Meet Skoda’s line-up of What Car? 5-star cars

Out on the open road, the Skoda Scala also offers impressive driving characteristics, even compared to some of the best-handling cars in the family hatch class.

“Come rain or shine, the Skoda Scala delivers more grip than the Mazda 3, and that grip is better balanced front-to-rear than it is in the Kia Ceed,” What Car? said. “The Skoda Scala is one of the better-riding family cars, too. It's far better at isolating you from razor-edged bumps and potholes than a Ford Focus or Mazda 3. For the best results, spec your Skoda Scala with the smallest 16in alloy wheels, which just happen to be standard on our favourite SE trim.”

The Skoda Scala also scored highly when it came to visibility and safety technology. “Thanks to the Skoda Scala's relatively slim windscreen pillars, forward visibility is impressive,” What Car? said. “The rear pillars are thicker, but there's still an acreage of glass that makes your over-the-shoulder vision way better than it is in many rivals. Standard safety kit on the Skoda Scala includes lane-keeping assistance, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, traffic sign recognition and seven airbags.”

The Skoda Scala scored strongly for practically, too, thanks to its five spacious seats and between 467 litres and 1410 litres of versatile storage space. “Rear passenger space is one of the Skoda Scala's greatest attributes,” What Car? commented. “Leg room and head room are exceedingly generous for the class – beating even the spacious Ford Focus, and up there with the Seat Leon and the Skoda Octavia.

“The Skoda Scala’s rear seatbacks fold in a conventional 60/40 split. With the rear seats in their upright positions, the Skoda Scala can take more luggage in its 467-litre boot than a Ford Focus. It can manage up to seven carry-on suitcases below its parcel shelf, against six for the Focus.”

Finally, What Car? gave the Skoda Scala a full five stars for value and ownership costs, with particular emphasis on fuel economy and the generous levels of standard equipment. “If you stick with our recommended entry-level SE trim, an equivalently equipped Ford Focus will cost you thousands more,” What Car? said. “It gives you all the basics, including 16in alloy wheels, dual-zone air conditioning, a leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear knob, a front centre armrest, cruise control, automatic lights and wipers and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

“Fuel economy is also a Skoda Scala strength. You can expect to see more than 40mpg in the real world. Even the 1.5-litre TSI 150 shouldn't break the bank. With its low P11D price and sensible CO2 emissions, the Skoda Scala is also a fairly cost-effective choice as a company car because BIK (benefit-in-kind) tax payments are reasonably low.”

Discover the Skoda range

Skoda Octavia: 5-star family-friendly hatchback and estate

Next up is the best-selling Skoda Octavia, available in both sleek hatch and ultra-versatile estate forms. Both versions of the Skoda Octavia make a compelling case as family-friendly alternatives to high-riding SUVs thanks to their vast amounts of interior space, impressive driving character and great safety credentials.

“First and foremost, the Skoda Octavia offers generous space for occupants and a massive boot that dwarfs most competitors from the class above, plus its plush interior and frugal engines make it a fantastic car for covering big distances in,” What Car? said in its comprehensive review.

Like the smaller Skoda Scala, What Car? were fans of the Skoda Octavia’s well-built and tech-packed cabin. “Plush, squidgy plastics are present on the top and front of the Skoda Octavia's dashboard and above the armrests on the doors. There are some harder plastics lower down, but they're pleasingly textured and everything feels solidly screwed together.

“Helpfully, Skoda has positioned the infotainment touchscreen in the Skoda Octavia high on the dashboard so you don’t have to take your eyes far from the road to see it. All models come with a 13in touchscreen, wireless phone charging, Bluetooth, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, and a DAB radio.”

In terms of practicality, the Skoda Octavia wipes the floor with almost all of its competitors. In the hatchback, you get between 600 litres and 1555 litres of boot space (depending on whether you fold the seats down), while the estate yields between 640 litres and 1700 litres. 

“The Skoda Octavia’s boot, in both variations, is not only huge compared with similarly-sized rivals, it also dwarfs most competitors from the class above,” What Car? commented. “The load area is longer and taller than in most comparably priced hatchbacks, and it’s a practical shape.”

But the Octavia doesn’t just impress in the back. Both versions offer vast amounts of room for both front and rear passengers, while the rear bench is also surprisingly wide, making it a very comfortable car for three back-seat passengers to sit side by side in. There’s also ample storage space, including vast 1.5-litre door bins.

The Skoda Octavia also scored highly for visibility and safety technology – a thread that runs through all of Skoda’s family car models. “The Skoda Octavia hatchback has large side windows and relatively thin windscreen pillars so looking forwards, or left and right at junctions, is easy,” What Car? said. “The Skoda Octavia Estate’s thin rear pillars give you great all-round visibility, too. It makes this relatively big estate car one of the easiest to manoeuvre in tighter spots.”

Both versions of the Skoda Octavia were awarded a maximum five-star rating by Euro NCAP, helped by the inclusion of automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance and an e-call system that notifies the emergency services if you’re involved in an accident, as standard.

Another theme shared by all of Skoda’s line-up is exceptional value, and the Skoda Octavia is no exception. To start, the broad range of frugal petrol and diesel engines will help keep your daily expenses down, while the What Car? team heaped praise upon the Skoda Octavia’s generous levels of equipment compared to rivals.

“The entry-level price of a Skoda Octavia in SE Technology trim is lower than for a Ford Focus or Toyota Corolla. A top-end SE L or Sportline Octavia will set you back much less than equivalent premium models, such as the Mercedes A-Class,” What Car? said. Stepping up to SE L trim, which is What Car?'s pick of the range, gets you larger 17in alloy wheels, rear privacy glass, ambient lighting, keyless entry, a heated front windscreen and adaptive cruise control.

Finally, What Car? were deeply impressed by the Skoda Octavia’s engaging handling and mile-munching ability. “The Skoda Octavia estate’s ride is, on the whole, excellent. It’s noticeably softer than a lot of its rivals, including the Ford Focus estate and its wafty bent also makes it particularly adept for relaxed jaunts on motorways and A-roads.

“Despite the softness of its suspension, the Skoda Octavia estate is perfectly capable when it comes to corners. In particular, its steering is precise and has plenty of reassuring weight, providing you with a good sense of connection to the road through the front tyres.”

Discover the Skoda range

Skoda Karoq: 5-star family-friendly SUV

Now we come to the first of Skoda’s five-star SUVs, the Skoda Karoq. The popularity of high-riding family SUVs like the Karoq has skyrocketed in recent years, and it’s easy to see why. They offer rugged standout style, a commanding high-rise driving position, and all of the versatile family-friendly practicality you could ever need. And these are exactly some of the points the discerning What Car? road testers praised.

“The Skoda Karoq is a top-drawer family SUV with clever seating options, a big boot, and plenty of space inside for passengers,” What Car? said in its exacting road-test. “It’s also a pleasure to drive, thanks to its comfortable ride and great visibility, and it has a well made interior.”

Like both the Skoda Scala and Skoda Octavia, the Skoda Karoq also comes equipped with a well-made cabin and plenty of useful technology. “Driving the Karoq is made easy by well-sited, sensibly grouped buttons and switches on the dashboard, and the crisp digital instrument cluster,” What Car? said.

“Regardless of trim level, the Skoda Karoq comes with an 8.0in touchscreen infotainment system as standard. It gives you clear graphics, has a simple operating system, and is one of the best touchscreens in the class. You also get sat-nav, DAB radio, Bluetooth, Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay. You’ll also find plenty of squishy surfaces on top of the dashboard and doors, and even the harder materials lower down are textured in such a way that they don't feel cheap.”

The What Car? experts also noted the Skoda Karoq’s supple ride and handling prowess. “The Skoda Karoq comes up trumps when smoothing the harsh edges off ruts and bumps around town. The ride gets even better on motorways, making it a soothing companion on long journeys.

“The Skoda Karoq sits on the same underpinnings as the Seat Ateca and Volkswagen Tiguan, but Skoda has clearly worked hard to give the Karoq its own character, and it falls squarely between comfort and sportiness. The steering has a fine level of accuracy that lets you glide from corner to corner with ease.”

The Skoda Karoq earned a bunch of brownie points for its class-leading practicality, too. You get five copious seats – perfect for busy family life – and between 521 litres of 1810 litres of boot space (with VarioFlex rear seats fitted). “It’s unlikely that anyone will get into the front of the Skoda Karoq and start grumbling about a lack of space,” What Car? said. “It’s possible to slide the seats back a good amount to accommodate long legs, while those tall in the body will find the seat drops low enough to give plenty of head room.

“[In the rear] the Skoda Karoq has large door openings that make fitting a child seat relatively painless. There’s plenty of leg room for adults, so even six-footers won’t find their knees pressed up against the front seatbacks.”

But it’s the rear seat configurability and overall boot space where the Skoda Karoq pulls well clear of the competition, with What Car? giving particular praise to Skoda’s ingenious VarioFlex seats. “This is an area where the Skoda Karoq wipes the floor with its rivals. The VarioFlex seats (optional on SE Drive and SE L trims) do all sorts of clever things.

“For a start, the seatbacks are split fairly evenly into three separate sections, rather than the usual 60/40. That offers much more flexibility if you want to carry long loads as well as passengers. That’s not all. The seats recline and slide back and forth independently of one another. You can even remove all three rear seats from the car, freeing up more space.”

Like its siblings, the Skoda Karoq also offers superb value for money and low running costs. “The Skoda Karoq's SE Drive trim is generously equipped, with 17in alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, automatic lights and wipers, privacy glass, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, cruise control and rear parking sensors,” said the What Car? team.

The Skoda Karoq is also cost-effective to run and own, too. The 1.0-litre TSI 116 engine achieved more than 40mpg in the What Car? real-world efficiency test, while strong resale values and exceptional value compared to similarly equipped Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage models make the Skoda Karoq a no-brainer when it comes to maximising your cash.

The Skoda Karoq also offers a wealth of advanced safety technology and superb all-round visibility, just as any good high-riding family SUV should. “The Skoda Karoq is one of the easiest family SUVs to see out of because it combines a raised driving position with narrow windscreen pillars and big side windows,” What Car? commented. “Pulling out of T-junctions, manoeuvring around multi-storey car parks and changing lanes on a motorway are a breeze.