PickBestCar

SKODA

Octavia

Mk3 (5E) generation, 2013-2020

Our verdict

7.6 / 10

A roomy, sensible buy - if you choose the engine and gearbox with care

The third-generation Octavia is a big, practical hatchback that shares its mechanicals with the VW Golf Mk7 and ranked first in its class in the What Car? 2024 reliability survey. The weak points are mostly in the automatic gearbox, the small-petrol cooling system and diesel emissions kit on cars used for short trips. A manual petrol or a well-serviced 2.0 TDI is the lowest-risk way to buy one.

The Octavia Mk3 (internal code 5E) is Skoda's large family car, sold from 2013 to 2020 as a five-door liftback hatch and as the estate (Combi). Underneath, it uses the same MQB platform as the VW Golf Mk7, so you get Golf-style mechanicals in a bigger, more practical body. Boot space is the headline: a liftback hatch swallows around 590 litres, which is more than many cars a class above. In Ireland it is one of the most common used family cars, partly because so many were bought as company cars, so there are plenty to choose from but also a lot of high-mileage diesels.

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