Skoda Octavia review

The Octavia hatch starts at £21,230 in the UK for a bog-standard SE with the 1.0-litre petrol engine and a manual gearbox. Prices rise to £33,150 for the plug-in hybrid, which is only available in SE L trim. Meanwhile the vRS starts at £30,605.

Key options to be aware of are the full matrix LED lights (a hefty outlay at £1,610), a rear-view parking camera (£605) and leather upholstery at £240.

There’s plenty of clever safety tech too. Skoda’s collision avoidance system can now perform evasive manoeuvres without any driver input, and the new Octavia is apparently one of the most cycle-friendly cars ever built. ‘Predictive Cycling Protection’ and ‘Turn Assist’ are both able to apply the brakes and bring the car to a stop if a cyclist is detected ahead or at a junction, whilst an exit warning system stops you opening the door onto hapless bicyclists when parked.

A three-year/60,000 mile warranty is standard, and Skoda still includes neat touches like the umbrella hidden in the drivers’ door and an ice scraper behind the fuel filler cap. Very clever, and a big part of why we tend to like Skodas.