Skoda Kodiaq review - Practicality & boot space

The Skoda Kodiaq is a big car that can be had in five-seater or seven-seater guise, and it’s practical as you’d expect from the Czech brand. This is an area where Skoda’s ‘Simply Clever’ features come to the fore, with useful smartphone holders on the back of the front seats, pull-up sun visors in the rear, umbrellas in the doors and other handy features. 

The passenger compartment is very spacious, with generous room up front and in the back. Even in the middle seat there’s plenty of space for a full-grown adult. Headroom is excellent thanks to the car’s upright shape, too. The Hyundai Santa Fe’s boxy shape means there’s even more passenger space, though, and getting in and out the rear seats is also a bit easier.

One significant downside to the Kodiaq iV plug-in hybrid is that you have to forgo the rearmost third row of seats, because that space is used to accommodate the electric motor and battery. It’s a shame because the plug-in hybrid version of the Hyundai Santa Fe can be had with seven seats, while you’ll have to make do with just five in the Kodiaq iV.

Does the Skoda Kodiaq have a big boot?

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The Skoda Kodiaq’s boot was always big, but this generation’s is bigger still. Five-seat models get 910 litres with all seats up, which is a 75-litre increase over the old car’s capacity. With seven seats this drops to 340 litres (70 litres more than the old seven seater’s) which is still an impressive size comparable to that of a family hatchback. Fold down the seats and you get a cavernous 2,015 litres to play with.

There are useful aluminium storage bins in the boot, and plenty more cubby holes dotted around the car for even more space to hide things. One thing to note is that there is a bit of a lip on the boot opening, but if you need a level floor the floor can be adjusted to make it flush.

Is the Skoda Kodiaq a good tow car?

Unfortunately, if you plan to use the Kodiaq to tow, the latest second-generation model has a lower towing capacity than before. While the previous car could haul up to 2,300kg in diesel guise, the newer car with either of the diesels can only manage up to 2,000kg. Go for the mild-hybrid or plug-in hybrid petrol and you can tow up to 1,800kg. While these figures have reduced, they will still allow owners to tow a large caravan.