Bright Paint and Manual Gearboxes? Skoda Octavia Buyers Say Yes

While some brands are playing it safe with muted shades, Skoda is doing the opposite in the UK. To celebrate 30 years of the Octavia, the carmaker is adding a bold new color called Dragon Skin. And it was not chosen in a boardroom.

Fans voted for it on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, where it beat Storm Blue and Tangerine Orange. Orders open on March 4, and the paint will cost £855.

Dragon Skin will not be available across the whole lineup. It is limited to the Octavia vRS hatch and estate, plus 130 examples of the Octavia Sportline coming later this year. The shade itself sits somewhere between yellow and green, and in photos, it already looks loud. It joins Waterworld Green and Space Violet, two other fan-chosen colors added last year.

Interestingly, Skoda buyers in the UK clearly are not afraid of personality. Back in 2023, blue was the brand’s most popular color, making up 30 percent of sales. Grey followed at 26 percent, then black and white. And it is not just color where Skoda drivers go against the grain. A surprising number still choose manual gearboxes. In 2024, 69 percent of Fabia buyers picked manual.

Even the Octavia saw 20 percent of customers choosing to shift for themselves, which is high for this class. The Scala and Kamiq also showed strong manual take rates. So while much of the industry moves toward safer colors and automatic-only lineups, Skoda’s UK buyers seem happy keeping things bright and hands-on.