SKODA, once the brunt of a million cheap shots from comedians, has been voted Britain’s best car company by the people who matter – the drivers.
The Volkswagen-owned Czech manufacturer has taken the accolade of Best Manufacturer in the Driver Power survey run by Auto Express magazine for the second year running.
And in a double whammy for the brand the Skoda Octavia has won the hotly-contested Best Family Car category.
More than 23,000 drivers completed the Driver Power poll, scoring all manufacturers on car reliability, build quality, running costs and overall satisfaction.
In the independent nationwide survey, Skoda was rated the best, beating Lexus and Jaguar into second and third positions.
In publishing the results, the magazine remarks: “As if knocking Lexus off top spot last year wasn’t enough of an achievement, Skoda has retained the gold medal in 2010.”
It adds that as brand leader Skoda is “now known for quality and reliability, as well as great value.”
As for the Octavia, Auto Express says that with the car’s combination of quality, fine driving dynamics, value and reliability, the Octavia is the king of the family car market according to Driver Power respondents.
Skoda’s UK brand director Robert Hazelwood said: “We are delighted as it’s good to hear that customers are telling us that they are pleased with the whole Škoda driving experience.”