Skoda Octavia Estate (2017-2020) | owner reviews: MPG, Problems & Reliability

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I do an annual mileage of approximately 33,000 and after reluctantly parting with my Astra 1.7D, I purchased a 1.6 diesel Skoda Octavia as I believed that they were reliable. A major mistake. This vehicle is extremely unreliable and constantly costs money for repairs. I have it serviced every 10k miles, so it’s not lack of maintenance. I have probably just bought a bad example; however, after replacing a dual mass flywheel and an EGR valve, brakes and goodness knows what else I wish I could scrap it; unfortunately I can’t afford to and due to my high mileage, its value is negligible.

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2014 - Purchased used with 11K on the clock I was unimpressed with my local Skoda dealer, I now use my local garage. I'm well pleased with the car and have suffered no issues in two years of motoring until late 2017 with 39.5K on the clock. Then the engine started overheating due to a water pump fault where rubber sleeve distorts and the pump jams unable to deliver cooling to engine. This is a well known fault and a the pump was modified from 2014 onward. I raised my problem with local Dealer who advised Skoda would contribute £0.00 to a repair/replacement pump plus they requested an additional £88.00 for a diagnostic scan (on a known weakness). The end result is that I am now £585 out of pocket as a result of Skoda not accepting any liability. Warning: if purchasing an Octavia Mark3 2013/2014 ensure you have the modified water pump installed In summary the car is excellent value for money but Skoda Service Support appears to be lacking in many respects

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I bought this as a replacement for my beloved Golf Estate, it has now covered 175, 000 miles and given me very few problems. However, whilst the Skoda drives well, there are too many drawbacks, and it does not live up to the reviews that are out there. The positives are that it has a good engine, although doesn'tnot the low end torque of the old 1.9 engine, lots of room and drives well, with good fuel consumption. The negatives: The front doors hold water, the satnav is abysmal, the aftercare service from Skoda has been poor, the ride is very firm (especially at low speeds), there's lots of wind noise on motorway. In short, there has been a large number of minor niggles from new.

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The car is so easy to live with. It ticks every box I need from a car. It's fast when you need it to be, economical with nearly 60mpg possible on longer journeys, immensely practical, is spacious and can even accommodate a large dog transporting crate with room to spare. It carries everything on long-distance holidays and is very comfortable. Bullet-proof reliability is taken for granted, with absolutely zero problems, and cheap and cheerful servicing from the local dealer. The seats leave you feeling relaxed at the end of a 600 miles journey, whereas my previous car, VW Passat Estate, offered little thigh support and was downright uncomfortable on longer journeys. For such a big car on the inside, it's easy to park and manoeuvre around town and tight car park spaces. It often gets admiring comments - it looks really good in the vRS signature race blue - and my main problem is figuring out what I replace it with when the time comes. Its main downside is the sporty suspension can be a bit harsh on rougher roads, and road noise could be less intrusive at times. But it's easily the best car I have ever owned.

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I love my SE Sport - having upgraded from an old Ford Fiesta this is absolute luxury. The sports seats are comfy for me, I love the multifunction sports steering wheel and its shape, the computer system is a dream to use (SD card full of music in the spare slot with most of my music collection at the touch of a button), Sat Nav and traffic information very useful, DAB radio gives clear reception where I live. The Bi-xenon headlights give great visibility at night, too. Driving - The car be unforgiving if you go to slow in 2nd and 3rd gear, 1.6 is not particularly quick off the mark (but is still faster than my old Fiesta). Drive is better at 40mph plus, and it cruises at high speed really quietly, with little road and traffic noise. 17-inch wheels feel a little more unevenness on the road surface than 16-inch, but it isn't too off-putting. The wing mirrors take a bit of getting used to - they are quite small and in rain tend to collect large droplets of water so require concentration. Overall I like my Skoda very much!

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A mixed bag, really.....some performance and design issues, but generally drives and performs well. THE BAD 1. Front doors retain a load of water, which dumps out the first time you open them after rain. Skoda say its an 'acceptable trait'. I say it's a design flaw, which should have been corrected during development. 2. Claimed 150ps, but questionable as the low end grunt is quite poor for this size of diesel. My previous one, with a 1.9TDi, was much better. 3. The satnav (Amundsen) is very poor. Illogical menus make almost all procedures protracted, even the simple process of putting in a postcode. It is slow to respond to inputs. The scaling jumps all over the place. The range of POIs is very limited, and difficult to access. Many other flaws, too numerous to mention. 4. Very bumpy at low speeds. THE GOOD. 1. Drives very well. Responsive steering, holds the road and quiet at speed on the motorway. 2. Excellent MPG, even when loaded up. I drive quite quickly but always get in excess of 50mpg, averaging about 58mpg overall. 3.Huge boot, cavernous with the rear seats down. 4. Totally reliable to date, touch wood. (at just over 20k)

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This car replaced my Golf Mk7 and i'd had a Golf Mk6 previously and the Skoda is a far better car in every respect.It's better equipped,it has huge load space and the interior cabin is very spacious for the driver and passengers.Good fuel economy but nowhere near the claimed figures you see from the manufacturer but that's like most cars.It handles better than a Golf,accelerates well with the 6 speed gearbox,has dual climate control and the fittings feel upmarket.I've covered over 13k miles in 6 months and it hasn't missed a beat.The seats are comfortable and the visibility excellent though the parking sensors help too.I wouldn't swap this car for anything else on the road and i mean anything,it's an amazing car.

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Car seemed lovely until the Traction Control (ESP) light came on. Onboard ESP sensor/computer has failed and needs replacing @ 40,000 miles (aka "ABS Control Module", ESP Sensor G419). Skoda accept no responsibility for this and no discount to the total cost of over £1000 to replace ESP sesnor. Car is used but still very fresh at 40,000 miles. I've only owned it for 5 weeks at this point. Skoda customer service treats me like scum for not buying the car from an official Skoda dealer. Caroline at Skoda HQ is absolutely hopeless and rude. Constantly interrupts and does not listen.

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Had this car since March 2014. Previously had a Mk2 Octavia 1.4 petrol and the difference is enormous. The Mk3 is so much more of a better ride and comfort than the Mk2. It's very well equipped at Elegance level. The engine is very nippy, but still returns a good MPG, plenty of low end pulling power. The interior is reasonable, though the plastic used on the glove box area is very soft and easily marks. Leather seats give a comfy ride and being heated makes for a pleasant journey in these winter months. The sat nav has a mind of it's own, zooming in and out when it feels like it which is a bit of a pain, a common problem reported on the Skoda forums. I've just passed 14,000 miles and the engine has not needed any oil or service yet. Space in the car is cavernous, dual level boot allows plenty of hidey holes to stow stuff with out if flying around. All in all I love this car...

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Very pleased with this estate, which has served me well so far. My driving is mainly short journeys with a long trip every 6 weeks or so. The only things I can fault are a quite high level of road noise, high tyre wear on the fronts (but even wear) and that the bonnet release catch literally comes off in your hand when operated unless you are aware and operate it according to "experience" (should either be stuck on or be secured by a mechanical fixing).

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Have had my 2.0 TDi Elegance for about a month now, having first driven one as a rental "upgrade" that I initially felt was anything but based on the name, loved it so much bought one. I have been luckily enough to own Mercedes, Volvo and Honda, estates and 4x4s and this Skoda is as good as any of them and better than most. Great performance, luxurious trim on the Elegance and very economical. A very happy me!

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The Octavia estate is a very comfy and economical drive but I am disappointed by a lot of early wear and tear/corrosion. A brake housing broke when the garage (main dealer) checked the brakes last year (£475 - not covered by warranty as considered 'wear & tear'), I've had water ingress through a hole somewhere in the passenger footwell (not found) and now the air conditioning needs a new compressor (£850 just for the part). It's less than 4 and a half years old. Not impressed.

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For nearly 11 years of driving, discs and pads, one relay for 30gbp, one vacuum hose 3gbp, and of course tyres, filters and oil. Hard to beat.

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I have two octavia estates. A mark one 1.9 diesel with 200,000 miles on. no breakdowns. One worn track rod end replaced in all that time. plus routine oilchanges. The 2006 2.0 diesel 140 scares me.I know it is not built as well.It will not do 200,000 miles. It has too much technology on board. I am going to sell it, and keep the old one. It costs sod all to run.

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This car is great value for money. Great mpg an low price. Mine is equiped with navigation and half leather. So it is very nice on the inside. The big down side is road noise! In Sweden our road surface is quite rough and the noise is very annoying at higher speeds. Apart from that it is a great car.

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This car is great value for money. Great mpg an low price. Mine is equiped with navigation and semi leather. So it is very nice on the inside. The big down side is road noice! In sweden our road surface is quite rough and the noice is very anoying at higher speeds. Apart from that it is a great car.

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no problems yet

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No issues experienced to date.

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Relatively new car, so not problem as yet.

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Too new to answer

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Rubbish as a police car for the met police

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not owned it long enough to have discovered any issues

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no problems

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Only one major problem in 5 years and this was paid for by Skoda. Only a couple of minor problems easily fixed. (bonnet catch broke twice and noisy rear tyres.)

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26,000 miles from new with no warranty claims and only scheduled visits for servicing.

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Had it 18mths, done 32,000 miles and it hasn't missed a beat.

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Not had a breakdown since acquisition. Always started and run when required.

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I have yet to have a problem of any kind

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Never failed me as yet.

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Does the job without fail

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So far, so good.

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Very reliable

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never lets me down this is my 2nd octavia vrs

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never let me down in nearly 2 years

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Only had one small problem, it has never missed a beat.

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It's been perfect.

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no problems with it

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No Problems since new

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no problems

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performs without biting the wallet

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No problems in 30,000 miles

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excellent except for abs module and a/c compressor

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Reliability is so far as good as all of the Toyota's that I have owned

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no problems so far

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minor issues with shock absorbers and internal trim

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Apart from being stolen in 2010 it has never let me down

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No problems at all.

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Although I do not do a great mileage every year, I can always rely on my car whatever thw weather or driving conditions.

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The car is and has been fautless since new.

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No problems to date other than squeaky rear wiper. Always starts first time and drives well

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No problems since bought new other than punctures

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Never had any major reliability issues, just exhaust filter replacements and brakes

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So far perfect

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No repair costs at all till steering rack failure at 130,000 miles

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Only had to replace window regulator, alternator and boost pipe during ownership which is not bad considering it has done 179k

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no problems so far

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Excellent and has never put a foot wrong even in the snow

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No problems so far

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I have owned the car for 7 years it has now done 120,000 miles and aside from routine maintainence i have only had to have a clutch fitted at 105,000 miles

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I have had nothing mechanically go wrong with the car so far.

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A1...brilliant

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Serviced every year so reliability hasn't been an issue. Not at the dealer though.

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1 issue with sensitive alarm trigering. sorted by dealer

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Excellent car. I've only ever replaced consumerable items like tyres etc.

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Only a few minor items let it down. The material on the drivers seat began to bobble, the drivers door required realigning, the polished alloys were replaced under warranty when they began to delaminate.

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No real issues up to now

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Everything always works

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Starts immediately, regardless of weather or temperature. Have always completely confident in an Octavia.

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No problems until car was damaged in car park by Third Party

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Only ever serviced, never been to a garage for anything else.

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absolutely no problems since delivery

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Yes Green thumbs up

Skoda Octavia Estate (2017-2020): owner reviews

"The Skoda Octavia Estate is one of the most practical family cars available, with loads of space, economical engines and tough build quality"

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