Skoda Octavia Estate - MPG, running costs & CO2

Skoda has the benefit of being able to pick engines from all across the Volkswagen Group, and its petrols and diesels feature the latest efficiency-boosting technology. This can include mild-hybrid hardware that uses a 48-volt starter motor and battery to harvest energy when the Octavia slows down. Once captured, this electric reserve can allow engine-off coasting, extended stop/start and a torque boost under acceleration to reduce fuel consumption.

A plug-in hybrid Skoda Octavia iV is also available, using a 1.4-litre petrol engine, 13kWh battery pack and electric motor to provide an electric-only range of 34 miles. There’s also the Skoda Octavia vRS estate, which also comes with a more powerful plug-in hybrid powertrain along with potent petrol and diesel engines.

Skoda Octavia Estate MPG & CO2

The official economy figures for the Octavia Estate suggest it won’t cost the earth to run for a large family car. The more powerful 1.5-litre TSI petrol is capable of up to 50.4mpg with a manual gearbox, while CO2 emissions from 125-133g/km make it an affordable choice for company-car drivers. Opt for the 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine, and up to 53.3mpg is achievable. A mild-hybrid 1.0-litre TSI e-TEC model is also available with fuel economy of up to 54.3mpg and reduced emissions of between 119-128g/km, though it’s more expensive to buy than the standard 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre models.

For high mileage drivers, the 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine is available in both 113bhp and 148bhp power outputs. The lower-powered engine returns up to 65.7mpg in six-speed manual guise (62.8mpg in auto specification), while the more powerful unit is capable of 62.8mpg (expect slightly less on the bigger wheels and in the four-wheel drive versions). Emissions for the diesel engines range from 111g/km to 144g/km depending on specification and trim level, making the diesel Octavia similarly reasonable for company car drivers when compared to the petrol model.

As of early 2024, the plug-in hybrid Octavia iV is no longer available, though it’s unclear whether this is a temporary shortage, and if it’s set to return with the facelift due later in 2024. When it was last offered, it used a 1.4-litre petrol engine with a 13kWh battery and an electric motor producing a total power output of 201bhp. It’s capable of around 35 miles of pure-electric running, and fuel economy of 282.5mpg is the official line. You’ll only achieve that with dedicated home charging and rarely using the engine. Sitting in the low 12% Benefit-in-Kind tax bracket, this should be the top pick for company car drivers.

There’s also the high-performance Octavia vRS variants which we’ve reviewed separately. As you’d expect, the petrol and diesel versions return much fewer MPGs than regular Octavia models, although the plug-in hybrid vRS is a great choice for company car buyers looking for something more potent.

Insurance groups

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Insurance groups for the Octavia Estate start with the 1.0-litre petrol, which sits in group 11; the 113bhp 2.0-litre TDI sits in group 15, and the 1.5-litre TSI petrol engine sits in group 18, with the 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine placed in insurance group 19 regardless of trim level. Diesel versions of the high-performance Octavia vRS sit in group 25, while the petrol is the most expensive version of the car to insure, occupying group 26.

Warranty

Skoda's three-year/60,000-mile warranty is on a par with rival brands like Ford and Volkswagen, but a long way behind the five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty offered by Hyundai, or the seven-year warranty Kia provides. You can extend Skoda's warranty to four or five years in length, but this will cost extra.

Servicing

Skoda typically offers two types of servicing aimed at customers with a lower or higher annual mileage. Under the first the car is maintained annually or every 10,000 miles; under the latter plan, sensors within the car judge when servicing is needed, with a maximum of 20,000 miles and two years between visits. The reason for this is that lots of stop-start journeys through town puts more stress on the car’s components than leisurely motorway cruising.