Skoda Octavia review - Practicality & boot space

Practicality is an area in which the Octavia has won over many buyers in the past, and there's no sign of that changing anytime soon. Now 19mm longer than before, passenger and luggage space are both excellent for a family hatchback.

Skoda Octavia interior space & storage

While there was no shortage of space in the outgoing Octavia, the latest version is incrementally better again. Rear passengers should be particularly impressed with the amount of knee room, legroom and headroom available, making the Skoda an accomplished long-distance cruiser.

There are also plentiful neat features, from the five USB-C charging ports (two front, two rear and one at the top of the windscreen that’s ideal for a dashcam) to large door bins that can hold a 1.5-litre drinks bottle and a deep central cubby between the front seats.

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Boot space

It's a similar story for the boot, where there's a 10-litre increase in volume to 600 litres. If you need one reason to choose the Octavia over a Golf, it's here; there's a huge 220-litre size difference. Fold down the back seats (which can be done using a handle just inside the boot) and space increases to 1,555 litres. Not only is that lots of space, the floor is also flat and free from obstructions.

Choosing the Octavia iV PHEV meant the variable boot floor is lost, while capacity shrinks to a still useful 450 litres. There's also a small area to keep the charging cables and if you need a bigger boot the Skoda Octavia Estate is also available with the same plug-in powertrain.

Towing

Most versions of the Octavia can tow up to 1,500kg, which is the size of a fairly substantial caravan. This extends to 1,600kg for the 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine and drops slightly to 1,300kg for the 1.0-litre petrol engine.