Used car check: Skoda Rapid - reason car with small errors

In order to position Skodas Rapid as a cheap alternative to golf, a little bit of quality was saved. This creates a few weak points in old age.

The Skoda Rapid had a relatively short career. Production of the gap filler, which was introduced at the end of 2012, was discontinued at the beginning of 2019. But during this time the Czech sold well, which ensures a correspondingly large range of used vehicles. In terms of price, the compact model is an interesting alternative to the Golf, but in terms of quality it does lag a little behind.

Body and interior: Formally speaking, it is a compact model that Skoda has positioned between Octavia and Fabia. The gap filler was offered in two body styles: the almost four and a half meter long hatchback variant with a large tailgate, introduced in 2012, was joined in September 2013 by a slightly shorter hatchback version with the name suffix Spaceback. In both cases, there is plenty of space for passengers and luggage. The Spaceback almost offers combi qualities, because its 4,30 liter trunk can grow to 415 liters. In the longer Rapid with a body mix of compact and notchback sedans, it is even 1.380 to 550 liters.

Engines: When choosing the engines, the Rapid offers an extensive range of nine petrol and four diesel variants. Despite the large number of engines, the performance range from 55 kW / 75 PS to a maximum of 92 kW / 125 PS is manageable. The best compromise between performance and efficiency is offered by the 2017 TSI petrol engines with 1.0 kW / 70 PS and 95 kW / 81 PS, which were only introduced with the 110 facelift. Manual transmissions and an automatic DSG were available for most engines. This is even forcibly married to the strong 1,4 TSI engines. Pre-owned copies with diesel are comparatively rare. Only about every tenth Rapid has a self-igniter under the hood, probably because its consumption advantages are only marginal compared to the economical petrol engines.  

Equipment and safety: Skoda has positioned the Rapid as a budget alternative, which has its equivalent in terms of interior quality: hard plastic was primarily used here, which is why the basic variant Active gives a rather joyless impression. But the range of equipment options was plentiful, so if you like it a bit more solid, you will find what you're looking for in the Rapid. The basic equipment includes six airbags, ESP, central locking and power windows. If you want more equipment, you should look for the variants Ambition or Elegance. Alternatively, special models such as the properly stocked Monte Carlo version were also offered. Equipment details such as collision avoidance, fatigue warning or xenon lights can only be found in lifted versions from year of construction 2017. Even without these safety extras, the Euro-NCAP crash test in 2012 was enough for an impeccable five-star result.

Quality: The Rapid is not a model student in terms of its long-term qualities. According to the TÜV report, the frequency of defects is slightly above the segment average, but the mileage is below average. The special problem areas include worn brake components - brake discs particularly affected - as well as oil losses in the engines. In addition, there are more often misaligned or damaged headlights.

Conclusion: The range of used Rapid in Germany is large. High-mileage models can be found from around 4.000 euros. You should expect at least six to seven thousand euros if the used vehicle is to have less than 100.000 kilometers on the clock. You can't go too far wrong with the compact model, but as a buyer of a used copy you should definitely throw a critical eye on the condition of the brakes and possible oil loss from the engine.