Skoda Superb Review & Prices

The Skoda Superb is a big, practical family car - which is something of a dying breed these days. Most other manufacturers are moving towards high-riding SUVs, making the Superb’s more conventional body style stand out from the crowd.

It’s a bit like sticking with your iPod while everyone else is streaming through Spotify. Just because most others have gone in a different direction doesn’t mean there isn’t value in sticking with the left-field choice.

If you go back 10 years or so there were loads of large family cars to choose from such as the Ford Mondeo, Mazda 6, Kia Optima and Hyundai i40. These have all disappeared from the showrooms now leaving just the Peugeot 508 and Volkswagen Passat to sit alongside the Superb - although the latter is only available as an estate. You could also consider a BMW 3 Series or the new Audi A5.

What the Superb has over all of these alternatives is cavernous practicality, something Skoda has something of a reputation for. This is mainly down to the massive 645-litre boot, making it more spacious than all but the Passat estate.

There’s loads of space in the rear seats as well, with acres of knee room and decent headroom. Getting three across the rear bench can be tricky because of the way the roof curves in, but it’s still doable for short journeys.

The Superb hatchback also represents great value for money, as all Skodas should, but this isn’t at the expense of quality. It’s a lovely place to sit, with plenty of plush materials and solid build quality throughout. Sure, it's not quite as posh as an Audi or a BMW but it’s not far off.

You get a 13.0-inch infotainment display as standard that has crisp graphics and responds quickly to your touch. Beneath this is a trio of dials with small screens within them, and their function can be altered intuitively so you’re not fiddling with touchscreen menus to change stuff like the climate settings on the move. Smart.

The engine lineup is simple. You can choose between a 1.5-litre petrol or a 2.0-litre diesel engine - both of which have 150hp. Mid-spec cars are also available with a 193hp diesel with all-wheel drive, and range-topping models can be had with an all-wheel drive 265hp petrol engine. Regardless of which you choose, all models have a seven-speed automatic gearbox.

Once you get out on the road you’ll immediately notice that the Superb is really easy to drive. Around town you have great visibility looking forwards, and there’s a good view out the back as well. The suspension is a little bit firmer over bumps than you might expect in a car like this, but it’s by no means uncomfortable.

Head out onto a faster moving road and you get the sense that the Superb is set up for motorway mile munching. The suspension smooths out nicely at speed, and you get very little road or wind noise in the cabin. Go for the 150hp diesel and you’ll also get over 50mpg on a run with ease.

Overall then the Skoda Superb makes a really solid case for the traditional family car, proving that SUVs aren’t necessarily the be-all and end-all for ferrying the kids around or carrying loads of stuff. It may not set your pulse racing, but the sheer versatility and value for money the Superb offers makes it hard to fault.

If this sounds like the family car for you, then head over to our Skoda Superb deals pages to see how much you can save. If you fancy a used Superb then you can check out our used deals page, and you can also peruse other used Skoda models. Looking to change your car altogether? You can sell your car through Carwow, where our trusted dealers will bid on your car to get you the best price.

The Skoda Superb is not only more practical than its key competitors, it’s cheaper as well. The Peugeot 508 is a few hundred pounds dearer, and the Volkswagen Passat is a couple of thousand pounds more expensive.

You won’t feel short-changed in terms of standard equipment either, because even the entry-level model comes with heated and massaging front seats, a 13.0-inch touchscreen, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and blind spot monitoring. The mid-spec SE L is the sweet spot though, because it gets extras such as matrix LED headlights, ventilated front seats and leather upholstery.

This Skoda makes a superb motorway cruiser thanks to the hushed cabin, however it’s a bit more firm around town than you might expect

In town

You’d think being quite a long car would make the Superb a chore to drive in town, but it’s actually quite relaxing. You have great forward visibility, the view out of the back is decent and it has a surprisingly tight turning circle which makes it easy to manoeuvre in small spaces.

One thing which may come as a surprise is the fact the suspension is quite taught at low speeds. You do feel the bumps more than you’d expect. It’s by no means uncomfortable though, and it is made better by fitting the optional adaptive dampers and putting them in their softest setting.

All versions of the Superb get front and rear parking sensors as standard, as well as a reversing camera. These are a necessity for tight car parks in a car this long, however it's a shame that the camera is quite low definition. A 360-degree camera is also part of a £720 parking pack on all but the top-spec model, however this does also get you a self-parking aid if you’re not particularly confident when it comes to slotting into a tight space.

Those who spend a lot of time in town may be disappointed to learn that you can’t get the Superb hatchback as a plug-in hybrid, this is reserved only for the estate version. If you want a swoopy fastback with the option to waft around on electric power then the Peugeot 508 is about your only option.

It’s a good job that the rest of the engine lineup is, well, superb really. Around town the 1.5-litre petrol engine will more than suffice, and all cars get a smooth seven-speed automatic gearbox which makes stop-start traffic much easier on your left leg.

On the motorway

It’s on the motorway that the Skoda Superb really shines. That firm suspension smooths out nicely at speed, and there is minimal wind or road noise to interrupt the peace. It’s a very relaxing car to eat up the miles in.

It’s good to see that a diesel engine is still available as well, because it’s great for long-distance drivers. The 150hp version provides plenty of punch for joining a faster-moving road, and the torquey nature of it makes overtaking slow-moving traffic effortless. It’ll easily achieve over 50mpg on a long run as well.

All models come with adaptive cruise control as standard, so it’ll maintain a safe distance from the car in front and it can even shunt you along in stop-start traffic.

On a twisty road

The Superb handles just as well as it needs to on a country road. It won’t have you grinning from ear-to-ear like a BMW 3 Series will, but that’s not really the point of this car.

It remains stable and composed through the bends, even if you go into a corner slightly too quickly. There’s plenty of grip and the body doesn’t roll about too much, it just inspires total confidence as you hustle along a B-road.

You’ll be comfortable as you do as well, because the suspension effortlessly deals with rough and undulating roads to leave you feeling nice and cocooned.

The Superb lives up to Skoda’s reputation for cavernous practicality with a massive boot and loads of rear legroom, however three across the rear bench is a squeeze

Getting comfortable up front in the Superb is easy. There’s loads of adjustment in the seats and the steering wheel to find your ideal driving position, and all models get adjustable lumbar support and massaging front seats - two things which are optional on much more premium cars.

Once you’ve found your ideal driving position, there are plenty of cubby holes for you to empty your pockets out into. The gear selector’s location on the steering column opens up space in the centre console for two storage compartments, one of which houses a wireless phone charger. There’s also a massive compartment under the centre armrest with a handy screen cleaner for the infotainment system, and the cupholders have clever grippers which make it easier to open a bottle one-handed.

You get a big glove box which is lined with felt to stop things rattling around, and the door bins are also big enough to hold two big bottles. There are plenty of ways to charge your various devices, such as two USB-C ports which are actually powerful enough to charge a laptop and a 12-volt socket.

Space in the back seats

Moving to the rear seats and you’ll find acres of knee room and loads of headroom as well. For carrying two people in the back the Superb is really hard to beat, however it can be a bit of a struggle with three. The footwells are plenty big enough to accommodate everyone’s feet, however the two people in the outer seats may find their heads are pushed up against the roof. An SUV such as the Volkswagen Tiguan may be a better bet for making use of all the seats.

This small gripe aside, the Superb offers loads of space for fitting a bulky rear-facing child seat, and the ISOFIX anchor points are easy to access behind the flip-up covers. The rear doors also open nice and wide to make slotting in the seat a breeze. If you’d prefer to keep your baby next to you then there’s also ISOFIX mounts on the front passenger seat.

Rear passengers also have equally huge door bins to the front, as well as multiple pockets on the back of the front seats. The centre armrest houses a couple of cupholders, and there’s a handy place to prop your phone so you can watch videos as you’re being driven along.

There won’t be any fighting over charging points either, because you get two more USB-C points in the back. Higher spec cars also get heated rear seats.

Boot space

Boot space has always been the Skoda Superb’s biggest selling point, and this new version is even bigger than its predecessor. You get a whopping 645 litres of space - which is 20-litres more than the old car and 158 litres more than a Peugeot 508 has to offer. It’ll even put estate cars in the class above to shame, such as the Mercedes E-Class Estate which has 615 litres of luggage space.

Fold the rear seats down and this increases the space on offer to 1,195 litres, however there is an annoying hump in the floor which makes it harder to push heavy items to the front. What's also annoying is the fact you can’t get a variable boot floor on the hatchback, so there’s nowhere clever to store the parcel shelf when you’re not using it.

There are still plenty of clever features in the boot though, such as the 12-volt socket to plug in a hoover or the super-sturdy shopping bag hooks. You can get a special hammock which sits in the boot to put your shopping bags into so they wont roll around, and there’s a velcro retainer which you can use to wedge things in.

The Superb feels well built and high quality inside, however the digital driver’s display is frustrating to use

As soon as you climb aboard the new Skoda Superb you get the sense that everything has been properly put together using top-notch materials. Everything you touch feels nice and plush, all the controls are well-damped and you get the sense that this car is punching well above its weight when you consider the price. The overall design isn’t quite as interesting as the Peugeot 508’s cabin though.

Another welcome addition is the physical knobs you use for climate control. It’s strange to be praising a car for featuring something so basic, but with most other new models burying these controls in a touchscreen menu it’s good to see that Skoda has kept things simple.

You can also configure the centre knob to control up to four different things. You just press it to toggle between different functions and it’s displayed on a small screen in the middle. It’s a really clever solution.

All versions of the Skoda Superb get a 13.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system as standard, and it’s pretty easy to use. The screen is bright and responsive, and all the menus are easy to navigate. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto also come as standard, so you can use your Waze or Google Maps through the screen.

What’s not so intuitive is the digital driver’s display. All versions get a 10.25-inch screen behind the steering wheel, and it’s confusing to navigate all the menus to configure it as you want. The system you get in a BMW 3 Series is much easier to use.

There are plenty of engines to choose from in the Skoda Superb, so finding one to suit your needs shouldn’t be a problem. The entry-level option is a 1.5-litre turbo petrol with 150hp driving the front wheels, or there’s a 2.0-litre 150hp diesel which is also front-wheel drive.

For a bit more oomph there are also two all-wheel drive versions, a 2.0-litre petrol with 265hp or another 2.0-litre diesel with 193hp. Regardless of which one you choose you’ll get a seven-speed automatic gearbox - there’s no manual option. If you’d prefer to shift your own gears then you might want to consider the Superb’s smaller sibling - the Skoda Octavia.

Of these four options it’s the 150hp diesel which suits this car best. It’s more than powerful enough for everyday use, it’ll return up to 58mpg and it’s pretty refined as well. There is a bit of a grumble when you rev it out, but that’s about it.

Company car drivers looking to minimise their benefit in kind tax will be unhappy to learn that you can’t get the hatchback version of the Superb as a plug-in hybrid, this technology is reserved for the Superb Estate.

The lowest-polluting version is the 1.5-litre petrol model, which means it’ll attract the lowest tax rates. However you’re still better off going with the diesel for the added fuel economy and it feels more powerful as well.

The latest generation of the Skoda Superb is one of the safest cars you can buy according to Euro NCAP. It scored the maximum five stars in its 2024 tests, with judges being particularly impressed with its adult and child occupant protection in a crash.

All models also come with plenty of kit to help prevent an accident from happening in the first place such as lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning and autonomous emergency braking.

The latest Superb hasn’t really been around long enough to draw any conclusions about reliability, however Skoda generally scores very highly in reliability surveys. You can expect this car to be a dependable workhorse.

All Skoda models also come with a decent five-year or 100,000 mile warranty for added peace of mind, however this isn’t as good as the seven years of cover you get with a Kia. Toyota also offers up to 10 years of warranty if you keep your car serviced within its dealer network.