Skoda Karoq review - Reliability & safety

The Karoq is built on the same underpinnings (referred to as MQB by the VW Group) as models like the Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Octavia and even the Audi TT sports coupe. So, despite the Karoq being a new model, we can say with a degree of certainty that it should be reliable. As you’ll see, safety shouldn’t be a concern, either.

Skoda Karoq reliability

There's good news here because the Skoda Karoq came an impressive 18th out of the top 75 models ranked in our 2022 Driver Power survey, before dropping slightly to 40th in 2023. Reliability and running costs were strong points for owners, while practicality and comfort also scored highly. The Karoq uses mostly tried-and-tested engines featured in numerous models. Skoda has dropped in our manufacturer survey rankings in recent years, finishing in 20th place out of 32 brands. This was still ahead of siblings SEAT (23rd), Volkswagen (27th) and Audi (30th), but rivals Kia, Mazda and Peugeot all finished in the top 10.

Safety

The Skoda Karoq was tested by Euro NCAP in late 2017 and given five stars thanks to its excellent safety performance. Scoring 93% for adult and 79% for child occupant protection, the Karoq even marginally outperformed the larger Skoda Kodiaq (with 92% and 77%), but isn’t quite class-leading, with the Mazda CX-5 and Toyota C-HR both scoring 95% in the adult occupant category.

All the usual safety features are fitted, along with standard autonomous emergency braking, one of the biggest safety game-changers of the last few years. Extra safety features were made standard from April 2024, including lane-keeping assistance, traffic-sign recognition and a driver attention and drowsiness monitor. Skoda's Side Assist blind-spot system was upgraded for 2020, increasing its range from 20 to 70 metres and making its warning indicators more prominent.