Which? works for you

Which? Car review

Skoda Octavia Estate (2005-2013) Mar 2005 Class: Estates New price: £14,315 - £25,045 Used price: From £1,995 On sale:

Performance:

Ride comfort:

handling:

★★★★

★★★★

★★★★

Boot & Storage:

Safety:

★★★★★

★★★★

Reliability:

★★★

Total score:

71%

Decent to drive and easy to manoeuvre.  Very spacious, with a huge boot. Reasonably cheap to run. Stability control was an extra-cost option for many models. Not very refined compared to newer rivals. Some reliability concerns.

Recommended models in the range

Which? Car Top Choice Model 1.4 TSI SE 5dr DSG New price: £17,870 Used price: £4,795

Fastest Model 2.0T FSI vRS 5dr DSG New price: £22,540 Used price: £6,275

7.2 secs

0-62mph:

Most Efficient Model 1.6 TDI CR GreenLine II 5dr New price: £19,340 Used price: £7,350 Combined fuel economy:

67.3 mpg

Cheapest Model to buy new 1.4 16V S 5dr New price:

Overview Owners consistently give high recommendations for Skodas in our surveys - and the 91% customer score for the Octavia Estate in our latest survey keeps up that trend. The Octavia’s popularity is easy to understand, thanks to its value-led pricing.   Please note that certain diesel-powered versions of this car built between 2009 and 2015 may be affected by the ‘dieselgate’ emissions scandal. This means its engine may be more polluting than official figures suggest and could be recalled sometime in 2016. For more information, refer to our guide on how to check if your car is affected.  The Octavia Estate is essentially a VW Golf Estate - but cheaper. It fulfills the real requirements of an estate car there’s loads of space inside, and the boot is large (550 litres). With the rear seats down, the boot expands to a whopping 925 litres below the window line. The Octavia Estate line-up includes four-wheel drive models and the Scout - effectively a cut-price alternative to the Audi A4 allroad, with four-wheel drive, raised ground clearance, extra under-body protection and off-roader styling details. The quickest versions are badged vRS. The range was overhauled in 2009, with an extensive facelift, some new and updated engines, and an upgraded cabin. New 1.6-litre diesels have now been bolstered by a Greenline II eco model.  In terms of size, the Octavia lies half way between the medium car and large car classes. Apart from the VW Golf Estate, it also rivals the Ford Focus Estate, Peugeot 307 SW, Renault Megane ST, Vauxhall Astra Estate and just about any other medium car offered as an estate version. At the other end, it’s up against larger cars like the Ford Mondeo Estate, Hyundai i40 Tourer and Toyota Avensis Tourer. 

£14,315

Cheapest Model to buy used 1.6 Classic 5dr Used price:

£1,995

Cheapest Model to Run (new) 1.6 TDI CR 4x4 5dr New price: £20,290 Running costs: £13,158 (3 years/36,000 miles)

Owner’s View For the money it is a superb car. Audi quality build at Skoda prices. The boot is huge and the rear seats split and fold giving lots of carrying space. The car has the DSG 7 speed auto box which is great to drive. Very fast with great brakes.

Which? Car review

Skoda Octavia Estate (2005-2013) Estates

On the road

How we test

The Octavia Estate handles well but the suspension is overly sensitive to bumps and can get wearing. Both the pre-facelift 1.9- and post-facelift 2.0-litre diesel engines are powerful, and are well-matched to the gearbox. Inside, the Octavia is sensibly laid out but visibility is poor, which is a pain when parking. Electronic stability control, which helps you out of tricky situations, is not standard on all models - a very disappointing state of affairs for a large family car.  

Performance

★★★★

The latest VW Group 140bhp 2.0 TDI diesel is a very popular choice, and with good reason. It has plenty of performance, even if it’s not the smoothest diesel on the market. It’s ideally matched to the DSG six-speed semi-automatic gearbox, whose dual clutches change gear quickly and directly, with no dramatic rev increases from one gear to the next. The 170bhp 2.0-litre diesel vRS delivers outstanding performance for a large estate, with impressive overtaking acceleration (37 to 62mph in just 4.9 seconds).  The (now used-only) 1.9 diesel is pretty powerful and has enough oomph low down in the rev range, and works well with its slick five-speed gearbox. As for the petrols, the TSI-badged engines (1.2, 1.4 and 1.8) are the ones to have. Even the 1.2 TSI, with its modest 105bhp, has enough power to deliver decent progress, with the bigger capacities offering sharp acceleration. The old-tech 1.4 16V and 1.6 engines are best avoided.  Model tested diesel 1.9TDI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2005) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2007) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) DSG automatic 5-door estate (2012) diesel 2.0TDI Scout (140bhp) manual 5-door estate (2008) diesel 2.0TDI VRS (170bhp) automatic 5-door (2011) petrol 1.2TSI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2012) petrol 1.4TSI (122bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2009)

Acceleration (37-62mph) 7.0 secs

Rating

★★★★

6.1 secs

★★★★★

6.2 secs

★★★★

6.1 secs

★★★★

4.9 secs

★★★★★

7.5 secs

★★★

6.1 secs

★★★★

Ride comfort

★★★★

Suspension comfort could be better. There’s little roll or body sway but it doesn’t deal with bumps well. At high speed the constant jolts from small bumps can get annoying, plus the rear axle makes an intrusive rumbling noise. The vRS model comes with sport suspension, meaning it has a lower ride than standard Octavias. Combined with 18-inch wheels, you do feel bumps in the road, but it’s never uncomfortable.  Model tested diesel 1.9TDI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2005) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2007) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) DSG automatic 5-door estate (2012) diesel 2.0TDI Scout (140bhp) manual 5-door estate (2008) diesel 2.0TDI VRS (170bhp) automatic 5-door (2011) petrol 1.2TSI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2012) petrol 1.4TSI (122bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2009)

Rating

★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★

Performance

We use the sophisticated electronic timing equipment to record standing-start and in-gear acceleration, and repeat each test several times. Ride comfort

Ride comfort is assessed by our laboratory experts who have driven hundreds of thousands of miles in a myriad of different models.

Which? Car review

Skoda Octavia Estate (2005-2013) Estates

On the road continued...

How we test Handling

★★★★

Handling

The Octavia Estate handles well. With ESC electronic stability control fitted (sadly, an optional extra on most models in the range), it will help you out in tricky situations and on slippery surfaces. A tyre pressure monitoring system is an optional extra too. When pushed into corners there’s initial understeer and some oversteer in extreme situations. This is mitigated by the ESC system - if you have it fitted. Overall the Octavia Estate is still an easy car to handle with direct, responsive steering giving good feedback to the driver. It’s got a reasonably small turning circle, too, which is handy for low-speed manoeuvring. Model tested diesel 1.9TDI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2005) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2007) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) DSG automatic 5-door estate (2012) diesel 2.0TDI Scout (140bhp) manual 5-door estate (2008) diesel 2.0TDI VRS (170bhp) automatic 5-door (2011) petrol 1.2TSI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2012) petrol 1.4TSI (122bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2009)

★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★

Rating

Brakes

★★★★

The brakes are good, and there’s an electronic brake assist system and ABS to help you bring the car to a standstill safely and in the minimum distance. Model tested diesel 1.9TDI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2005) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2007) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) DSG automatic 5-door estate (2012) diesel 2.0TDI Scout (140bhp) manual 5-door estate (2008) diesel 2.0TDI VRS (170bhp) automatic 5-door (2011) petrol 1.2TSI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2012) petrol 1.4TSI (122bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2009)

Braking distance (62-0mph) 38.0m

The Which? Car braking test measures stopping distance from 62-0mph and is repeated ten times in quick succession to highlight any brake fade issues. Refinement and noise

Rating

★★★★★

37.2m

★★★★

35.5m

★★★★★

37.7m

★★★★

37.2m

★★★★

37.0m

★★★★

★★★★

Noise inside the cabins of the diesel models we’ve tested is pretty low, although the powerplants are always audible and the noise levels increase if you put your foot down. That’s also true of the TSI petrol versions. You’ll hear significant wind noise at motorway speeds. Model tested Cruising noise diesel 1.9TDI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2005) 68dB diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2007) 69dB diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) DSG automatic 5-door estate (2012) 69dB diesel 2.0TDI Scout (140bhp) manual 5-door estate (2008) 68dB diesel 2.0TDI VRS (170bhp) automatic 5-door (2011) 69dB petrol 1.2TSI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2012) 68dB petrol 1.4TSI (122bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2009) 68dB

Brakes

★★★★

37.0m

Refinement and noise

On-the-limit handling is explored well away from public roads to ensure a fair test. Our obstacle avoidance test is one of the harshest tests in the industry..

Rating

★★★★ ★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★

The Which? Car experts use a decibel meter to record interior sound levels at common UK motorway speeds, and combine this with subjective assessments to arrive at an overall score.

Which? Car review

Skoda Octavia Estate (2005-2013) Estates

On the road continued...

How we test Cabin and controls

Cabin and controls

★★★★★

The Octavia Estate is an easy car to get used to, and the interior has a good-quality finish. The steering wheel can be fully adjusted to suit individuals, while switches, controls and large instruments are all well laid-out and easy to use. There’s an on-board computer that provides useful information. There are some nice touches, such as front reading lights, but we have some minor quibbles: it’s difficult to reach the door handles to close the doors once you’re seated, the air con switches are poorly positioned and hard to read, plus the glovebox light works only when the headlights are on. Model tested diesel 1.9TDI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2005) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2007) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) DSG automatic 5-door estate (2012) diesel 2.0TDI Scout (140bhp) manual 5-door estate (2008) diesel 2.0TDI VRS (170bhp) automatic 5-door (2011) petrol 1.2TSI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2012) petrol 1.4TSI (122bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2009)

Rating

★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★

Visibility and parking

★★★★

Visibility from inside the car isn’t very good. It’s hard to judge where the bumpers are, which can be a pain when parking. Parking sensors are standard on some models and optional on the rest. Model tested Turning circle diesel 1.9TDI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2005) 10.9m diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2007) 10.9m diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) DSG automatic 5-door estate (2012) 10.9m diesel 2.0TDI Scout (140bhp) manual 5-door estate (2008) 10.9m diesel 2.0TDI VRS (170bhp) automatic 5-door (2011) 11.0m petrol 1.2TSI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2012) 10.9m petrol 1.4TSI (122bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2009) 10.9m

Rating

★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★

We penalise cars with difficult controls, and we look for things like backlit light switches and easy-to-use heating and ventilation adjustments. Visibility and parking

Visibility is a major issue for motorists today, so each car gets a 360-degree swivel view test to reproduce the driver’s eye view and any obscured areas.

Which? Car review

Skoda Octavia Estate (2005-2013) Estates

Comfort and practicality

How we test

The Octavia Estate is a large, practical car with plenty of room for passengers and a large boot for their luggage. Front seats are roomy and well designed, but those in the rear could be better. However, heating and ventilation are good so all occupants should feel reasonably comfortable.

Getting in and out

Getting in and out

★★★★

Accessing the front seats is generally easy, even if you’re tall, as the doors open wide. However, the rears poses more of a problem as the door openings are rather narrow. There is plenty of headroom in the front seats, and the seats can be slid back to accommodate those up to 1.95m (6ft 5in) tall. Elbowroom, on the other hand, is rather restricted. The rear seats are moulded to seat two adult passengers and there’s plenty of legand head-room to comfortably accommodate those up to 1.9m (6ft 3in) tall.

We take measurements all around the driver and passenger’s door apertures and note the height of the seat, door sills and step down onto the car floor. The best cars don’t require too much bending or stretching to get in and out.

Model tested diesel 1.9TDI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2005) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2007) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) DSG automatic 5-door estate (2012) diesel 2.0TDI Scout (140bhp) manual 5-door estate (2008) diesel 2.0TDI VRS (170bhp) automatic 5-door (2011) petrol 1.2TSI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2012) petrol 1.4TSI (122bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2009)

Seat space and comfort

Seat space and comfort

Rating

★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★

★★★★

The front seats are nicely-contoured and well-padded, and they give plenty of support to driver and front passenger. They’re height-adjustable, too, which means they can be adjusted for people of all sizes. The rear seats, however, are not so good, as they’re very low and anyone over 1.7m (5ft 7in) tall will find they lack thigh support. Model tested diesel 1.9TDI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2005) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2007) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) DSG automatic 5-door estate (2012) diesel 2.0TDI Scout (140bhp) manual 5-door estate (2008) diesel 2.0TDI VRS (170bhp) automatic 5-door (2011) petrol 1.2TSI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2012) petrol 1.4TSI (122bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2009)

Rating

★★★ ★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★

We assess seat comfort subjectively, using our road testers’ expert knowledge and experience from thousands of different cars. And we measure the head-, legand elbowroom on offer in every seat, to see how well the car caters for people of all shapes and sizes.

Which? Car review

Skoda Octavia Estate (2005-2013) Estates

Comfort and practicality continued...

How we test Boot and storage

★★★★★

Boot and storage

The boot is very spacious and practical: it has a capacity of 550 litres seats-up, but fold them down and there is 925 litres of space (up to the window line). The tailgate is large and opens and closes easily, but you have to remove the head rests and take care not to trap the seat belts when folding the seats forward.  There’s an option to have a split boot floor, which creates two loading spaces of 465 litres on top and a further 85 litres underneath.  However, the slanted design of the estate’s rear end means that it’s not the most practical shape for really large items. Model tested diesel 1.9TDI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2005) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2007) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) DSG automatic 5-door estate (2012) diesel 2.0TDI Scout (140bhp) manual 5-door estate (2008) diesel 2.0TDI VRS (170bhp) automatic 5-door (2011) petrol 1.2TSI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2012) petrol 1.4TSI (122bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2009)

Boot space (seats up/down) 580 litres / 955 litres

Rating

★★★★

550 litres / 925 litres

★★★★★

550 litres / 925 litres

★★★★★

550 litres / 925 litres

★★★★★

550 litres / 925 litres

★★★★★

550 litres / 925 litres

★★★★★

550 litres / 925 litres

★★★★★

Heating and ventilation

★★★★

The Octavia has a decent heater that warms the car quickly when it’s chilly outside. On hot days, the air conditioning system is more than up to the job. Full climate control is standard on plush models.  Model tested diesel 1.9TDI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2005) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2007) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) DSG automatic 5-door estate (2012) diesel 2.0TDI Scout (140bhp) manual 5-door estate (2008) diesel 2.0TDI VRS (170bhp) automatic 5-door (2011) petrol 1.2TSI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2012) petrol 1.4TSI (122bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2009)

Rating

★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★

Carmakers give official stats for boot space, but our tests are more realistic. We load the boot up with measuring blocks only as far as the rear window line, so that luggage is well secured and won’t obscure rear visibility. We repeat the test with the rear seats up, and folded down (where possible). Heating and ventilation

Feel sorry for the tester who has to warm each car up from a frosty -10 degrees in our climate chamber. Starting with a cold engine, we measure how long it takes to warm up the front and rear of the cabin. Diesel cars usually take longer. We also check the effectiveness of air conditioning, where fitted.

Which? Car review

Skoda Octavia Estate (2005-2013) Estates

Running costs and depreciation

How we test

The Skoda Octavia Estate is not quite as cheap to buy and run as it used to be. But the latest VW Group diesels (and even petrols) offer decent fuel economy, it’s cheap to insure and reliability is good. Insurance groups start at 7 for the entry-level 1.4 petrol model and 14 for the 1.6 diesel, topping out at 30 for the sporty turbocharged 2.0-litre vRS. Servicing costs are fairly average for the class, and tax bandings relatively low. The Octavia also holds its value surprisingly well for a car from a budget-image manufacturer.

Fuel consumption Overall the Octavia Estate is an economical car. The latest 2.0 TDI 140bhp diesel with DSG semi-automatic transmission returned 50.4mpg in our test, which is close to the official 52.3 figure but not now among the very best in class. The 170bhp 2.0 TDI vRS version isn’t too far away from the lower-powered diesel: we averaged 47.9mpg in our tests (official: 49.6). As for the 1.2 TSI petrol, we averaged 44.1mpg - a reasonable result but short of the claimed 49.6mpg. 

Petrol (combined mpg, claimed)

32.5 mpg - 49.6 mpg

Diesel (combined mpg, claimed)

44.1 mpg - 67.3 mpg

Fuel consumption

We test fuel economy under strict lab conditions – using realistic test cycles – to reveal the facts behind the figures. Our figures rarely match manufacturer claims as, unlike the official mpg test, we measure economy with both a hot and cold engine, and on the motorway.

Which? Car review

Skoda Octavia Estate (2005-2013) Estates

Running costs and depreciation continued...

How we test Emissions

Model tested diesel 1.9TDI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2005) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2007) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) DSG automatic 5-door estate (2012) diesel 2.0TDI Scout (140bhp) manual 5-door estate (2008) diesel 2.0TDI VRS (170bhp) automatic 5-door (2011) petrol 1.2TSI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2012) petrol 1.4TSI (122bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2009)

Urban (claimed/measured) 40.9 mpg/42.8 mpg 35.8 mpg/35.3 mpg 40.4 mpg/40.4 mpg

Model tested diesel 1.9TDI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2005) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2007) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) DSG automatic 5-door estate (2012) diesel 2.0TDI Scout (140bhp) manual 5-door estate (2008) diesel 2.0TDI VRS (170bhp) automatic 5-door (2011) petrol 1.2TSI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2012) petrol 1.4TSI (122bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2009)

Extra urban (claimed/measured) 64.2 mpg/62.8 mpg 57.6 mpg/56.5 mpg 61.4 mpg/64.2 mpg

Model tested diesel 1.9TDI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2005) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2007) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) DSG automatic 5-door estate (2012) diesel 2.0TDI Scout (140bhp) manual 5-door estate (2008) diesel 2.0TDI VRS (170bhp) automatic 5-door (2011) petrol 1.2TSI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2012) petrol 1.4TSI (122bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2009)

Motorway (measured) 43.5 mpg 40.9 mpg 45.6 mpg

Model tested diesel 1.9TDI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2005) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2007) diesel 2.0TDI (140bhp) DSG automatic 5-door estate (2012) diesel 2.0TDI Scout (140bhp) manual 5-door estate (2008) diesel 2.0TDI VRS (170bhp) automatic 5-door (2011) petrol 1.2TSI (105bhp) manual 5-door estate (2012) petrol 1.4TSI (122bhp) automatic 5-door estate (2009)

Combined (claimed/measured) 53.3 mpg/49.6 mpg 47.1 mpg/44.1 mpg 52.3 mpg/50.4 mpg

35.3 mpg/35.3 mpg 35.8 mpg/38.2 mpg 39.8 mpg/36.2 mpg 35.3 mpg/35.3 mpg

52.3 mpg/51.4 mpg 57.7 mpg/61.4 mpg 57.7 mpg/55.4 mpg 53.3 mpg/51.4 mpg

While testing fuel economy, we also collect exhaust gases to enable us to measure the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted. We also check whether particulate filters are effective at removing sooty emissions from diesel engines. Safety

We rate cars for safety using Euro NCAP crash test scores (where available), alongside our own comprehensive safety checklist. Uniquely, we also feed in results from our accident avoidance test – after all, it’s far better to steer around a crash than rely on the airbags... Security

38.2 mpg 44.1 mpg 38.7 mpg 34.9 mpg

44.1 mpg/42.2 mpg 47.1 mpg/47.9 mpg 49.6 mpg/44.1 mpg 44.8 mpg/40.9 mpg

Security scores come from the security experts at Thatcham, who break into hundreds of cars each year. Most modern cars are very difficult to drive away, but are still too easy to steal from.

Which? Car review

Skoda Octavia Estate (2005-2013) Estates

Which? Car Survey results

About our survey

The Which? Car Survey is the UK’s most robust reliability and owner satisfaction survey. In 2015, drivers told us about 58,000 cars, covering more than 484 million miles in the previous 12 months (that’s equivalent to driving to the moon and back a hundred times). This unique feedback allows us to rate satisfaction and reliability for hundreds of new and used cars. Note: Star ratings below are from 1-5 (1 is very poor and 5 is very good). Percentages shown under ‘Most common faults’ indicate the proportion of owners reporting each problem in the past 12 months.

Brand

Sample size: 2,924 people

Skoda ratings Overall owner satisfaction for this brand Brand reliability Dealer Servicing & repair

Model: Skoda Octavia Estate (2005-2013)

Sample size: 352 people

Ownership ratings Overall owner satisfaction for this range

Ease of driving Comfort Dash layout and controls Practicality Value for money Running costs In-car technology -

Everyone who takes part in the Which? Car survey tells us about their car and the dealers who sell and service it. We analyse this feedback across all cars to give top-level satisfaction ratings for each brand, including the brand’s reliability record over the last eight years. All star ratings are out of five. Model ownership ratings

★★★★ ★★★★

Dealer Sales Service

Driving enjoyment

89%

Brand ratings

These show how owners score this car in 12 different areas, from performance to heating. Owners’ ratings are subjective – so may differ from Which? Car test scores – but they give a good idea of what the car is like to live with. Where relevant, cars are scored against other cars in the same class (e.g. for space).

91%

★★★ ★★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★ ★★ -

Owner’s View The 1800 petrol L&K version has a good equipment specification, the TSI engine is responsive, the car is stylish, quiet a pleasure to drive, reliable and comfortable. Good value for the money.

Owner’s View My Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDi Estate has been an utterly reliable, practical, economic, solid and fussfree car. It has never let me down.

Which? Car review

Skoda Octavia Estate (2005-2013) Estates

Which? Car Survey results continued...

About our survey Reliability ratings

Reliability ratings Overall Reliability Petrol cars

Reliability

Breakdowns Average annual repair cost Diesel cars

Reliability

Breakdowns Average annual repair cost All cars

Reliability

Breakdowns Average annual repair cost

★★★

Up to 3 years old

4-8 years old

- - - - - - ★★★ - £142

★★★★ £114 ★★ 9% £294 -

We split reliability into breakdowns (including failure to start), faults (where parts need replacing) and problems (minor issues e.g. squeaks and loose trim). Where the car has been on sale for some time, and we have numerous survey responses from owners, we also split scores by the age of car and fuel type. Star ratings are out of five – the more stars, the more reliable the car. Most common faults

Breakdowns: Percentage of cars suffering a breakdown in last 12 months Average annual repair cost: Average annual cost of repairs (not servicing), in past 12 months

Most common faults 

Up to 3 years old

Air Con In-car-entertainment Lights Suspension components Cooling System

 Air Con Exhaust System (D)  Cooling System (D)  Cam Belt (D)  Springs (D) 

Failure rate: The proportion of owners reporting this problem in the last year

5% 5% 5% 3% 3% 4-8 years old

8% 7% 6% 5% 4%

Want to know what’s most likely to go wrong as the car gets older? These are the five most common faults reported by owners, grouped by age into new, recent and older cars. A score of 40% means four out of 10 owners reported problems with that part of the car over the previous 12 months. Engine electrics and non-engine electrics (e.g. windows, stereo) cause more headaches than mechanical parts in most modern cars.