Skoda Octavia review - Reliability & safety

Skoda, and especially the Octavia, have an impressive track record of top results in our Driver Power survey and there's a full complement of safety kit.

Skoda Octavia reliability

The Octavia always seems to garner affection from owners, as evidenced by its 43rd spot out of the top 75 cars in our 2021 Driver Power survey – despite it being in its final year of production before this latest version took over. Owners were most impressed with its value for money – a real Skoda strength – while its engines and gearboxes were also highly rated. Hopefully a poor result for infotainment will be remedied by upgrades for the new model. In our 2022 Driver Power survey the Mk3 Octavia dropped slightly to 66th place, but this is to be expected for an ageing model just before its replacement arrives.

The Skoda brand fell from fifth out of 30 manufacturers in 2020, to 12th out of 29 in 2021 and again to 20th in 2022, a position it retained in 2023 – a somewhat surprising and worrying trend. This puts it behind rivals including Kia, Mazda, Toyota, Honda and Peugeot in the owner satisfaction table.

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Safety

The Octavia received a five-star score in Euro NCAP safety tests in 2019, matching the closely related Volkswagen Golf. It was tested again in 2022 to Euro NCAP’s tougher new criteria, and while percentage scores across most individual categories were slightly lower, it still performed well enough to keep its five-star overall score.

Both models share the same advanced safety gear, which not only protects occupants in a collision, but also aims to avoid one in the first place. Front sensors monitor the road ahead and can intervene even if the driver is distracted at speeds of up to 90mph. Further systems help monitor the road for oncoming traffic while turning, and the Octavia's array of sensors will even stay alert to warn occupants not to open a door if a passing vehicle or cyclist is approaching.