Skoda Octavia review – the most practical family hatchback
Top 10 best diesel cars on sale today
Diesel cars are a great choice for drivers who cover long distances on the motorway – we cover the 10 best
Once heralded as the fuel of the future, diesel cars have garnered something of a bad rap in recent years. More and more car buyers are turning to hybrid and electric cars to reduce their running costs, including business drivers tempted by ultra-low Benefit-in-Kind tax rates. Despite this push towards electrification, diesel cars still make a lot of sense for certain drivers, and fortunately, the models on sale today are some of the most efficient, refined and cleanest ever produced.
The key benefit of a diesel car is fuel efficiency. They’re often more economical than an equivalent petrol car over long distances at high speed, making them an ideal choice for drivers who spend most of their miles on the motorway. With high torque outputs, they make for great tow cars, too, often being rated to pull more than hybrid and electric cars.
Whether diesel is the right choice for you also depends on other factors. Concerns over local air pollution and issues with DPFs (diesel particulate filters) mean diesels are not the best choice if you spend all your time in urban, stop-start traffic. But if you cover large distances outside of the city, the models on the list below are well worth investigating.
If you’re after a car with lower emissions, be sure to check out our guides to the best hybrid cars, best plug-in hybrid cars and best electric cars currently on sale. Sometimes they will suit your needs better than a diesel.
- Priced from £29,320
The Skoda Octavia has been a favourite of families, emergency services fleets and company car drivers for over a decade, and those that look past the badge are rewarded with an efficient and comfortable vehicle. Following a recent facelift in 2024, Skoda continues to offer the Octavia with a wide range of engines, and the diesel is still a core part of the line-up. The 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine is still a great choice for higher-mileage drivers or those that tow, and is available in 114bhp and 148bhp states of tune.
The Octavia really is a car that can do it all. It’s far more practical than the Volkswagen Golf it’s based on, with a bigger boot and more rear-seat passenger space. It’s cheaper, too, and just as efficient – we saw a combined fuel economy figure of 66mpg during our in-depth test, making the Octavia one of the most efficient non-hybrid cars on the market.
- Priced from £58,310
The latest Land Rover Defender has been on the market for several years now and impressed us in every guise, including the shorter, three-door 90 variant and the longer 110 and 130 five-door versions. Although the plug-in hybrid Defender and supercharged V8 version are the quicker models, we think most Land Rover buyers will be best served by one of the diesel engines.
Buyers can choose between the diesel D250 or D350. Both are six-cylinder engines with mild-hybrid tech for improved refinement and efficiency, while power stands at 246bhp and 296bhp respectively. Of course, all Defenders are four-wheel drive and make for excellent tow cars (all are rated to tow up to 3,500kg) but the D350’s whopping 700Nm of torque gives it the most low-down pulling power of the lot.
- Priced from £56,820
Some car manufacturers have axed their most popular diesel models in favour of hybrids – including BMW and its 3 Series – but Mercedes still offers the E-Class with a traditional diesel engine. What’s interesting, however, is that Mercedes also sells the E-Class as a diesel plug-in hybrid – one of very few on the market.
Built for those who do lots of miles, the Mercedes E 300 de gives the ability to glide around town on electric power and still get decent fuel economy on a long motorway run. This is great news for business drivers, who can benefit from the low CO2 emissions and low BiK rates of a PHEV, without sacrificing long-distance fuel efficiency.
A near-silent electric motor suits the plush E-Class, which doesn’t chase the 5 Series for sportiness and instead focuses on comfort and refinement. The E 300 de is able to quickly pick up speed though, hitting 0-62mph in under seven seconds. If you’re after a pure diesel, the E-Class is also available with the 220 d and 450 d engines – the most economical of these is the 220 d entry-level model which is capable of up to 58.9mpg according to official figures.
- Priced from £38,945
The Skoda Kodiaq won our Large Family Car award in 2024, but there’s now an all-new model that manages to improve upon the old one. It’s a big car, but that translates to a cavernous interior, with plenty of room for up to seven passengers and a big boot – five-seater models have 910 litres of space. It all feels well put together, too, and an impressive standard kit list won’t leave you feeling short-changed if you opt for the entry-level model.
Historically, a diesel engine would have been the natural choice for a car this size, but many manufacturers have ditched the fuel in favour of hybrids and EVs. The same can’t be said for the Kodiaq; the engine lineup is predominantly diesel, with a choice of two 2.0-litre TDI units. The front-wheel drive 148bhp TDI feels punchier than the 148bhp petrol alternative, and is the pick of the range. There’s a 190bhp TDI with four-wheel drive, but it’s a bit noisier and fuel economy drops from around 53mpg to 44mpg – we only recommend it if you plan to be regularly driving in slippery conditions.
- Priced from £41,995
Winning our Car of the Year award in 2021 and Best Large Family Car award for 2022, the Kia Sorento has long been one of our favourite large vehicles, and it remains as compelling as ever in 2024. The diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid engine range is unchanged and caters to buyers of all tastes, but the diesel makes a lot of sense for motorway drivers and those who tow.
The 2.2-litre diesel engine has been continually refined throughout the Sorento’s life and puts out a decent 190bhp and 440Nm of torque – more than enough to get the large SUV up to speed without any trouble. It’s connected to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive as standard, delivering smooth shifts and delivering a combined fuel economy figure of over 42mpg. Sure, the plug-in hybrid Sorento will undoubtedly use less fuel around town, but it’s worth remembering that the diesel can tow more (up to 2,500kg) and is the most affordable model.
- Priced from £29,005
Most UK buyers will go for a diesel over a petrol car based on its fuel economy, so the latest Volkswagen Golf will appeal. When equipped with the 113bhp 2.0-litre TDI engine and six-speed manual gearbox, the diesel Golf is capable of returning more than 67mpg, so fuel station visits will be pretty infrequent. This engine, and the more powerful 148bhp TDI, make for great motorway cruisers, but we reckon the latter feels even smoother than the 1.5-litre petrol engine. If you’d rather not bother with a clutch pedal, the optional DSG automatic gearbox is an excellent match for the more powerful diesel engine.
The Mk8 Volkswagen Golf didn’t look all that different from the old Mk7 when it arrived in 2020, but inside represented a significant step change. It has a roomy, well-equipped interior with far more technology – for better or for worse. Some drivers will find the reliance on the central touchscreen and capacitive touch buttons frustrating, but a 2024 facelift brought a more ergonomic steering wheel and some back-lighting to the controls, improving usability.
- Priced from £70,685
With the BMW 1 Series, 3 Series and 5 Series now only available with petrol and hybrid engines, you have to look to one of the German marque’s SUVs for a diesel. Fortunately, the BMW X5 is one of the best diesel SUVs on the market, with a luxurious cabin, masses of space and a choice of gutsy engines. It’s an expensive proposition, and its sky-high BiK rates will put it out of the question for business drivers, but for a premium diesel SUV, you’ll struggle to do better.
The BMW X5 xDrive 30d may be the least expensive model in the lineup, but we think it's the one to have. Its 3.0-litre straight-six diesel engine has plenty of power in reserve for overtaking and getting up to motorway speeds, yet it still returns up to 38.7mpg. The xDrive 40d is more powerful, but fuel economy takes a hit, so it’s not worth the upgrade.
- Priced from £36,360
In any guise, the Mazda CX-5 is surprisingly engaging to drive, and drivers doing frequent long-distance trips will be well-served by the 2.2-litre diesel which now only comes in one state of tune with 181bhp. During our in-depth test, we were impressed with how keen it was to rev for a diesel engine, and it felt quiet, smooth, yet responsive. The now-discontinued 148bhp engine was capable, but when we drove it with the automatic transmission it felt a little sluggish to change gear, so for keen drivers, we’d recommend sticking to the manual for either engine.
Elsewhere the CX-5 is impressive, too. Its interior feels built to a high quality, with pleasantly tactile materials, and it’s well equipped with a modern 10.25-inch infotainment screen that has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Base models even get a leather steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, 17-inch alloys and LED headlights, plus autonomous emergency braking tech. Higher trims only add to the luxury, making the CX-5 a rather desirable car.
- Priced from £32,885
Not just a popular choice with company-car drivers, the A3 also appeals to private buyers wanting a premium car with strong residual values. The Audi A3 paired with a 2.0-litre diesel engine became popular just shy of two decades ago and has since remained a go-to choice for those covering higher mileage. That hasn’t changed following its 2024 facelift, as the A3 is as desirable as ever with a diesel engine.
The latest Audi A3 has great technology that’s at least on par with rivals, although many of the dials and buttons have been superseded by a touchscreen that has become a love-it-or-hate-it feature. The pick of the range is the 148bhp ‘35 TDI’ for 61mpg and plenty of power, although its Volkswagen Golf sister car is both cheaper and more fuel efficient. For some, however, the allure of the four-ringed badge on the nose will be enough to win them over.
- Priced from £29,640
There are few diesel hatchbacks on sale today that aren’t built by the VW Group, as demonstrated by the Skoda, Volkswagen and Audi models above. The Peugeot 308 serves as a decent diesel alternative, if a bit of a left-field one. It’s not quite as practical as some rivals, and the i-Cockpit dashboard layout takes some getting used to, but the 308 is stylish, efficient and strikes a well-judged balance between comfort and sportiness.
The 1.5-litre diesel engine puts out 131bhp and is now only available with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. It’s far from a hot hatchback, feeling slightly more sluggish than the equally powerful 1.2-litre petrol, but it’s refined and reasonably efficient, returning up to nearly 60mpg in mixed driving conditions.
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