I am about to test drive an Octavia VRS 2023 plate which will be delivered to my local garage. The car is advertised as petrol but when I checked the government MOT website, it shows as a diesel but I know that this site can sometimes be incorrect. They have sent me a mechanics report which states it's a petrol. I am just a bit doubtful, as there is also a 4x4 badge at the rear and I've read that most 4x4 cars of this age are diesel.

I will obviously check fuel filler nozzle/sticker and tachograph when I see the car in a few days (and I've asked them to send me these too before delivery) but there is a picture of the engine (amongst all usual car pics) on the website. I'm not expert at all but can anyone tell me from this pic, if it's a diesel?

Thanks

I can't tell from the image but a search on Autotrader for that model and year shows 106 petrol and only 18 diesel. My guess would be it's a petrol.

Assuming that you are UK based, why don't you check the registration number on the DVLA website. That is accurate so you'll find out for sure.

It could be one of the 18 diesels though. I've checked the DVLA website regarding tax and MOT and it shows as a diesel but I've also read that this website can be wrong.

I'll have to wait until I see the actual car I guess but thanks for the reply.

If it's a 2.0L petrol VRS then it will have an EA888 engine, and to my eye the oil filler and dipstick are NOT in the usual place for an EA888 petrol engine (which is on the right hand - drivers in the UK - side).

Okay thanks for that Dave. They are going to check it out now for me and confirm.

There was a big issue in 2023 where Skoda labelled a huge batch of vehicles as TDI (diesel) that were in fact TSI (petrol)..mine was one of them. Some TDI's were also coming up as TSI. All other details, inc engine size were correct. I got a letter from the main dealer I bought it from and sent an explanation to DVLA and it was changed with no issues. Although the fuel type of petrol was correct on the dvla site, It did make getting insurance a little problematic for a year or 2 as they were all showing it as diesel.

Edited 3 March3 Mar by MeteorOcty
Clarification

Thanks Meteor. I've emailed Skoda customer services with my query and the reg number, so hoping that they can shed some light on it.

Cheers

I suspect from that fuel filter that is a diesel model look at this https://www.skoda-parts.com/spare-part/5q0127400f-fuel-filter-holder-tdi-skoda-25673.html and also this is the engine bay from my 2016 octavia (it's a scout but with the 2.0L tdi CUNA 184 bhp)

Edited 3 March3 Mar by Jack25

6 minutes ago, Jack25 said:

I suspect from that fuel filter that is a diesel model look at this https://www.skoda-parts.com/spare-part/5q0127400f-fuel-filter-holder-tdi-skoda-25673.html and also this is the engine bay from my 2016 octavia (it's a scout but with the 2.0L tdi CUNA 184 bhp)

here you can see a tsi vrs https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/517033-what-does-your-engine-look-like/

you can tell is a TSI by the ignition coil, and it dosen't have the diesel filter on the left lower corner

Thanks very much Jack. Good work!

you're welcome, glad I could help!

6 hours ago, PetrolDave said:

If it's a 2.0L petrol VRS then it will have an EA888 engine, and to my eye the oil filler and dipstick are NOT in the usual place for an EA888 petrol engine (which is on the right hand - drivers in the UK - side).

100% correct. The position of the dipstick for the EA888 was never in front like that so the car is a diesel. In addition there is no 4WD petrol RS model.

Edited 3 March3 Mar by whippersnapper

Thanks for that Whippersnapper!

My 2023 VRs TDI always shows as a petrol model when getting insurance quotes

Refer your insurance company to the DVLA website. There is a well known mistake with 2023 models misreporting diesels as petrols.

Before skoda scala 1.0 tsi, had the ciroen c3 1.4 hdi , and i can tell you for the city, the c3 was winner. It used fuel like a lighter. Yes its smaller. But skoda scala consumes 9.4l gasoline city drive. And i do like to push the pedal xD

On 30/03/2026 at 07:47, Andy585 said:

My 2023 VRs TDI always shows as a petrol model when getting insurance quotes

Check the V5 as that maybe showing as TSI instead of TDI. Best to get it changed and it will then filter through all the other systems