The picture
78.81% pass rate — practical family car earns it
With an average presenting mileage of 98,807 — one of the highest in this analysis — the Skoda Octavia's 78.81% pass rate across 241,477 tests is a genuine marker of durability. Top failures are cracked or discoloured windscreens, fractured spring components, and tyre tread. These are maintenance failures rather than build failures: the Octavia doesn't fall apart, it just gets overlooked.
Infotainment gremlins are the most consistent owner complaint. A 2021 Octavia's system became fully unresponsive for days at a stretch, taking parking sensors and climate control with it. A 2020 Octavia Estate had transport blocks left inside the front springs — discovered only after reports of a bang over rough roads. PHEV models flagged handbrake faults causing the automatic gearbox to shift to neutral. Pre-MOT, focus on the screen for chips, the spring condition, and tyre depth. At nearly 99,000 average miles, a clean MOT result here says something real about how the Octavia ages.
Top ten reasons for rejection.
- 01
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
6,982 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
- 02
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
6,652 occurrences · 2.8% of tests
- 03
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
5,372 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
- 04
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated
5,319 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
- 05
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
4,852 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
- 06
A tyre cords visible or damaged
4,365 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
- 07
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
4,326 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
- 08
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
3,652 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
- 09
A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
3,629 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
- 10
A tyre seriously damaged
2,921 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 3 failures
£148–£370
If every one of this Octavia's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Tools that pre-empt a retest.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
H7 / W21W bulb pack
A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.
Search Amazon UK
Owner reports · Honest John
What owners actually report.
Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.
What's good
More upmarket than ever, yet still practical and comfortable, the Skoda Octavia is a very appealing package. Quality shines through, yet it remains great value for money. An excellent if unexciting family car.
Recent owner-reported faults
- 12 Jan 2024
Report of gremlins with infotainment system in 2021 Skoda Octavia. Reader says that it becomes completely unresponsive, leaving them without the radio, parking sensors and unable to adjust the climate control. Usually fixes itself after a day or two. How Much Is It To Get New Windows Made of "Fibrex"?This Is How Much New Windows Should Cost In 2026 Energy-Efficient Windows Sponsored Huggies Overnites Nighttime Baby Diapers Unscented, Size 7 (Over 41 Lb) - 13.0 Ea Nighttime Baby Diapers Unscented, Size 7 (Over 41 lb) Nighttime Baby Diapers Unscented, Size 7 (Over 41 lb)Walgreens.com
- 21 Jun 2022
Report of an 'enormous bang' from the front suspension of a Skoda Octavia Estate 2.0TDI 150PS DSG 4x4 when driving over rough roads as well as a clunking noise over mild bumps. Later discovered that the transport blocks were still fitted inside the springs.
- 5 Nov 2021
Long list of complaints from private hire operator with mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid models. They include warnings for a faulty charge system, bulbs and front sensors. Reports that the PHEV has a handbrake fault which causes the automatic box to shift into neutral. Car now at a dealer until mystery fault can be traced.
- 26 Aug 2021
Software glitches with 2021 Octavia iV. Navigation cannot save favourite destinations, including various issues. The car has been to the dealer three times without any success.
- 15 Jul 2021
Report of four-month old Skoda Octavia iV (mild hybrid) estate with 1400 miles from new 12v battery going flat despite high-voltage battery being fully charged. The 12v battery was replaced, although no fault was found.
Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 5 reports indexed
Buying or keeping a Octavia?
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a Octavia and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.