Hello! First post here...

I'm currently driving a 2025 SE and I find the brakes absolutely awful. There seems to be varying levels of what I can only describe as servo pushback from the pedal meaning that in order to get it to brake anywhere near smoothly I need to try and modulate the pressure applied to the pedal to match the pushback. It's most odd, and not something I've experienced in any other car. When the pedal is pushing back against my foot it's as if the brakes are not being applied as firmly and additional pressure is required from me to continue braking appropriately. Then all of a sudden the brakes will apply with the correct force meaning that they sort of grab all of a sudden jolting the passengers. Additionally when the pedal is pushing back I can sometimes detect what feels like the ABS kicking in right as the vehicle slows to a stop. This happens at all braking speeds and with varying levels of interference fro the car.

It could be the same as @GreenlineIIEstate is experiencing as described in a thread about spongy brakes - this is not spongy brakes though it's some kind of very odd pedal behavior. Does anyone else have this?

So, it appears to be related to the "Recuperation" setting in the infotainment. When set to "Low" the experience is much improved (although not perfect). When it's on "Auto" the brakes are horrendous, to the point it's embarrassing as I keep having to apologise to passengers for the jerky braking. Must be a fault if no one else is reporting this.

On 07/02/2026 at 14:20, minimumcharacters said:

Hello! First post here...

I'm currently driving a 2025 SE and I find the brakes absolutely awful. There seems to be varying levels of what I can only describe as servo pushback from the pedal meaning that in order to get it to brake anywhere near smoothly I need to try and modulate the pressure applied to the pedal to match the pushback. It's most odd, and not something I've experienced in any other car. When the pedal is pushing back against my foot it's as if the brakes are not being applied as firmly and additional pressure is required from me to continue braking appropriately. Then all of a sudden the brakes will apply with the correct force meaning that they sort of grab all of a sudden jolting the passengers. Additionally when the pedal is pushing back I can sometimes detect what feels like the ABS kicking in right as the vehicle slows to a stop. This happens at all braking speeds and with varying levels of interference fro the car.

It could be the same as @GreenlineIIEstate is experiencing as described in a thread about spongy brakes - this is not spongy brakes though it's some kind of very odd pedal behavior. Does anyone else have this?

Is your car a mild hybrid 1.5?

I'm currently on my second.

The first one had a very odd brake feel and was difficult/impossible to bring to a halt smoothly.

The second is fine. Brakes just as you'd expect so they dont 'all' do it.

Thanks for the reply. Yes it is the mild hybrid 1.5. Good to know it’s not “normal” . I wonder if it can be fixed..🤔 Not that I’m too bothered as this is a hire car but I have a PHEV on order so was concerned they all behaved like that!

22 hours ago, GreenlineIIEstate said:

Is your car a mild hybrid 1.5?

I'm currently on my second.

The first one had a very odd brake feel and was difficult/impossible to bring to a halt smoothly.

The second is fine. Brakes just as you'd expect so they dont 'all' do it.

How do you mean now on second one? Was your car replaced? I have also strange brake on my mild hybrid and have to apologize to passengers as if i dont know how to brake.

Just had a Fiat Panda hybrid as a hire car in Portugal. The braking felt a little odd as itstarted charging downhill on over-run. Just like aircon cutting in.

On 09/02/2026 at 20:03, vran22 said:

How do you mean now on second one? Was your car replaced? I have also strange brake on my mild hybrid and have to apologize to passengers as if i dont know how to brake.

The dealer made me an offer I couldn't refuse so I swapped.

Same model, same spec, even the same colour!!

New Sportline arrived today. 😎 Very happy to report that the brakes are absolutely fine. As is the rest of the car. It’s lovely in fact! 👍

On 07/02/2026 at 14:20, minimumcharacters said:

Hello! First post here...

I'm currently driving a 2025 SE and I find the brakes absolutely awful. There seems to be varying levels of what I can only describe as servo pushback from the pedal meaning that in order to get it to brake anywhere near smoothly I need to try and modulate the pressure applied to the pedal to match the pushback. It's most odd, and not something I've experienced in any other car. When the pedal is pushing back against my foot it's as if the brakes are not being applied as firmly and additional pressure is required from me to continue braking appropriately. Then all of a sudden the brakes will apply with the correct force meaning that they sort of grab all of a sudden jolting the passengers. Additionally when the pedal is pushing back I can sometimes detect what feels like the ABS kicking in right as the vehicle slows to a stop. This happens at all braking speeds and with varying levels of interference fro the car.

It could be the same as @GreenlineIIEstate is experiencing as described in a thread about spongy brakes - this is not spongy brakes though it's some kind of very odd pedal behavior. Does anyone else have this?

I’m having this problem. Mentioned it to the dealer I got it from (Newbury) who dismissively told me it was a characteristic of the car. Been living with this for over a year now so expect I’ve left it way too long for anything to be done but having read your post I feel motivated to contact another dealer and see if they’ll help.

I would not be taking no for an answer as it makes the car almost undriveable in my opinion. Especially as the new Sportline I have has no such issues. Show them this thread. Ring Škoda too.

Just left my car at the Skoda dealership, not the one I got it from, and felt they were quite dismissive of the problem I presented to them. I had detailed the issue in an online form and they just abbreviated it to ‘brake judder’. I tried to explain it but she didn’t seem bothered. I then explained that someone else had detailed the exact same issues online and she abruptly told me that ‘internet forums are full of angry people wanting to complain about everything’!

I expect they’ll give it a quick drive and say it’s fine. 😮‍💨 I can’t justify spending to change cars again and if the brakes behaved I’d more than happy with it.

I wonder if there’s a way to contact Skoda uk rather than a dealership? Or I could see if my local Volkswagen dealership will do work on Skodas?

Insist they take it for a drive with you in the passenger seat and then challenge them to bring it to a stop smoothly. Show them this actual thread. It’s extremely dismissive to make glib comments like internet forums are just full of angry people wanting to complain. That’s *******s quite frankly.

This is the exact thread I wish I found sooner! I have the exact same issue on a 1.5tsi mild hybrid Kodiaq Sportline. On top of the already “extremely sensitive” emergency brake which is a danger in itself, the jerky brakes are very distracting to the point of not having any confidence in the car braking correctly. I’ve brought it back to the dealer and they too told me it’s the characteristics of the car…. An they applied an “update” to the car. Honestly don’t like driving this car… and to add this is my 4th Kodiaq so I’m used to driving this model since 2018.

Has anyone managed to get Škoda to recognise this as an issue? It most certainly is not a characteristic of the car. The mild hybrid system will undoubtedly alter the feel of the brakes compared to a regular system but this issue , which is only apparent on some vehicles, makes the car virtually undriveable in my opinion.