Skoda Octavia Estate vRS

• Report 1: Meet our new Skoda Octavia vRS long-term test car
• Report 2: Should you pick an Octavia vRS hatchback or estate?

Report 1: Meet our new Skoda Octavia vRS long-term test car

Meet our new Skoda Octavia Estate vRS long-termer as we're look to see if this is still all the car you'll ever need.

Date: 17 February 2025 | Current mileage: 2014 | Claimed economy: 40mpg | Actual economy: 37.8mpg

After 12 months of running various family SUVs, it's time to get behind the wheel of something a little different. So without further ado, please welcome the updated Skoda Octavia Estate vRS to the HJ fleet.

Confession time - I've always fancied running an Octavia vRS as on paper at least it seems to tick all the boxes for my needs. It promises to be practical, offer decent space for four people and enough performance to deliver everyday hot hatch (or should that be hot estate?) fun. It's easy to see why it's proved so popular over the years and it's why I'm really looking forward to spending the next 6 months with this fast family wagon. 

So, as I've just alluded to, our long-termer is an estate. A hatch version is available, but just for that little bit more versatility, the estate wins for me. And fast estates are that bit cooler aren't they?

When initially launched back in 2020 the Octavia vRS was available with a choice of three engines - petrol, diesel and a plug-in hybrid, while a manual gearbox was also an option. For the facelift the engine range has been streamlined, with both the diesel and plug-in hybrid options dropped from the range. That just leaves the 2.0-litre TSI petrol engine that's now only available with a seven-speed DSG 'box, though power has been increased from 245PS to 265PS. That's no surprise as the mechanically similar Golf GTI has also benefited from the same power bump and loss of a manual gearbox. It's a smidge quicker than the older car, taking 6.5 seconds to hit 62mph - that's only 0.1 second slower than the Golf GTI. After enjoying some fairly frugal SUVs of late, the 2.0-litre TSI engine should return 40mpg officially, so it'll be interesting to see how this fairs in the real world.

So, what else? While the Octavia vRS does look the business in the punchy Hyper Green, we've gone for another green. Finished in Royal Green Metallic, I think it suits the car really nicely, delivering a sophisticated finish, though it is a £410 optional extra. And speaking of extras, our car also comes kitted out with the Assisted Drive Package Plus at £815, which comes with Speed Assist and Park Assist, as well as a panoramic roof at £1,675. One thing that is missing is the optional Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC), so it'll be interesting to see what it's like to live with daily without the extra cushioning that it can provide.

With all the extras that brings our Octavia vRS in at £43,290. Compared to the Octavia vRS we ran back in 2021, that's an increase of just over £7,000, while a Octavia vRS ten years ago would have set you back just £25,000. And because even the base price of the estate version of the vRS has crept over £40,000, it's now subject to the Expensive Car Supplement. This adds a further £425 a year to the standard rate between years two to six, bringing the total annual tax cost to £620. 

Does it justify its more expensive price? That's one of the things we'll be exploring over the next few months, as well as how it copes with the demands put upon it as a fast family estate. First impressions though are very good, with the only worry that I'm getting a bit too attached already. 

Report 2: Should you pick an Octavia vRS hatchback or estate?

We spent a week with an Octavia vRS hatchback to see how it compared to our estate. Here's what we learned.

Date: 10 March 2025 | Current mileage: 2769 | Claimed economy: 40mpg | Actual economy: 39.6mpg

As I touched on in my first update, the Skoda Octavia vRS is available as both an estate and hatchback. Other than boot space, what's the difference? Just before our vRS estate arrived, we spent a week with a vRS hatchback to see how they differ. 

Let's touch on the obvious difference, the boot, as it's probably the main reason why you'll look at the estate over the hatchback if space is your main concern. Our vRS estate has a huge 640 litres of space, with a large square load area. To be fair though, the vRS hatchback isn't that fair behind at 600 litres and you won't find anything as versatile as that in any other hot hatch. The boxier shape of the estate does make it a bit more useable for awkward shapes, while if you're taking the family dog with you, then the estate is the clear winner. 

There are a couple of other external benefits that come with the vRS estate that might not be that obvious at first. It comes with roof rails for a start, so fitting bike racks to the roof becomes much easier and its something I'm looking at doing with our vRS estate long-termer. Call me flash, but you can't spec the vRS hatchback with a pano roof, and now the warmer weathers' arrived, it's a great feature to have on our vRS estate. It also makes the cabin feel a bit more airy as well.

What about the performance implications? If you want to have the smallest of bragging rights, then the vRS hatchback is quicker than the estate, being a whole 0.1 of a second quicker to hit 62mph. The slightly more slippery shape of the vRS hatch also makes it a bit more fuel efficient, though I'd doubt you'd even notice the 0.8mpg difference. Dynamically and you'd have to have the instincts of Senna to tell the difference between the two on the road.

Price then might be the deciding factor as the Octavia vRS hatchback starts at £39,295, while the vRS estate is over £1,000 more at £40,390. Crucially, and as I covered previously, the cost of the estate now nudges it into the additional 'expensive car supplement' that'll see you incur an additional tax cost of £425 in years two to six.

Ultimately it'll come down to which one you prefer the look of and what suits your needs. For me, the vRS estate's extra space and practicality are a winner for me.