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It’s tough to quantify value, because it’s different for everybody. What one person considers good value may be irrelevant to the person standing next to them. That means a car has to be a seriously capable all-rounder to offer good value to a wide range of people. And that is precisely what the Skoda Scala does, which is why our sister title, What Car?, named it the Best Family Car for Value for 2025. 

It’s earned that prize on two previous occasions, too, so it’s clear that Skoda knows how to deliver a car that punches above its pricepoint. Here are five ways in which it earned the accolades.

Learn more about the Skoda Scala

#1 Exceptional space and practicality

Whether you’re travelling on your own or have the car full of family members, everyone is going to be happy with the amount of space on offer in the Skoda Scala.Even if you’re six-feet-plus you’ll be able to sit comfortably in the driver’s seat without having to have the front seat in its lowest setting – the same applies to the front-seat passenger, too.

There’s great news for those in the rear seats too, because anyone sitting behind a six-foot driver will still have plenty of legroom and headroom. As What Car? says: “Rear space is one of the Scala’s greatest attributes. Leg and head room are exceedingly generous for the class.”The cabin is also wide enough that three adults will be able to sit comfortably enough without feeling that they should really be on a first-name basis.

And nor will everyone’s legs be scrunched up, because “there’s plenty of foot space under the front seats, and the cushy headrests help your passengers kick back happily and relax”.Everyone can bring along as much stuff as they like, too, because the 467-litre boot is more than big enough to take it all. It’s a clever space, too, as What Car? points out. “The Scala’s boot is a useful square shape and has plenty of bag hooks, while the load lip is manageably low if you put the optional (and recommended) adjustable boot floor in its higher setting.” 

The ‘Simply Clever’ ethos is prevalent in the cabin, too, because as What Car?s testers note: “Storage space for odds and ends is good, and includes generous front door pockets, a decent-sized glovebox, a cupholder in the centre console, a large drawer under the front seats and a sunglasses holder above the rear-view mirror. There’s also a small cubby in front of the gearlever, which doubles as the area for the optional wireless phone-charging pad.”In short, when you travel in a Skoda Scala, you don’t have to pack light.

#2 Comfortable and easy to drive

There are some cars that simply get on with the job in hand, and do it well. And the Skoda Scala is undoubtedly one such car. It just does what you ask it to – no fuss, no fluster. And it does this no matter which powertrain is under the bonnet. The range kicks off with a three-cylinder 1.0 TSI 95 engine and five-speed manual transmission – the version that won What Car?’s Best Family Car for Value award –  which endows the car with the sort of acceleration that makes keeping up with the ebb and flow of daily traffic a stress-free experience. And as What Car?’s testers state: “The five-speed manual gearbox you get with the TSI 95 offers a good, slick shift action”, which makes driving the car all the easier. The engine also generates a characterful thrum as you accelerate, enhancing the journey.

Comfort is one of the Scala’s strengths, and indeed, What Car? says: “The Scala has softer, cushier suspension than most family cars, meaning you’re better isolated from harsh bumps and potholes.”

The praise continues for this best-value choice: “The most comfortable Scala is the SE Edition trim on its standard 16in wheels, but even the higher trims on larger wheels ride well.” So if you want to go from here to there in complete comfort, a Skoda Scala is the car to choose.

#3 Wallet-friendly running costs

Not only does the Skoda Scala make perfect sense in the real world, it also adds up in the financial world.

For a start, its list price is just £22,395 RRP or £23,500 OTR, which, when you consider everything the car has as standard, is simply incredible value.

But the good financial news doesn’t stop just there. The 1.0 TSI 95 SE Edition model is classified in insurance group 12E, so the annual cost of the premium will be much less than… premium.

The Skoda Scala stacks up well as a company choice, too. Its WLTP combined emissions are 115g/km, which puts the car in the 29% band for Benefit-in-Kind taxation. This equates to a monthly bill of just £111.19 for a 20% income tax payer.

Low-rolling-resistance tyres are fitted as standard, while the sleek shape cleaves the air cleanly, which helps the Scala 1.0 TSI 95 achieve a WLTP combined economy figure of up to 55.5mpg. So you certainly won’t be a regular at the local fuel station.

#4 More for your money

More for less. It doesn’t happen very often, but that’s what you get with a Skoda Scala SE Edition trim.

This is the award-winning model that kicks off the range, but it has everything you need, plus pretty much everything you might want. To that end, there are LED headlights with LED running lights, plus super-bright LED taillights, a 9.2-inch central touchscreen infotainment system with Wireless Smartlink for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a 10.25in Virtual Cockpit ahead of the driver.

And there’s more, as What Car? notes: “SE Edition includes 16-inch 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.” 

You want more? Okay, Skoda has also included traffic-sign recognition, rear parking sensors and a rearview camera, plus a keyless engine start/stop system. There are also no fewer than four USB-C sockets, so everyone can keep their devices topped up on the move.If you’re looking for one word to describe the SE Edition, then that word would be “generous”.

In addition, Skoda’s ‘Simply Clever’ features are front and centre in every single Scala model. These are surprising touches that just make living with a car easier, such as a parking ticket holder mounted on the windscreen pillar, an umbrella stowed in a compartment in the driver’s door, an ice scraper and tyre tread depth gauge inside the fuel filler cap, and a fold-out funnel on the screen-wash tank. You just know that Skoda has thought about how people live with cars, and has designed the Scala to make everything simple. Clever.

#5 Impressive safety kit

Any car that is aimed at families has one assignment that is absolutely paramount – it must keep that family safe. In that regard, the Skoda Scala is absolutely on point.

Every Scala comes with Front Assist, which monitors the vehicle ahead, and automatically brakes the car if it detects that a collision is imminent. But should the worst happen, the Scala features an emergency call system that automatically contacts the emergency services for you. 

Skoda has also ensured that the Scala has more airbags than a bubblewrap factory – it can be fitted with up to nine airbags. The rear seats have ISOFIX preparation, so the youngest family members are held securely in their seats.And when you’re on the road, the lane-assist system will keep you between the lines, and the hill-hold control ensures that there’s never any concern about rolling back during hill starts, no matter how steep the incline.

Verdict

As we said at the start, it’s hard to quantify value, because everyone has a different definition of what constitutes good value. But Skoda has absolutely hit the nail on the head with the Scala, which is guaranteed to make you feel good about the initial purchase, the running costs during your ownership, the luxury and convenience it provides on every journey, and the fact it keeps you and your family safe on the road. Now that’s award-winning value.

Learn more about the Skoda Scala

The Range Rover Evoque-rivalling Jaecoo 5 will go on sale this summer, priced from £24,505.

The 5 will become the second model in the Chery-owned brand’s UK range following the popular 7, which has amassed 8399 sales so far this year.

At launch, the 5 will be powered by a 145bhp 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Details on the EV variant will follow in the “coming weeks”.

Visually, the Jaecoo 5 is a shrunken version of the 7, with near-identical front and rear end designs, but with a shorter wheelbase and a more raked roofline.  

The entry-level 5 comes with a 13.2in vertical touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and all-round parking cameras. 

The 5 will be sold in two trim levels: Pure and Luxury. Entry-level equipment includes a six-speaker audio system, six-way adjustable seats, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. For £28,000, Luxury trim adds a panoramic roof, wireless phone charging, and heated and ventilated front seats.

Great Wall Motors, the Chinese manufacturer of the Ora 03 and Haval Jolion Pro, is poised to take on the Ferrari 296 and McLaren Artura with a new flagship supercar.

The surprising news was revealed by company chairman Wei Jianjun, who posted a photo on China's Weibo social media platform to mark the 35th anniversary of Great Wall Motors (GWM), showing the company bosses gathered around the cloaked silhouette of what is obviously a sleek, mid-engined supercar.

Earlier this year, Great Wall's chief technology officer Wu Huixiao confirmed to Chinese media that the firm had been working on a supercar for five years, revealing that it has a carbon tub and promising that it "will be better" than European rivals, after chairman Jianjun was seen driving a Ferrari SF90. 

Hebei-based GWM is one of China's oldest and largest vehicle manufacturers, having delivered 1.23 million vehicles globally last year. Along with the Ora and Haval marques it sells here, it owns pick-up manufacturer Poer (due in the UK soon), premium crossover brand Wey and Tank - an off-road SUV maker.

The supercar is expected to be the first model from a newly established range-topping brand called Confidence Auto, which will be positioned far above GWM's existing brands as a rival to compatriot BYD's Yangwang marque - itself set for an imminent European roll-out.  

More specifically, GWM's supercar will be a close rival to the Yangwang U9, a 1250bhp, 240mph super-EV that can jump on the spot and has gone around the Nürburgring in 7mins 18secs - making it one of the fastest production EVs at the German track.

GWM has yet to offer any indication of how its new flagship stacks up against the U9, but it could be among the first models to use the company's new self-developed 4.0-litre V8, which it revealed at the Shanghai motor show earlier this year. 

Aside from confirming that it uses a pair of turbochargers, GWM has yet to reveal any specifications of its new V8, but reports suggest it could put out as much as 600bhp and 590lb ft on its own. 

The supercar's combustion motor, though – whether the V8 or perhaps GWM's older V6 – will be part of a performance-focused plug-in hybrid powertrain – similar to the McLaren Artura, Ferrari 296 and Lamborghini Temerario – so its total outputs will be far greater. 

GWM has yet to confirm a reveal date, but the Guangzhou motor show – one of the biggest events in the Chinese automotive calendar – takes place at the end of November.