for five people. The 590-litre boot is the largest in its class, and it can be extended to 1,580 litres by folding the rear seats flat.

• Check out our top 10 family cars

While the Octavia can’t quite match the comfortable suspension of the Volkswagen Golf, it gets pretty close, and its stiffer set up means there is less body lean in the corners. All Octavias come fitted with air conditioning, alloy wheels, DAB digital radio and a Bluetooth phone connection.

Skoda’s reputation for reliability and customer service ranks among the best, and the last Octavia came sixth out of 150 models in our 2013 Driver Power satisfaction survey. Skoda, meanwhile, came second out of 32 manufacturers, while the new Octavia also gets a five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP.

On sale from today, the Octavia GreenLine is priced from £20,250, which means it undercuts the smaller Volkswagen Golf Bluemotion by £500. A Skoda Octavia GreenLine estate version is expected to follow later this year.

For all the latest Skoda reviews, visit the Carbuyer Skoda reviews page.