Skoda Octavia Estate - Practicality & boot space

The Octavia Estate is in a league of its own for interior space, competing with cars from the class above for passenger room and often beating them for boot space.

Skoda Octavia Estate interior space & storage

The Estate is 4.69m in length, just behind the 4.7m Audi A4 Avant, which is not only in the next class up but also considerably more expensive. This means there's ample legroom in the back seats, and the Octavia's lengthened roofline helps ensure plentiful headroom. It's even possible for three tall adults to sit in the back, which is rare in this class.

Boot space

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Boot space has increased to 640 litres – a 30-litre jump on its predecessor – and there's a split-level floor that's useful for hiding valuables and stopping them moving around. That’s a much larger boot than those offered by competitors such as the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer and Peugeot 308 SW, which feature just 597 and 608 litres respectively.

Flip the rear seats down (which can be done using levers in the boot) and the Skoda Octavia Estate offers a simply vast 1,700-litre load space, assuming you're happy to load to the roof. That's almost verging on how much space you might expect in a small van, showing just how practical and spacious the Skoda is. With such a large boot, we wonder if many buyers actually need the bigger Skoda Superb Estate.

Towing

Entry-level 1.5-litre models can tow a braked trailer weighing up to 1,300kg, while the higher-powered version can manage up to 1,500kg. The 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel is your best bet for towing, though, and capable of hauling up to 1,600kg. Unfortunately the four-wheel drive version has been discontinued, because this model was capable of towing up to a more substantial 2,000kg.