Skoda Kodiaq review - MPG, running costs & CO2 emissions

The Skoda Kodiaq launched with a range of petrol and diesel engines that are fairly economical on paper, and the Kodiaq iV PHEV joined later. Whereas the outgoing Kodiaq’s 1.5-litre petrol engine barely managed over 40mpg, the latest version is mild-hybrid assisted to help eek as much performance and fuel efficiency as possible, and its figure has been improved as a result. There are two diesels to choose from which are a good match for buyers that do a lot of motorway miles. 

Of the diesels, the two-wheel drive version is the most economical, with fuel efficiency taking quite a big hit on four-wheel-drive models, with figures of around 9mpg less.

Bear in mind the above figures will be detrimentally affected a smidge by going for the slightly heavier seven-seater model, so it’s worth checking the figure quoted on the configurator when speccing the car if fuel economy is particularly important to your buying decision.

A Kodiaq iV plug-in hybrid (PHEV) using the 1.5-litre petrol and an electric motor joined the lineup later with an impressive electric range of up to 71 miles, which will come in useful for shorter trips. With a lofty official fuel-efficiency figure of 578.4mpg, it’s likely this model will be the cheapest to run so long as you keep its battery topped up regularly. Low CO2 emissions of 11g/km mean it's the cheapest model to run as a company car as it sits in a lower BiK (Benefit-in-Kind) tax bracket.

The PHEV is capable of charging at speeds up to 50kW, meaning a 10-80% charge of its battery will take as little as 25 minutes. We added 45 miles of range for around £8 during testing, which is about the same as topping up a car doing 35.6mpg with petrol – to put it simply, buying the PHEV only makes financial sense if you keep it topped up with a home charger on a cheap electricity tariff.

How efficient is the Skoda Kodiaq in the real world?

When we tested the Skoda Kodiaq, we found the two-wheel drive 2.0-litre TDI diesel’s fuel efficiency to be less than its quoted figure of 51.7mpg (for the seven-seat model). We managed around 47.7mpg on a mixture of roads, which is still fairly impressive. 

When we drove the Kodiaq iV PHEV, we managed to do a 78-mile trip with around 60 miles of motorways mostly in EV mode, with the combustion engine only chiming in for one burst of acceleration. That bodes well in comparison to the Kodiaq iV’s claimed 71-mile electric range figure, suggesting it’s very achievable in the real world.

What will the Skoda Kodiaq cost to insure?

The Skoda Kodiaq’s insurance groupings have yet to be confirmed and revealed, but the old car sat between groups 15-29 out of 50. We wouldn’t expect these groups to change massively, although there is a chance they could. Traditionally that’s made the Kodiaq more affordable to insure than cars like the Volkswagen Tiguan, so time will tell whether this is still the case.