Skoda Superb Review 2025

It’s a simple but very effective recipe for making a car attractive to buyers — provide more comfort, space and equipment than rival models do, yet for a lower price. Has taking the approach of sticking to these core strengths galvanised this large hatchback’s appeal? Find out with our full Skoda Superb review.

Credit should go to Skoda for sticking with the slinkier hatchback version of the Superb large family car, as almost all its major rivals of this size have either abandoned this market altogether or now only offer an estate body.

That latter approach is the path taken by the Superb’s very close cousin, the Volkswagen Passat, but other large family hatchbacks have already disappeared, including those which were once common sights such as the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia. Just about still on sale — if you can track one of the few remaining examples down — is the hatchback-bodied Peugeot 508.

Any others? If you can look beyond its slightly elevated SUV-esque appearance then the Citroen C5 X is really a hatchback as is the newly released Audi A5 Saloon — ignore what its name suggests — as well as the sportier BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe.

Although the visual differences between this generation of Skoda Superb and its predecessor are slight, the latest model’s nose gives it a bit more road presence while, more importantly, it also has improved aerodynamics helping you to get a bit more out of every litre of fuel. It’s also grown slightly in length and height, although it’s fractionally narrower overall.

Inside the changes are more significant and, for the most part, are a big improvement. With all versions available with an automatic gearbox only, Skoda has taken the smart decision to move the gear selector onto the steering column, which frees up space on the centre console.

The layout feels more sophisticated with a large central touchscreen, digital instrument display and a smart fluted finish to the dashboard itself, all of which helps provide a more upmarket feel.

On the engine front the hatchback model has fewer options than the Skoda Superb Estate as it unfortunately can’t be specified in plug-in hybrid form. The most popular choices will be the 1.5-litre TSI e-Tec petrol mild hybrid and the 2.0-litre TDI with 150PS. Both the 193PS TDI and 2.0-litre TSI 265PS petrol have four-wheel drive for those who want extra traction and more comfortable towing.

The 1.5-litre TSI is adequate but nothing more, although should prove economical. While the least powerful diesel is no quicker it feels more useful thanks to its extra torque and effortless cruising ability.

Arguably the most important thing about the Skoda Superb is space — those dimension tweaks have helped it to offer even more than before. Luggage capacity has swollen and it’s the same for passengers, with excellent space in the front and even more in the back — your rear seat occupants will feel like VIPs.

Price-wise the Skoda Superb remains excellent value, undercutting smaller rivals such as the Audi and BMW mentioned earlier. It may lack a premium badge or a scintillating driving experience, but the Skoda Superb performs so well in so many areas it is hard to fault it as a complete package.

With a sensible focus on comfort rather than pin-sharp handling, the Skoda Superb does an excellent job of filtering out poor road surfaces. Even on the largest 19-inch wheels the cabin is rarely disturbed, although the smaller options are better if you want comfort in all conditions.

From softening-out urban potholes to controlled sailing along motorway undulations, the Superb helps you get to the end of your journey feeling relaxed.

The Skoda Superb steers well and offers more than enough grip, although the soft suspension means a bit of body roll in corners if you do start to press on. Even so, the fact that it does such a good job of smoothing-out poor surfaces means you can hustle it along well, despite its size.

Racier-looking SportLine and the top-spec Laurin & Klement trim levels comes with Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) as standard — it’s an option on SE L models. This allows you to change the firmness of the suspension and the steering weight, but unless you plan on regularly tearing up B-roads the standard setup works fine.

It’s a shame to be denied the option of the PHEV version on the Skoda Superb hatchback, which has an extra dash of performance as well as a useful EV range, although the available engines offer decent performance and efficiency given the car’s size. All Superb hatchbacks are fitted with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

Entry-point to the range is the 1.5-litre TSI e-Tec petrol with mild hybrid electrical assistance. It produces 150PS and 250Nm of torque, sufficient for a 139mph top speed and a 0-62mph time of 9.2 seconds.

It’s a refined unit and is quieter than the diesel alternative when cruising, but the Superb is a sizeable car to be dragging around and it needs to be revved to extract the performance. It’s more vocal when you do so, but if you are less hurried then it has the benefit of being the cheaper option as well as offering good economy.

Next up and shorn of any electrified assistance is the 2.0-litre TSI producing 204PS and 320Nm of torque, which see the top speed jump to 154mph and the 0-62mph acceleration benchmark trimmed to 7.4 seconds.

Topping the petrol range is another 2.0-litre TSI producing a slightly unnecessary 265PS and 400Nm of torque. Coupled with its standard four-wheel drive system it can blast to 62mph from rest in just 5.6 seconds, making it something of a giant, discreet hot hatch. Academical as it is, the top speed is capped at 155mph. It’s a niche choice, but would probably make an excellent motorway patrol car.

If diesel is more your thing then the 2.0-litre TDI producing 150PS and 360Nm torque is the core choice. It has identical performance figures to the 1.5-litre TSI e-Tec petrol but it doesn’t need to be worked as hard to deliver the performance.

Want four-wheel drive with your 2.0-litre TDI? Then you can but with an upgrade to 193PS and 400Nm of torque. In this instance the top speed is 147mph with 7.5 seconds required for the 0-62mph sprint.

Euro NCAP tested the Skoda Superb in 2024 and awarded it the full five star rating. It scored impressively across the board, with 93% for adult occupant protection, 87% for child occupants, 82% for pedestrian mitigation and 80% for safety assist.

Safety equipment comprises of up to 10 airbags and a range of drive assistance tech, including nano radar sensors that will alert you to crossing traffic when trying to move out of a blind exit — it'll even apply the brakes to avoid a collision.

The Skoda Superb has long been an impressive tow car and the new version is no different. The 1.5-litre TSI e-Tec can manage up to 1900kg braked, while the 204PS version of the 2.0-litre TSI will haul 2000kg.

All other Superb hatchbacks will comfortably tow up to 2200kg of brakes trailer weight — the same figures as the Superb Estate across the board.

The Skoda Superb’s trump card has always been the amount of space on offer and with a slight increase in overall size the latest generation has only improved things.

Up front both driver and passenger have all the space they could possibly need, with generous head and legroom as well as plenty of elbow room. Although the centre console is now bigger and the dashboard more prominent, it doesn’t leave you feeling hemmed-in.

It’s even better in the back with limousine-like legroom and — even though it is a hatchback — the slope of the roofline won’t bother the heads of your rear seat passengers. The middle seat occupant doesn’t fare quite so well though, with a less comfortable and slimmer seat.

The boot space is a remarkable 645 litres — that’s just 45 litres less than the Superb Estate can manage up to its luggage cover and more than that renowned load-lugger, the Mercedes E-Class Estate.

While it can’t swallow the same bulky loads that the Superb Estate can, hatchback should still be enough roomy for most eventualities. Storage is excellent in the cabin area too, particularly within the enlarged centre console.

On the one hand there has been a definite improvement in overall quality in the latest Skoda Superb, with impressive levels of finish and a reassuring solidity to the majority of the controls.

It’s not perfect though — the new Skoda Smart Dials are a clever touch but rather than a nice metal finish they feel rather plasticky. The dashboard design looks smart but it’s flimsy in a few places which takes some of the shine off the overall feel.

However, Skoda’s reputation has been built on consistently solid build quality and we would expect the latest Superb to continue in this fashion.

All versions of the Skoda Superb share the same 13.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which sits in a sensible position on the dashboard — high enough up to be easy to reach but set into an indent that prevents it from cluttering your view through the windscreen.

The display itself is sharp and clear, with well-sized menus and icons so navigating the system is intuitive. It also has all the features you might expect — wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, DAB radio and Bluetooth connectivity.

Another smart Skoda feature is a dedicated cleaning pad tucked away in the centre console, so you can quickly wipe away the inevitable finger marks.

Another big plus is that Skoda has chosen not to pack every single function into the touchscreen. Instead those three Skoda Smart Dials mentioned above — which look like conventional rotary controllers — each contain a digital display. The centre one can be configured to control a variety of functions for audio, climate control, driving modes and navigation.

Prices for the Skoda Superb hatchback start at £35,695 for the 1.5-litre TSI e-Tec in SE Technology trim, with the 150PS 2.0-litre TDI diesel version in the same trim at £36,210. At its most expensive, the 2.0-litre TSI 4x4 in plush Laurin & Klement guise will set you back £47,370.

Of its most direct rivals, the Citroen C5 X costs from £30,590 while if you’re quick enough to grab one of the few remaining Peugeot 508s you’ll need £46,810 — although that is for a 225PS plug-in hybrid version.

More upmarket choices tend to cost more and the same is true here. That hatchback-really Audi A5 Saloon starts at £41,980 for the 150PS TSI Sport or to get behind the wheel of the least-costly BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe requires £45,515 for a 420i M Sport.

For a car of this size, running costs should be relatively low for the Skoda Superb, although there’s a degree of variation with each engine depending on trim level and extra-cost options.

Fuel economy for the 1.5-litre TSI e-Tec on the WLTP Combined cycle ranges from 50.8-54.1mpg with CO2 emissions of 119-127g/km. Upgrade to the 2.0-litre 204PS TSI and those figures worsen to 41.2-42.0mpg and 153-156g/km of CO2.

Choose the punchiest four-wheel drive-equipped 2.0-litre TSI petrol for the lowest efficiency in the range — 36.3-37.0mpg and 174-177g/km of CO2 will require deep pockets.

What of the 2.0-litre TDI diesels? The 150PS version will prove most popular thanks to its 55.2-58.5mpg and 127-134g/km CO2 figures, although the 193PS 4x4 edition’s not much worse with its respective statistics of 47.6-48.6mpg and 152-156g/km of CO2.

The lack of the plug-in hybrid option for the Skoda Superb hatchback means that with Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) taxation bands of 29-37% none of them will likely prove especially appealing to company car drivers. For reference, all of the Superb Estate PHEVs are in the 5% band.

Servicing costs are also likely to be comparatively modest, especially compared to premium brand rivals, while insurance is also reasonable, ranging from group 23 to 37.

Currently there are four trim levels across the Skoda Superb hatchback range following the Czech brand’s familiar hierarchy of SE Technology, SE L, SportLine and Laurin & Klement.

Even with the entry-level Skoda Superb SE Technology standard equipment is generous including 17-inch Mintakka alloy wheels, LED daytime running, head, front fog and tail lights, darkened rear privacy glass, electrically adjustable, folding and heated door mirrors, parking sensors front and rear plus a reversing camera.

Inside you’ll find heated front seats with a massage function, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a 10.25-inch Virtual Cockpit digital instrument screen, a 13.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with cleaning pad, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless phone charging pad, adaptive cruise control and keyless start.

Upgrading to the Skoda Superb SE L adds to that with 18-inch Dofida alloy wheels, Matrix LED headlights, LED rear fog lights, animated rear LED indicators, keyless entry, an electric tailgate, synthetic and genuine leather upholstery, electrically adjustable front seats with memory function linked to the door mirror positions and multi-coloured ambient interior lighting.

If you fancy something a little racier in appearance then the Skoda Superb SportLine may fit your bill adding 19-inch Torcular alloy wheels, sports bumpers, gloss black exterior detailing, Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC), faux suede and leather upholstery, front sports seats, a black headlining and aluminium pedals.

Topping the range with a luxurious focus and building on the SE L’s kit roster is the Skoda Superb Laurin & Klement. Choose this grade for 18-inch Belatrix alloy wheels, Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC), automatic parking, a 15-speaker Canton audio system plus electrically heated rear seats, steering wheel and windscreen.