Skoda Slavia Review (Long-Term): Does It Make Sense To Buy In 2025?

Skoda launched its mid-range sedan, the Slavia, back in 2021 as the replacement for the brand’s already popular Rapid. Now, the Skoda Slavia may be a replacement for the Skoda Rapid, it was launched as a more premium offering as compared to its predecessor and a bit more suited for Indian driving conditions.

The Skoda Slavia was launched back in 2021 with two powertrains – a 1.0-litre TSI engine and a 1.5-litre TSI. Later, the brand also launched the Monte Carlo Edition last year, also based on the 1.5L drivetrain. Now, a sedan that was launched about 4 years back is still quite hot in the market. That is mainly for two reasons – the number one being that it is actually a really good car and justifies the value for money in more ways than one. The other reason is the lack of options in this specific segment.

Now, in the sub-₹20 lakh segment, there are only a handful of sedans one can pick. Between the Slavia, VW Virtus, Honda City, and the Hyundai Verna, the competition is not very intense. Given that the Honda City and Hyundai Verna are both in their fourth or fifth generation and are considered more of a family car in the segment. However, the Slavia and Virtus are both new products, representing a more premium and Indianised version of their predecessors, and these two are more driver’s cars. But that doesn’t make them bad family cars.

But that is not the topic of this article. Does the Skoda Slavia still make sense to purchase in 2025? Let’s find out.

So there are four variations you can buy the Skoda Slavia in – a 1-liter engine with a manual transmission, a 1-liter engine with a torque converter automatic, a 1.5-liter engine with a manual shifter, and lastly, a 1.5-liter engine with a DSG transmission. Among these four drivetrain and gearbox combinations, there are 13 total variants ranging from 10.69 lakh all the way up to 18.69 lakh, so there is a difference of 8 lakhs between the top-end and the base variant. That is enough money to buy a base variant of the Hyundai i20 and still have a few thousand rupees left. 

Skoda Slavia Review Pros and Cons

Skoda Slavia Review (Long-term): Performance and Handling

So for my review, I’m writing about my experience with my two-year-old (January 2023) Slavia 1.0 TSI Style AT variant, which has now been renamed as the “Signature” variant, as per Skoda’s new naming scheme for the cars. For the 1.0 variant, this was the top-end variant back in the day.

So the variant we are reviewing comes with a three-cylinder 1.0-litre TSI engine, which puts out 114 bhp horsepower and 178Nm of torque. The car is claimed to offer around 20kmpl fuel efficiency, but real-world numbers are much different. In this review, I will tell you exactly how quick this 114bhp + 178Nm combination feels, how much average the car puts out in the real world and everything else about it over the last two years.

So first, let’s talk about how the car feels to drive and handle. Now, in the intro, I said that the Slavia and Virtus in this segment are both driver’s cars. The car is absolutely nippy, even with the 1-litre TSI engine. In the city, the car never leaves you asking for more. In fact, driving it a bit too hard feels a little scary as the Slavia is not afraid of just going the moment you step on the gas. The pickup is really good, and the car makes a 0 to 100kmph dash in about 12 seconds, which is pretty fast for a car like this. And even after two years and 25,000 kilometers, it is nowhere close to losing any of that flair.

Even on highways, the Skoda Slavia is really good. Before experiencing it, I used to think that the torque converter would be a little sluggish at times, but that is not the case at all. The throttle response is brilliant. If you are in a higher gear and want to overtake, the car quickly downshifts whenever you want it to, much quicker than other torque converters and CVT transmissions on competitors. And yes, the reliability of the torque converter is definitely an advantage. While I do feel that it heats up a bit if I push that car a bit too much, it hasn’t given me any issues so far. 

The three-cylinder also doesn’t make too many vibrations, making the city drive on the Skoda Slavia very comfortable. The exhaust note also has a nice little coarseness to it, easily making this the best sounding car of the segment (according to me).

Even the ride quality and handling on the Slavia is pretty damn good. The ride quality is good; it absorbs bumps and potholes pretty nicely, thanks to a very decent 178mm ground clearance. And while the suspension is slightly on the stiffer side, it still has a pretty comfortable ride, especially on the highways.

The “Indianised” design really helps this car take on the plethora of bumps and potholes on our roads. And here, too, the past two years of driving in different kinds of environments haven’t really put a dent in the suspension or the ride quality of the car.

There is hardly anything in this car to point fingers at. We are getting a nippy, quick engine with a really responsive transmission and good ride quality. Yes, the stiffness is felt at lower speeds, but overall, it isn’t as bad as other options in the market. 

The only thing that I feel the Slavia lacks in terms of the driving aspect is the AutoHold feature. I say this because, in traffic, you need to keep your foot on the brake if the car is in the drive gear. The moment you step off the brake, it sort of jumps ahead so that can potentially hurt you in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Skoda Slavia Review (Long-term): Interior and Comfort

Coming to the place you spend most of your time in, the interiors. This is one of the most important things for me when buying a new car, because if you don’t like to be inside your car, what is even the point? Here, the Skoda Slavia wins across all the segment rivals by a margin!

Yes, the Hyundai Verna gives you more features. Yes, the Honda City’s seats are more comfortable, and yes, the VW Virtus has a very performance-inspired interior design and colour scheme. But for those who want to feel like they are in a premium space, the Skoda Slavia is the best in the sub-₹20 lakh segment.

Now, this is no features galore, but there is everything you’ll need. We don’t get all the unnecessary bells and whistles like ADAS or huge screens or even a 360-degree camera (although 360-degree cameras will be super helpful in this car). You do, however, get a rear camera, parking sensors, and a 10-inch infotainment display with Android Auto and Apple Car Play. We are getting type-C ports both in the front and back, along with other creature comforts like ventilated seats, cruise control, and a sunroof.

In terms of comfort and storage as well, the Slavia doesn’t fall too short. We get enough storage in the front. There is sufficient space to keep your phone, wallet, and keys in the center console. There is storage in the front armrest, and the glovebox is also pretty deep with two compartments (the glovebox is also cooled). All four doors have bottle holders and more space to store basic items. 

There is also a center armrest in the back which has cup holders, and the rear passengers get quite a lot of legroom if you compare this with the predecessor Skoda Rapid. Yes, we get type-C ports and a dedicated AC vent for the rear passengers as well.

The Skoda Slavia has all the basic things one would need in a modern-day car. Yes, it lags much behind in terms of just the number of features on offer as compared to similar-priced cars, but it has everything that you’d absolutely need in your car. So yes, it does not have the most amount of features, but it gets all the necessary features for today’s modern-day car user.

Skoda Slavia Review (Long-term): Exterior and Styling

Now, let’s talk about how the car looks from the outside. Now, anyone looking at the Slavia from a distance will definitely know that it is a Skoda. It has the trademark Skoda styling, with a little bit of Indian touch to it. We get the nice build quality, we get the trademark Skoda grille, and we get some very attractive curves and lines running across the car’s body. However, despite it looking very elegant, there is a bit of simplicity to the design. This looks much more like a traditional car as compared to the Hyundai Verna for example. And while some may find it boring, I find this design to be more classy and timeless as compared to the ultra-modern design of today’s cars.

And while the style and shape are very good-looking, there is something about this car that makes it look basic at the same time. For someone looking at it with a fresh perspective, it looks really elegant. But if you talk to someone who has seen other Skoda cars of the same era, this looks like a dwarfed version of the Octavia, which isn’t exactly a bad thing.

I honestly like this design. It is a very good upgrade and modernised version of the Rapid. It is bigger, taller, and wider than the Rapid (of course, more expensive as well). While this may look rather basic as compared to the ultra-modern design of the Verna, it is more likely to stand the test of time as compared to the Hyundai sedan, which has witnessed many radical design changes over the past four generations.

Skoda Slavia Review (Long-term): Safety and Tech

Coming to safety features, the situation here is the same as the situation with comfort features. This car doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, but it has enough. Now, we don’t get all the ADAS and adaptive cruise control features with the Slavia. But we get all the things that are necessary.

First and foremost, the Skoda Slavia has a 5-star Global NCAP safety rating for both adults and children. The car comes with ESC, EBD, and ABS as standard, along with 6 airbags, regardless of the variant you are purchasing. Over and above, we are getting traction control, seat belt warnings, speed warnings, anti-theft alarms, and the like.

One safety or convenience feature that I feel would have been super useful with this car since I have personally struggled to park this in tight spots. Another thing is dynamic guidelines. While the rear camera’s quality is really good, there aren’t any dynamic guidelines to help you park the car. And while both of these features aren’t deal breakers, you are paying close to 18 lakh rupees for this car, and a 360-camera is something we’re getting in cars that are less than ₹10 lakh on-road, so this feels like a miss.

Other than the 360 camera and dynamic guidelines, I didn’t find any necessary safety features missing from the Slavia (even 360-degree cameras aren’t necessary, I know). The lack of ADAS may be a red cross for many, but for me, it’s actually better without ADAS since, in Indian road conditions, ADAS tends to mispredict things very easily.

Review Verdict: Should You Buy Skoda Slavia in 2025?

So yes, for those asking me if this is still a good buy in 2025, I’d say it is still the best sedan in this segment. No car offers users a mix of premium-ness and drivability as good as this (maybe the Jeep Compass is also one such option, but it’s a completely different segment). And yes, this may not be the most feature-loaded car in the market, and that’s the charm of it. Because the people going for the Skoda Slavia don’t care for 360-degree cameras or ADAS features. They care about a car that does the job of a car and does it well.

This is a chauffeur-driven car when you want it to be, and it is extremely fun to drive on highways and curvy roads with its driver-focused handling and the super responsive TSI engine.

So yes, if you are in the market for a sedan under the ₹20 lakh budget, the Skoda Slavia is still your best bet. You are getting a practical family car, which is premium and can really put a smile on your face if you push it hard. Along with that, a 5-star Global NCAP rating and an average of over 13kmpl in city driving also make it a practical family sedan. And yes, the design may look boring but take my word for it, this design will stand the test of time.

And the lack of features like a 360-degree camera or ADAS are shortcomings, those who want these kind of features, the Hyundai Verna and Honda City both offer ADAS but no car in this segment among the four competitors offer a 360-degree camera, which is a bit weird since sedans are longer and would benefit more with 36-degree cameras as compared to compact SUVs or hatchbacks which are getting more of these features.

But coming back to the main topic. The Slavia is still your best bet in the sub-₹20 lakh sedan segment. It is fun to drive, it is well built, it feels very premium, and it is also a pretty decent family car, especially with the largest boot space in the segment. But if you want something more comfortable and easy to handle, the Honda City is your bet. If you want more features, the Hyundai Verna is a worthy option, and if you want something similar to the Slavia but a bit more sporty, the VW Virtus is the car for you!

Smartprix ⭐ Rating: 7.5/10

• Design and Build: 9/10
• Features and Tech: 6/10
• Comfort and space: 8.5/10
• Performance: 8/10
• Fuel Efficiency: 7/10

---

First reviewed in March 2025.