Skip to main content

Skoda Octavia vs Skoda Superb: which is the better used buy?

On DVSA MOT records the Skoda Octavia and the Skoda Superb are too close to call — 1.4 percentage points apart on first-time MOT passes once you allow for the age of each fleet, which is inside what the choice of cars counted can move. A winner is named only at 2 points or more. A pass with rectification at the station counts as a pass here, and as a failure in DVSA's own initial-test measure. Choose on the fault patterns and running costs below rather than on reliability.

MOT first-time pass rate

Counted from DVSA’s anonymised MOT test records. “vs age-matched” compares each model against what the national fleet scores at the same age — the only fair better-or-worse number, because an older fleet fails more whatever its build quality.

Skoda Octavia
Pass rate80.5%
Age-matched national78.1%
Difference+2.4
Tests20,737
Skoda Superb
Pass rate81.7%
Age-matched national80.7%
Difference+1.0
Tests6,784

These figures count every generation still on the road, not only the one described below: mostly Skoda Octavias registered 2005–2022 and Skoda Superbs registered 2011–2022.

Source: DVSA MOT Anonymised Data 2025 (Open Government Licence v3.0). National first-time pass rate 77.3%. Class 4 tests in Great Britain, test type NT (a normal annual test), retests excluded. A pass, or a pass with rectification at the station, counts as a first-time pass; DVSA's own initial-test measure counts a rectified pass as a failure and so reports a lower figure. Testing in Northern Ireland is run separately by the DVA under its own rules. The difference is worked out before rounding, so it can be 0.1 away from the two rounded figures beside it.

Skoda Octavia

Mk4, 2020+ · compact family hatch and estate (saloon-shaped hatch)

The Mk4 Skoda Octavia (2020+) shares the VW Golf Mk8 platform — including its early infotainment software bugs (resolved in 2023+ updates). The e-TEC 48V mild-hybrid starter generator has occasional faults, and the DSG differs by engine: dry-clutch DQ200 on e-TEC petrols, wet-clutch on 2.0 TDI and vRS. Best-buy: 2023+. Worst: 2020–2022 infotainment.

What goes wrong

  • Safety recall R/2024/017recall
    On certain vehicles with electromechanical brake servo and DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) of a limited production period there is a possibility that a heat protection mat was incorrectly fitted. In individual cases the brake fluid reservoir can melt and cause a brake fluid leak into the engine compartment.
    15,729 vehicles in the whole recall (DVSA’s figure for every model it covers) · built between 4 May 2020 and 14 November 2023
    Large recall — 15,729 vehicles. Check a car by registration on GOV.UK.
  • Mk4 infotainment softwaremoderate
    Touchscreen freezes; haptic-touch climate slider non-responsive; CarPlay drops
    2020–2022 · Free under software update
    Check: Confirm software version updated to ME3.2 or later.
  • eTSI 48V starter generatorminor
    Stop-start unavailable; "mild hybrid" warning
    2020+ eTSI variants · £800–£1,200 unit replacement
    Check: Test stop-start engagement once warm.
  • DSG gearbox — which one depends on the engineminor
    Hesitation or judder pulling away in slow traffic
    All DSG Mk4. The 1.0 and 1.5 e-TEC mild hybrids use the 7-speed dry-clutch DQ200; the 2.0 TDI, the vRS and the iV plug-in hybrid use wet-clutch gearboxes · Wet-clutch gearboxes have a scheduled gearbox oil change; the dry-clutch DQ200 has none · Wet-clutch DSG oil service £350–£500
    Check: Confirm which gearbox the car has from its engine. On a wet-clutch car, the service history should show the scheduled DSG oil change; on an e-TEC car with the DQ200 there is no scheduled gearbox oil service, so do not expect one. Pull away uphill from a standstill to provoke any judder.
Typical asking price:
not given as a fixed figure — the model guide shows the median and middle 80% of asking prices for the cars advertised on Autoza that day, when at least 10 qualify
Fuel economy:
49–57 mpg 2.0 TDI; 42–47 mpg 1.5 TSI
Vehicle tax:
£200/year standard rate from the second year, hybrids included — the alternative-fuel discount ended on 1 April 2025 (2026/27 rates). A car registered from April 2017 that listed at over £40,000 new (options included) also pays the £440/year Expensive Car Supplement in years 2–6 — it is the price when new that counts, not what you pay for it used.
Best years:
2023, 2024
Years to avoid:
2020, 2021, 2022
Used Skoda Octavias for saleFull Octavia fault guideUsed Skodas

Also compare:

Skoda Superb

third generation 2015–2024 · large family hatchback and estate

The third-generation Skoda Superb has one large DVSA recall: R/2024/017, a brake-fluid-reservoir heat-shield fault shared with the Octavia, on cars built June 2019 to November 2023. The rest are small build-window recalls, the most notable a fuse-box cable clamp on May to December 2015 builds that could cut the engine. What Car? scores the diesel 93.9% and the petrol 85.6%, and DVSA’s MOT table rates no Superb registration year below the average for its year. Under Skoda UK’s current terms a plug-in hybrid’s battery-capacity warranty does not pass to a second owner.

What goes wrong

  • Safety recall R/2024/017recall
    On certain vehicles with electromechanical brake servo and DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) of a limited production period there is a possibility that a heat protection mat was incorrectly fitted. In individual cases the brake fluid reservoir can melt and cause a brake fluid leak into the engine compartment.
    15,729 vehicles in the whole recall (DVSA’s figure for every model it covers) · built between 27 June 2019 and 23 November 2023
    Large recall — 15,729 vehicles. Check a car by registration on GOV.UK.
  • Safety recall R/2022/087recall
    The fuse in the high-voltage system of plug-in hybrid vehicles was partly produced with an insufficient amount of so-called fire extinguishing sand
    2,038 vehicles in the whole recall (DVSA’s figure for every model it covers) · built between 12 December 2019 and 14 February 2022
    Smaller recall — 2,038 vehicles. Check a car by registration on GOV.UK.
  • Diesel — exhaust, battery, air-con and electrical faultsmajor
    What Car? says almost a third of the 2015–2023 diesel Superbs in its survey had a fault, across air-con, battery, bodywork, engine, exhaust and sat-nav or infotainment, and half stopped the car being driven until repaired. Only half of the repairs were covered by warranty.
    2015–2023 diesel · £101–£1,000 for the repairs that were not covered by warranty, as What Car? survey respondents reported (its page, updated 28 May 2025)
    Check: Ask which faults the car has had and who paid. Look for exhaust or battery work on the service record, and check the air-con blows cold and the infotainment works.
  • Petrol — sat-nav, infotainment and electrical faultsmoderate
    What Car? says 23% of the petrol Superbs in its survey had a problem, with sat-nav or infotainment and other electrical systems giving the most trouble, and that Skoda paid for 85% of the faults.
    2015–2023 petrol
    Check: Work the touchscreen, navigation and phone pairing for several minutes, and check every electrical item before you buy.
Typical asking price:
not given as a fixed figure — the model guide shows the median and middle 80% of asking prices for the cars advertised on Autoza that day, when at least 10 qualify
Fuel economy:
No sourced real-world figure for the Superb, so none is printed: the official lab figure depends on the engine and on the test cycle the car was approved under, so use the figure for the exact version you are looking at.
Vehicle tax:
£200/year standard rate from the second year, hybrids included — the alternative-fuel discount ended on 1 April 2025. A car registered from April 2017 with a list price over £40,000 when new adds the £440/year Expensive Car Supplement in years 2–6 (£640 in all). Cars registered 2001–2017 pay a CO2 band, roughly £20–£790/year (2026/27 rates).
Best years:
2016, 2018
Used Skoda Superbs for saleFull Superb fault guideUsed Skodas

Also compare:

Which one suits you

Skoda Octavia

Good for: Practical family buyers wanting Golf substance with Skoda value — bigger boot, lower price.

Less good for: Buyers without tolerance for early Mk4 infotainment quirks.

Skoda Superb

Good for: Buyers who need a large, quiet car for long journeys and will check the build-window recalls, and the battery cover on a plug-in hybrid.

Less good for: Anyone buying a plug-in hybrid who is counting on the capacity warranty, or a diesel with no record of exhaust and battery work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is more reliable, the Skoda Octavia or the Skoda Superb?
Neither, on the evidence. Their first-time MOT pass rates sit 1.4 percentage points apart once each is compared against the national rate for cars of the same age, which is too close to call (we name a winner only at 2 points or more). A pass with rectification at the station counts as a pass here, and as a failure in DVSA's own initial-test measure. Pick on the specific faults each is prone to instead.
How do the MOT pass rates of the Skoda Octavia and the Skoda Superb compare?
80.5% of Skoda Octavias pass their MOT first time (20,737 tests in DVSA's records) and 81.7% of Skoda Superbs pass their MOT first time (6,784 tests). The national first-time rate is 77.3%, but cars of the Skoda Octavia's age average 78.1% and cars of the Skoda Superb's age 80.7% — so the Skoda Octavia runs 2.4 points better than its age group and the Skoda Superb runs 1.0 points better than its own. A pass with rectification at the station counts as a pass here, and as a failure in DVSA's own initial-test measure.
Which years of the Skoda Octavia and Skoda Superb should I avoid?
Skoda Octavia: Pre-2023 Mk4 inherited the Mk8 Golf's infotainment issues directly. Cars built 4 May 2020 to 14 November 2023 are also inside DVSA recall R/2024/017: on Octavias with the electromechanical brake servo and DSG a heat-protection mat may have been fitted wrongly, so the brake-fluid reservoir can melt and leak (15,729 vehicles across Octavia and Superb). Check the registration. Skoda Superb: No year is named: DVSA’s MOT table rates no Superb registration year below all cars registered that year, and the one recall of 10,000 or more vehicles (R/2024/017) covers cars built across 2019 to 2023. The first months of the third generation (built 1 May to 1 December 2015) are in R/2016/005, a fuse-box cable clamp that could stop electrical functions and, in the worst case, cut the engine, and R/2016/071 (sunroof clamping software, to April 2016); each covers fewer than 2,000 vehicles and is a free dealer visit, so ask for the record on a 2015 car.
Is the Skoda Octavia or the Skoda Superb cheaper to run?
On fuel it depends on the engine. Skoda Octavia: 49–57 mpg 2.0 TDI; 42–47 mpg 1.5 TSI. Skoda Superb: No sourced real-world figure for the Superb, so none is printed: the official lab figure depends on the engine and on the test cycle the car was approved under, so use the figure for the exact version you are looking at. For cars registered from April 2017, vehicle tax works the same way for both: the £200/year standard rate from the second year, hybrids included, plus the £440/year Expensive Car Supplement in years 2–6 on a car that listed at over £40,000 new — the price when new, not what you pay for it used. Any Skoda Octavia or Skoda Superb registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017 pays a CO2 band instead, roughly £20–£790/year (2026/27 rates). Insurance differs mainly by driver and postcode rather than by model, so treat any model-level insurance figure with caution.

MOT figures are counted from DVSA records and are the only measured statistic here. Prices, economy and tax bands are indicative and vary by specification, condition and where the car has lived. Last reviewed: 2026-10-06 / 2026-10-06.