At one point in automotive history, only the Lada and the Yugo could vie with Skoda for The World’s Worst Car award. The key piece of breakdown insurance advice used to be: ‘don’t buy a Skoda, and we might insure you’. But in 2013, we see that the ugly ducking of the 1980s and 90s has been transformed into a beautiful (or at least extremely reliable) swan, one that has struck a chord with the modern British motorist.
The recent 2013 Power Driver Survey, organised by Auto Express and the Telegraph, demonstrated how far the brand has come. Of the models surveyed, it clinched the top spot with the Yeti, as well as the second spot – with the Superb. As if dominating the top two tiers wasn’t enough, Skoda grabbed sixth too, with the Octavia.
But what has made the Skoda so popular? The question is even more pronounced given that the company’s owner, Volkswagen, has had its own cars placed way down the list.
The traditional selling point of the Skoda was its cheapness, but that is not quite enough to explain the brand’s current success. Some commentators suggest that VW has given Skoda the leeway to develop unique, fun cars, whilst keeping build quality high, and forecourt prices low. Indeed, if you compare the performance of VW’s other subsidiary, Seat, you see a marked difference; the Spanish marque has not enjoyed the same freedom, and has only produced models based on VW’s own line-up – arguably contributing to its so-so sales.
So in today’s cobweb-walleted world, the car that can offer cheaper prices, but still provides excellent reliability and quality, appears to rule the roost. Add to these the fact that people find Skodas extremely fun to drive, and you see why it has hit on a winning formula.
VW must be thanking its lucky stars it bought Skoda in 2000.
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