The new Skoda Octavia: why it's perfect for company car drivers

When it comes to being a jack of many trades (and master of them all), the Skoda Octavia is one of the truly great all-rounders that doesn’t compromise in any area – especially when it comes to the demands of company car drivers.

Sitting at the heart of Skoda’s fleet-friendly line-up, it blends a range of efficient petrol, diesel and tax-friendly plug-in hybrid engines with the space, practicality, comfort and technology you’d expect from larger or more expensive rivals. 

In fact, we were so impressed with the Skoda Octavia iV plug-in hybrid model that we named it a 2021 What Car? Award winner – singling out particular praise for its incredibly low company car tax, its impressive fuel efficiency, its competitive price and its comprehensive standard equipment.  So, here are all the reasons why you should consider the Skoda Octavia the next time you’re pondering your next company car purchase.

Work out your BIK contributions with our in-depth company car tax calculator.

Learn more about the Skoda Octavia at skoda.co.uk/new-cars/octavia, or find out more about Skoda’s fleet services at skoda.co.uk/fleet.

The tax-friendly efficient choice

The first real plus point of the Skoda Octavia from a company car perspective is choice. Available as a sleek and spacious hatchback or an even larger and more versatile estate, the Skoda Octavia offers a wide range of incredibly clean and efficient Euro 6d-compliant engines for every need and budget – with benefit-in-kind (BIK) rates as low as 24% for the 116PS TDI turbo diesel models and 26% for the 110PS 1.0-litre TSI turbo petrol model. 

The real star of the Skoda Octavia line-up, though – and the model that company car drivers will naturally gravitate towards for its blend of incredibly efficiency and no-compromise driving performance – is the Skoda Octavia iV plug-in hybrid. 

It blends a 1.4 TSI petrol engine with a 13kWh lithium-ion battery to deliver up to 43 miles of all-electric range, an impressive 204PS and 350Nm of torque for responsive driving and – most importantly of all – fuel efficiency as high as 188.3-282.5mpg and CO2 emissions as low as 22-33g/km (WLTP Weighted Combined).

That means big savings in annual company car costs. The Skoda Octavia iV sits in class B for Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), meaning it is road tax-free for the first 12 months and just £140pa in subsequent years. Equally, a benefit-in-kind (BIK) rate of just 7% for 2021/22 means you’ll be paying as little as £36pm for an employee in the 20% tax bracket and £72pm for a 40% tax band employee.

With 43 miles of all-electric range – and remember, most drivers do just 20-30 miles per day – an overnight home charge can be done in as little as five hours and could mean daily running costs of just 4.2p per mile. When you do need to go the distance, petrol and electric power work seamlessly work together for optimum fuel efficiency.

If you want a bit more punch (and bags of added style), the plug-in hybrid model is available as a Skoda Octavia iV vRS, which delivers 245PS and 400Nm with even more sporty styling and a wealth of high-tech features fitted as standard.

Great behind the wheel

Whether your journey is long or short, the driver’s seat of the Skoda Octavia is a great place to be. The clear and crisp Virtual Cockpit works with the large 10-inch touchscreen and an optional head-up display to give you a commanding view of the road, while intuitive Laura voice control lets you access navigation, music, hands-free phone calls and readable text messages without lifting a finger. 

The ambient lighting and optional panoramic sunroof give the interior of the Skoda Octavia a sophisticated spacious feel, day or night, while the heated front seats and steering wheel are a welcome toasty touch on cold winter mornings. An optional 12-speaker CANTON Sound System also adds warmth to your in-car entertainment.

Once you get moving, things get even better. In Skoda Octavia iV plug-in hybrid models, you can select the Hybrid mode for a seamlessly easy and efficient blend of petrol and hybrid power, or the E-mode for all-electric drive in urban areas. You can also specify to ‘hold’ battery charge when you’re on the open road, preserving a healthy amount of all-electric mileage for when you’re back in town. 

If you want to enjoy the drive a bit more, then the Sport mode delivers the Octavia iV’s full-throated hybrid performance, as well as tighter steering and handling –especially if you’ve opted for the optional Dynamic Chassis Control pack.

The Columbus 3D sat-nav helps you find charging stations for on-the-go top-ups, while the Skoda Connect smartphone app lets you connect with your car remotely – ensuring that you can keep track of charging, pre-cool or pre-heat the interior of your car from the comfort of your sofa or the meeting room.

Equally, the Skoda Octavia is fitted with a wealth of advanced driver assistance tech that make driving easier and safer. Optional Matrix LED headlights give you a clearer view of the road ahead while automatically detecting other road users and adjusting the illumination accordingly.

Adaptive Cruise Control and Front Assist with Predictive Pedestrian Protection lend a helping hand on the open road and in-town, while a rear-view camera and Park Assist make light work of parking near your destination.

Up to 1,700 litres of versatile load space

Any good company car needs to be versatile and spacious – just as practical for active families, as it is for busy work days. The Skoda Octavia delivers in spades. 

Everything about the luggage bay has been well thought-through, with a load-friendly 1.01m-wide access and the option to pick an electrically operated boot with a ‘virtual pedal’ – working with keyless entry it lets you open the boot hands-free, with just a waggle of your foot. Simply Clever features like an umbrella in the front door and an ice scraper in the fuel filler cap also mean you’re prepared for any weather.

Remote folding seats quickly expand the luggage space from 600 litres to 1,555 litres in the Skoda Octavia hatchback, and from 640 litres to 1,700 litres in the estate. There’s a clever little storage space for the luggage cover under the load space floor, with plenty of room for other valuable items. And, if you do need to carry more, the Skoda Octavia comes with a wide range of accessories – from roof rails and roof boxes to bike carriers.

Clever packaging of the under-floor battery in the Octavia iV plug-in hybrid models means you only lose a small amount of luggage space – around 150 litres – while a clever cubby hole for the charging cables means that you don’t need to wrestle with wires or deciding what bits of luggage to leave behind.

In fact, the whole interior of the Skoda Octavia has been well thought out. Up-front, there are plenty of large cubby holes – including door compartments with a rubber strap that is big enough to secure a 1.5-litre bottle, easy-open drinks holders in the centre console, and a giant Jumbo Box in the front armrest that is a great place to store smart devices, while also keeping drinks and snacks cool when the air-conditioning is switched on. 

Behind the front seats, mobile phone pockets keep smartphones secure for the rear passengers. There are also 5x USB-C sockets dotted around the Skoda Octavia’s interior, giving every passenger the chance to plug in and unwind.

So, whether you’re in the front or in the back, the Skoda Octavia is the perfect place in which to do business.

Work out your BIK contributions with our in-depth company car tax calculator.

Learn more about the Skoda Octavia at skoda.co.uk/new-cars/octavia, or find out more about Skoda’s fleet services at skoda.co.uk/fleet.

Please note: some of the equipment and features described are either optional or are only available on selected trims. Please ask a Skoda retailer for details.