Skoda Superb Estate review

It’s often said space is a luxury, and it’s certainly something we’re used to paying big money for. A larger home? Expensive. Extra leg room on a plane? Expensive. There are exceptions though – including the Skoda Superb Estate.

We'd be exaggerating only slightly if we used words like gigantic, ginormous or gargantuan to describe the Superb Estate, yet it remains a competitively priced car (as is the Skoda Superb hatchback). Better still, the latest, fourth-generation version has even more capacity for people and luggage than its predecessor.

Skoda Superb video review

Its vastness makes the model a less-expensive alternative to similarly spacious premium-brand estate cars including the BMW 5 Series Touring and Mercedes E-Class Estate.

Rivals also include the closely related VW Passat (which is available solely as an estate) plus the stylish Peugeot 508 SW and the frugal Toyota Corolla Touring Sports.

The Skoda Superb Estate is available with a choice of three petrol engines, two diesels and as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). All versions get a DSG automatic gearbox as standard and are either front- or four-wheel drive.

If you’re a private buyer, the entry-level 148bhp 1.5-litre petrol (badged 1.5 TSI e-TEC 150) would be our pick. It features mild-hybrid technology to boost performance and fuel economy and it's great for everyday use, with enough oomph to get you from 0-62mph in a creditable 9.2sec. It's reasonably quiet and smooth when you rev it out, too.

The 1.5 TSI isn't the best option if you need a tow car, though. In that case, you'd be better off with the 148bhp 2.0 TDI 150 diesel, which has similar straight-line pace but pulls harder from lower revs. Or there's a more powerful 190bhp 2.0 TDI 193 with standard four-wheel drive. It's even gutsier – hitting 62mph in a fraction over seven seconds – and the added four-wheel traction is added boon in slippery conditions. You do have to put up with slightly more noise and vibration from the diesels, though.

For something that's smooth and quick, have a look at the more powerful petrols: the 201bhp 2.0 TSI 204 or the 261bhp 2.0 TSI 265. The latter also comes with four-wheel drive and will romp to 62mph in 5.6sec, so it's properly quick. 

What if you want to drive your Superb Estate like an electric car? For that, you’ll need the plug-in hybrid (PHEV), called the 1.5 TSI iV. It also has 201bhp so it's brisk (0-62mph in 8.1sec), and officially goes for over 85 miles on battery power alone before the petrol engine kicks in. That’s about the same as a VW Passat PHEV, and further than the equivalent plug-in hybrid BMW 5 Series Touring, Mercedes C-Class Estate, Mercedes E-Class Estate or Peugeot 508 SW.

The big dynamic downside of a PHEV Superb Estate is the brakes are a bit grabby, so it's not as easy to slow it down smoothly as the rest of the Superb range. That's due to the regenerative braking, which is something that the regular petrols and diesels don't have and it's why their brakes are more progressive.

If the Superb is on standard passive suspension the ride isn't as plush as you might expect: ridges and potholes cause a thud as you pass over them. This set-up doesn't make the Superb Estate uncomfortable, but there's no question the Passat does a better job of smoothing out imperfections, especially at speed. 

For a cushier ride, you'll need your Superb fitted with Dynamic Chassis Control Plus (DCC). It's an option on SE L trim and standard on Sportline and top-spec L&K trim. It's an adaptive suspension system, so you can stiffen or soften the car’s ride in multiple increments using a slider on the infotainment touchscreen. Few cars are as customisable and you can really tune the Superb Estate to suit your tastes.

Even in its softest setting, the Superb isn't wallowy. It's actually generally well controlled and does a good job of minimising the impact of bumps. Move the suspension to the sportiest setting and the ride gets noticeably firmer but even then it's far from intolerable – it's just more controlled.

In the sportiest setting, the Superb Estate still isn't as agile or entertaining to drive as smaller, sportier estate cars – such as the BMW 3 Series Touring – but you can still place it with confidence on a sinewy road. There's decent grip and, with the DCC suspension at its tautest, the Superb resists body lean well. It steers accurately, too, with a reasonable sense of connection to the front wheels to give you an idea of grip levels. Meanwhile, the steering's light at slow speeds, making the Superb easy to manoeuvre in town.

Wind noise is well contained, but you do hear some roar from the tyres at speed and background thumps from the suspension over rutted surfaces.  

"It’s a tidy, reassuring handler, and none of the engines feel short on power. I covered a lot of miles in the entry-level 1.5-litre petrol-powered car, and I reckon it's all most people will ever want or need." – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

All versions of the Skoda Superb Estate have lots of steering wheel and seat adjustment to help you find a good driving position, including four-way adjustable lumbar support. SE L trim adds 14-way electrically adjustable front seats with extendable seat bases and a massage function to help you stay comfortable on long journeys.

Visibility is pretty good all-round, thanks to large windows with reasonably slim pillars. And no matter which trim you go for, you get front and rear parking sensors, and a rear-view camera.

The 13in infotainment touchscreen is positioned high on the dashboard so you don’t have to take your eyes far from the road to operate it. Plus, the icons are large and clear, and the natural-speech voice-control system (called Laura) doesn’t require you to remember specific commands. On all trims it comes with built-in sat-nav and wireless Apple CarPlay/ Android Auto smartphone mirroring, plus you get a cooled wireless charging pad that helps prevent your phone overheating.  

As a bonus, while many brands seem determined to consign physical dashboard controls to history, the Superb Estate has three rotary dials beneath its touchscreen. The outer two let you adjust the climate control and heated seat temperature with the minimum of distraction, while the central one can be used to quickly change the fan speed, stereo volume or select a different driving mode.

It’s just a pity those rotary controls have a fair amount of play in them, which makes them feel rather cheap. And while the interior looks stylish, the perception of quality is further undermined by the creaky nature of some of the dashboard trims and the hard plastics used in various places. Ultimately, the VW Passat feels a touch plusher and better screwed together.

Instrumentation is displayed on the Superb Estate's highly configurable digital driver's display. A head-up display that projects your speed and other key information on to the windscreen is available as an option from SE L trim up.

"The Superb's physical dials are a reminder that sometimes the old ways are best. I find them so much easier to operate them on the move than it would be to mess around with the touchscreen." – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

Up front, there's loads of room in the Superb Estate, and the same is true in the rear seats. Indeed, one downside of rivals such as the the Peugeot 508 SW and Toyota Corolla Touring Sports is that rear passenger space is quite cramped. The Skoda Superb Estate is the complete opposite. It offers ample rear leg and head room for six-footers to stretch out; along with the hatchback version, this is among the most spacious cars on sale today.

The central rear passenger isn't quite as well catered for as those in the outer rear seats because the middle seat is mounted higher than the outer two, cutting head room a little. There's a hump in the floor in for them to straddle. Nevertheless, you can fit three in the rear more easily than you can in most other estate cars. 

There's plenty of storage space, too, including deep door bins, a myriad of useful cubbies, front cup holders and rear cupholders in the rear armrest. That also incorporates a holder for a phone or tablet for when you want to watch videos on the go.

Boot space has always been one of the top reasons to buy a Superb Estate and the latest car has more than ever: 690 litres in non-PHEV versions. That's 30 litres more than the third-generation model and the same as you get in the closely related VW Passat (which is only available as an estate car now). For context, the Peugeot 508 SW makes do with 530 litres of space and the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports has 596 litres. Even the latest BMW 5 Series Touring and the Mercedes E-Class Estate fall short, with 570 litres and 615 litres respectively. Just bear in mind that the Superb’s boot capacity falls to 510 litres if you go for the PHEV model, although that's still a big space. 

If you do need more space, the rear seats of the Superb Estate can be folded down in a 60/40 configuration using release handles in the boot. There’s a step up in the boot floor when the rear seats are folded, but you can option a height-adjustable floor that smoothes that out when it's set in the upper position. It's not an expensive option and well worth adding. You get a central ski hatch as standard, which allows you to carry long items while still using the two outer rear seats, and the boot has handy storage cubbies either side of its entrance.

"With vast space on offer, you'd have to be transporting something or someone truly colossal for it to not fit inside the Superb. I didn't come close to filling it up." – Dan Jones, Reviewer

Value has always been key to the appeal of the Skoda Superb Estate (as it is with the Skoda Superb hatchback), and that remains the case today. It undercuts the closely related VW Passat by a couple of thousand pounds and PCP deals are generally competitive thanks to Skoda incentives.

It’s not like Skoda has kept the cost down by being stingy with equipment, either. Even the entry-level SE Technology trim comes with 17in alloy wheels, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, heated front seats, three-zone climate control, privacy glass, keyless start/stop and lots of other kit – including the parking aids and infotainment goodies we mentioned earlier. It’s the one that we’d go for. 

Stepping up to SE L adds more niceties, including better interior trims and faux leather seats, 18in alloy wheels, 14-way electric front seats (with cooling and massaging functions), ambient lighting, matrix LED headlights, keyless entry and a hands-free powered tailgate. Sportline adds sportier styling inside and out (including sports front seats and 19in alloys) and DCC adaptive suspension. Meanwhile, top-spec L&K adds heated rear seats, a 360-degree camera and an upgraded Canton sound system with 14 speakers.

The Superb Estate will still cost you more to buy than the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports – a car that also drinks less fuel than any petrol Superb. If you're a private buyer wanting the cheapest fuel costs the 2.0 TDI 150 diesel is the most economical in the real world.

If you're a company car driver rather than a private buyer, the long electric range of the 1.5 TSI iV plug-in hybrid cuts down your BIK tax rating – it's lower than most of its rivals except the VW Passat. Just bear in mind that fully electric cars such as the Peugeot e-308 SW will be save you even more BIK.

The PHEV’s ability to run on electricity for so long should help to keep your fuel bills down – but only if you keep the battery topped up and charge overnight on a cheap overnight tariff. If you plug the Superb Estate into a 50kW public DC charger a charge from 10-80% should take around 26 minutes. 

The latest Superb Estate is too new for us to have any reliability data, but the previous-generation car was significantly more dependable in petrol form than diesel. As for the Skoda brand, it finished a respectable 16th out of 30 manufacturers in the 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey – below Toyota and Peugeot but above VW.

It’s also worth noting that the warranty on the Corolla Touring Sports can last for up to 10 years or 100,000 miles if you continue to get your car serviced at a Toyota dealer. Skoda’s warranty is less impressive and, like most rivals, expires after three years or 60,000 miles.

The latest Superb scored the full five stars when it was tested by the experts at Euro NCAP in 2024. It scored quite highly in all areas, and exactly the same as the closely related Passat, but the Mercedes E-Class scored slightly better when it came to protecting children sitting in the rear.

You get plenty of standard safety equipment with the Superb, including traffic-sign recognition, lots of airbags, lane-keeping assistance, front cross-traffic assist, automatic emergency braking (AEB) and blind-spot detection. 

"Because life with a Superb Estate ought to be relatively easy, I find it odd that the length of the car's warranty is merely average." – Claire Evans, Consumer Editor

Buy one if...

- You want an estate with plenty of passenger space

- You're looking for a plug-in hybrid with a long electric range

- A long list of standard features is important to you

Don't buy one if...

- You'd like an estate that's fun to drive

- You want a solid feeling interior

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