Skoda Superb review

The Skoda Superb is a large family car that, from the outside, appears to be around the same size as a Volkswagen Passat, Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport or Mazda 6. However, step inside and it’s something of a Tardis by comparison.

Basically, if Doctor Who was in the market for a car, the Skoda Superb would be one to shortlist.

It’s rather impressive on the quality front, too: inside it’s extremely close to a Passat when it comes to look and feel. Close enough, in fact, that most people wouldn’t really notice the difference. If we’re being picky, the lower half of the Superb’s cabin does have more scratchy plastics, but everything inside is impressively well screwed together and materials within realistic touching distance all feel high-end. It’s a far cry from Skoda’s old budget-brand image.

Each Superb comes with an 8-inch infotainment system with DAB radio and Bluetooth as standard, although you can upgrade to a 9-inch version. Both look great with their glass front when switched off, but also display pin-sharp graphics once on and are nicely responsive to prods, pinches and zooms. The larger option also features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support.

And cars don’t come much bigger inside than this. There’s a huge amount of room around the front seats and the driver gets generous seat and wheel adjustment, particularly with optional electrically-adjustable seats fitted. In the back it’s the same story – tall adults will have an almost comical amount of knee room sat in the outside seats and their heads will be well clear of the ceiling.

Buy the 1.5 petrol if you're often in town, or a 2.0 diesel if you're not. SE-L trim is the best bet in either case. Head to our deals page to see what you could save on one!

Building on that, the Superb’s boot is the biggest amongst its alternatives, with a colossal 625 litres on offer. The closest challenger is the VW Passat which has 586 litres, while a Ford Mondeo is further off the mark at 525 litres.

Although there are more powerful petrol options, the entry-level 1.5 with 150hp never leaves you wanting when accelerating and is always extremely smooth and quiet. It’s a great choice if you do most of your driving in town, but there’s also a fantastic plug-in hybrid model to consider if you fancy something you can cruise around in at low speeds using just electrical power. The latter is so good, it picked up the Best Large Hybrid Car award in the 2021 carwow Car of the Year Awards.

Given the Superb is a popular company car, diesel is likely to remain a very popular option, though. The sweet spot of the 2.0 offerings is the 150hp variant, with its great get-up-and-go yet still-impressive fuel economy making it the best all-rounder in the range.

The Superb is a big car but it’s easy to drive in town. It has light, precise steering and good visibility for breezing tight manoeuvres. It’s not quite perfect though, with bumps being annoyingly easy to hear in the cabin. That’s less of a problem in the Volkswagen Passat.

Head on to the motorway and the Superb comes into its own, though. Its soft, wafty gait makes it great for covering long distances and its cabin stays rather whichever engine you go for. Take it onto tighter roads though and the tradeoff for comfort is obvious. It’s by no means terrible, but it’s far from outright fun with it leaning through corners quite noticeably and fails to offer much in the way of driver engagement. If you’re looking for something a little more involving, the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia are worth shortlisting.

You might have noticed, then, that’s there’s very little bad to say about The Skoda Superb. Aside from some rather minor comfort issues, it’s a hugely impressive all-rounder – one that you should seriously consider.

Before you buy, make sure you see how much you can save off one on our Skoda Superb deals pages.