Skoda Scala Review & Prices

This is the Skoda Scala, and it offers something a little bit different from the obvious SUV options for family car duties. It’s a five-door hatchback that has a sort of estate-like shape to the rear, meaning it’s really practical.

It’s a bit like using a spacious sports bag for all your gear instead of a more obvious backpack.

There are plenty of hatchbacks you could consider alongside the Scala, such as the Volkswagen Golf, Kia Ceed and Peugeot 308. Perhaps even Skoda’s own Octavia, which is a bit more expensive but much more practical still.

Where the Skoda Scala suffers slightly compared with the Peugeot especially, is that it’s rather dull-looking. The front is definitely its best angle, with a blocky grille and chunky front bumper, but it’s fairly anonymous from the side and rear.

It’s a bit better inside, with fabric upholstery running across the centre of the dashboard and crisp, clear displays, but a few chunky buttons make it look a touch dated and you’ll need to avoid the basic SE trim if you want the bigger infotainment display and digital instrument screens, though this feels fair enough considering the impressively low price of entry.

At least it’s really spacious – the Scala is a fairly small car but there’s plenty of room in the front and acres of space in the back, with ample room to sit three abreast or fit a child seat. Storage is excellent, with a large glovebox and door bins that can take a 1.5-litre bottle, but the cup holders are tiny.

At 467 litres the boot is considerably bigger than most alternatives offer. It’s also easy to access thanks to the low bumper and has a useful square space that makes it easy to maximise the capacity. If you really need maximum luggage capacity though, the Skoda Octavia isn’t a massive leap in price over the Scala but has a huge 600-litre boot.

Where most alternatives better the Scala, though, is driving fun. There’s nothing particularly bad, but a Ford Focus is much more fun down a twisty road. Not that that’s the natural home of a family car, and the Scala fares better in everyday driving duties. Sure, a Volkswagen Golf is a bit more comfortable over bumps, but the Skoda is quiet, refined and easy to drive around town and on the motorway.

There are three petrol engines to choose from, with our test car being the entry-level 95hp version. It’s slow, but not painfully so, though you’ll be hard pressed to reach the official fuel economy figures of 55mpg. One of the more powerful options is a better bet though, because they get up to speed more easily without suffering too much on fuel economy.

The Skoda Scala is a really practical family car that’s also excellent value for money. It’s something of a head over heart purchase because it’s far from exciting, but if you’re looking for a car that’s affordable, spacious and easy to drive, it’s an excellent option.

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The Skoda Scala is fantastic value, with prices starting at around £22,000, which is similar to a Kia Ceed but quite a bit less than a Volkswagen Golf or Peugeot 308. It’s less than £2,000 extra to go for the SE L trim, which adds bigger screens and some nicer seat upholstery, which feels worth the extra cost. Top-spec Monte Carlo models are nearly £4,000 more again, but even then, you’re still around the entry price of the VW and Peugeot. If your budget can stretch a bit, the Skoda Octavia is bigger and more spacious and starts at just £25,000.

The Skoda Scala is quiet and comfortable to drive around town, but it’s far from thrilling on a twisty road

In town

The Skoda Scala is easy to drive around town, because the pedals and steering are light and it deals well with bumps. SE cars have smaller alloy wheels than the other models, and are just a little more settled over bumpy roads. Both a Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf are slightly more comfortable over lumps and bumps in town, but the margins aren’t huge. Going for the automatic gearbox makes town driving less effort, but it can be rather jerky and slow to respond.

All-round visibility is generally good, with slim pillars at the front of the car. The thicker rear pillars do get in the way a little when you look over your shoulder, though. At least rear parking sensors are standard, but you’ll have to pay extra for front sensors, and even then they’re only available on top-spec models.

On the motorway

The 95hp engine is a bit sluggish at motorway speeds – it’s fine once you’re at a cruise, but motorway slip roads and overtakes need some planning and commitment. If you do a lot of motorway miles, the 150hp is usefully punchy, but the 116hp engine is certainly not out of its depth at higher speeds.

Whichever engine you choose, the Scala manages to keep most wind and road noise outside at a cruise. Despite its low entry price, all Scalas come with cruise control as standard, and you can upgrade it to an adaptive system that can maintain your speed and distance to the car in front. 

On a twisty road

The Scala’s sensible nature is obvious when the road goes twisty, where a Ford Focus is more fun and a VW Golf slightly more comfortable, the Scala will take you down a country road well enough, but without any danger of a raised pulse. Top-spec Monte Carlo models add a sporty driving mode that makes the pedal feel more responsive, but it certainly doesn’t transform the car into a hot hatch.

With excellent storage, a spacious cabin and a big boot, it’s a bit of a surprise that the Scala’s cupholders are annoyingly small

Space is excellent all around the cabin. The driver gets a generous amount of manual seat and wheel adjustment as standard, though there’s no electric adjustment available, while head- and legroom around the front seats is also plentiful. Tall and short drivers alike should be able to find a sound and comfy driving position.

Skoda is all about practical touches and that’s absolutely true in the Scala. In fact, Skoda’s so proud of the Scala’s versatility that it even lists exactly how many litres of storage space you’ll find inside – 26 litres.

That starts with the generous glovebox, then there’s the two front door bins that’ll take a 1.5-litre bottle of water. The cupholders are oddly small though, so your typical reusable drinks bottle won’t fit.

Space in the back seats

Space in the front is plentiful, but if anything the back of the Scala’s cabin is even more impressive. Three adults can sit side-by-side in relative comfort – there’s a small hump in the middle of the floor, but it doesn’t get in the way too much – but two will have loads of room to stay comfortable on long journeys. The panoramic glass sunroof fitted to Monte Carlo models does steal a little headroom, though.

Storage hasn’t been forgotten, with map pockets on the back of the front seats and rear door bins which will easily take 500ml bottles.

All that space means it’s easy to fit a child seat, too. There’s plenty of space for bulky chairs and the ISOFIX mounting points aren’t a major fiddle to access.

Boot space

At 467 litres, the Skoda Scala’s boot dwarfs its alternatives’ efforts. Indeed, that’s way bigger than the boot of a Volkswagen Golf (381 litres), Kia Ceed (395 litres) or Peugeot 308 (412 litres), although strictly speaking Skoda’s own Octavia’s boot is even bigger again at a monster 600 litres.

The Scala’s boot isn’t just big – it also has a low load lip, easy access and loads of Skoda’s traditional ‘Simply Clever’ touches such as an adjustable boot floor, nets, hooks and a 12-volt socket. And, if you need more room, the rear seats split 60:40 and fold almost flat. With the seats lowered, luggage space increases to 1,410 litres. Again, you’ll struggle to find a hatchback of similar size and price that matches that kind of boot room.

The infotainment system is simple but quick and easy to use, though the interior’s design is a touch bland

The Skoda Scala is sensible rather than stylish inside, albeit with enough quality and solidity to rival a Skoda Octavia – which sits above it in terms of size and price in Skoda’s range.

There are soft-touch plastics on the Scala’s dashboard and doors, piano black and chrome accents and switches that feel substantial to use. It’s not quite VW Golf-good, but it easily rivals a Kia Ceed.

The standard cloth seats don’t look too dowdy, but upgrading to microsuede on the SE L trim lifts the feel of quality even further. There’s a choice of different trim inserts for the dashboard and doors, too, although some are more tasteful than others.

Entry-level SE cars have an 8.0-inch colour touchscreen. It sits atop the dashboard so you don’t need to crane your neck to see it. Plus, its logical menus with shortcut buttons and bright, crisp graphics are impressive.

Then there’s a larger 9.2-inch screen on SE L and Monte Carlo models with built-in sat nav and Virtual Cockpit digital dials (you get smaller digital dials on the SE) – there’s nothing wrong with the basic system, but the bigger versions make the cabin feel more modern and high-tech. Indeed, the SE comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so having built-in sat nav isn’t a necessity.

There are no hybrid models in the Skoda Scala range, so there’s no version with headline-grabbing fuel efficiency and low emissions. However, for a conventional petrol-powered hatchback the Skoda has competitive economy figures.

There are two 1.0-litre petrol options making 95hp and 116hp, with a 1.5-litre petrol at the top of the range making 150hp. Whichever you go for, official fuel economy figures are above 50mpg, but the most efficient is the least powerful of the three, seeing 55.4mpg in official tests.

The two more powerful options have the choice of a manual or automatic gearbox, with the manual being a bit better on fuel. And because emissions are fairly low, you won’t have to pay extortionate Vehicle Excise Duty either. Company car buyers will be better off looking for a hybrid- or electric-powered alternative for the lower Benefit-in-Kind rate.

The safety experts at Euro NCAP tested the Scala in 2019 and awarded it the maximum five-star rating. It scored 97% for adult occupant protection, 87% for child occupants, 81% for vulnerable road users and 76% for its safety assistance technologies. That’s a strong set of scores which can stand comparison with similar family hatchbacks, though it’s worth noting that testing has become stricter since then.

Standard safety kit includes a front collision warning and lane-keeping assistant, while top-spec Monte Carlo cars get automatic light and rain sensors. Adaptive cruise control is an optional extra.

Although the Scala specifically didn’t feature in the 2023 Driver Power survey, Skoda as a brand had a rather average performance, coming 20th out of 32 manufacturers. The Scala comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty, which isn’t great, though the first two years have unlimited mileage. Hyundai, Kia and Toyota offer much longer warranties and have a great reputation for reliability.