The sporty Octavia vRS model has now been added to the lineup, with prices starting from £38,670. There's also a new diesel engine for the Sportline trim.
The Octavia has been one of Skoda's best-selling models, and since 2020 around 32,000 new Octavias have found homes on UK driveways. Now, the Octavia has been updated with fresh styling, new interior options and a couple of new engines. It's available to order from Skoda retailers now, with first deliveries taking place in the next couple of months.
The new Octavia comes hot off the heels of the new Kodiaq, Superb and mid-life updates for the Kamiq and Scala.
2024 Skoda Octavia vRS
Alongside the standard Octavia, the range-topping vRS performance model has been updated, too. The existing 2.0-litre petrol engine has been massaged to give 20hp more than before, with the 265hp engine enabling a quick 0-62mph time of 6.5 seconds. However, Skoda also suggests that the Octavia vRS will manage 40mpg if driven carefully, which is an impressive blend of speed and economy.
In the pre-facelift vRS, you could also get diesel and plug-in hybrid versions; these have now been dropped. The six-speed manual gearbox has been withdrawn as well, so now the vRS gets a seven-speed automatic gearbox as standard.
You can still choose from hatchback or estate body styles, with prices starting from £38,670 and £39,775 respectively. Orders for the vRS models open on Wednesday 14 August.
Alongside the visual upgrades – big alloy wheels, sports seats, black exterior trim and vRS badging – the range-topper boasts a 'VAQ' differential to ensure each wheel has the most possible grip when coming out of a corner. This, coupled with a 15mm lower suspension setup, makes the vRS better to drive than a normal Octavia.
2024 Skoda Octavia prices and specs
SE Technology opens the range, but it's still packed with equipment. There are LED headlights, heated front seats, push-button start, 16-inch alloy wheels and a 13-inch touchscreen with sat nav and online features.
SE L adds bigger wheels, a heated steering wheel and seats trimmed in suede-like fabric and artificial leather. Additional equipment includes adaptive cruise control, a heated windscreen and an automatic tailgate. Prices for this mid-range model start from £31,250. The racy-looking Sportline trim starts from £32,255, while the limited-run First Edition costs £32,975.
Choosing an automatic gearbox adds about £2,000 to the cost, while swapping to diesel power adds around £2,500 to the bill. And picking the estate body style adds £980. If you buy an Sportline estate with a diesel engine and automatic gearbox, you'll be spending almost £37,000 before options.
2024 Skoda Octavia styling
The design doesn't stray too far from the current car, but the front end gets a new grille and redesigned headlights with a fresh LED light signature. The changes actually make it look a bit like a new Mercedes E-Class at first glance.
The headlights themselves are updated, as they now feature Skoda’s latest-generation 'Matrix LED' elements and a crystalline finish which gives the headlights a blue laser-like colour.
At the back, the brakelights have a tweaked shape and new night-time signature, and the reflectors have been refreshed.
2024 Skoda Octavia interior and trim
Inside, a 13-inch infotainment screen borrowed from the Enyaq electric SUV makes its way onto the Octavia's option list. In fact, the tech has been given a big boost – a 10-inch digital driver's cluster now comes as standard, the keyless entry system now unlocks the car as soon as you get within 1.5 metres, the AI-based ChatGPT software will be introduced to give the voice assistant additional capability, and the Octavia now offers intelligent park assist and remote park assist as options. Even the USBs have been beefed up so they can charge devices quicker than before.
The Octavia lineup is further bolstered by a new Sportline trim level, which bridges the gap between the standard range and the high-performance vRS range-topper. Sportline gets an exclusive interior treatment, with sporty seats and material selections including recycled grey fabric and artificial leather.
Overall, there are seven interior 'Design Selections' to choose from, with four of them featuring recycled fabric or eco leather in a bid to make the Octavia more sustainable. Similarly, some of the Skoda's 'Simply Clever' features are now made of recycled materials.
2024 Skoda Octavia engines
For now, the engine range consists of four petrol engines and two diesel engines, although the Octavia iV plug-in hybrid is likely to rejoin the lineup in the future.
The old 110hp 1.0-litre petrol engine has been replaced by a 116hp version of the existing 1.5-litre engine. This engine is also available with 150hp, and both come with mild-hybrid technology on cars with an automatic gearbox.
Later on, you'll also be able to buy an Octavia with a 204hp 2.0-litre petrol engine, which'll get an auto gearbox and four-wheel drive. It'll be the only Octavia you can buy with four-wheel drive.
The Octavia is the biggest car in the family hatchback class, providing much more practicality than the likes of the Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf and SEAT Leon.
When will I be able to buy the new Skoda Octavia from Motorpoint?
With the new 2024 Skoda Octavia models now on the road, we’d expect these cars to start filtering through to your local Motorpoint store with healthy discounts by early 2025. In the meantime, check out our exciting range of nearly new and used Octavias for sale, or read our Octavia review.
