Skoda Scala - Reliability and safety

Euro NCAP crash-tested the Skoda Scala in 2019 and awarded it a full five-star rating, with excellent scores for adult and child safety of 97 per cent and 87 per cent, respectively.

It’s encouraging to see a good amount of standard safety kit on the Scala, including autonomous emergency braking called ‘Front Assist’, lane-keep assistance, traffic sign recognition, and an emergency call function. Some safety options are available, such as the £650 Safety Pack, which includes a driver’s knee airbag and rear side airbags. Adaptive cruise control isn’t standard as it is on some of its admittedly pricier rivals, but you can add this with the Assisted Driving Pack for £800. Blindspot monitoring to warn you of vehicles approaching along your side when driving down the motorway is a pricy £1,030 option. It’s reserved for the Assisted Driving Pack Plus on the Monte Carlo trim.

The Scala didn't feature in the 2023 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, but it seems there’s work to do for the brand. The company finished in 20th position out of 32 manufacturers included in the survey, behind sibling brands SEAT and Volkswagen in 17th and 18th place, respectively.

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Warranty

The Skoda Scala is covered by a three-year warranty with no mileage limits for the first two years, then up to 60,000 miles for the third year of ownership. It’s a competitive warranty, but can’t match Hyundai’s five-year/unlimated-mileage coverage, nor Kia’s famous seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty. For just over £500 however, you can get an extended warranty to cover the Scala for up to five years or 100,00 miles, whichever comes first.

Servicing

All engines in the Skoda Scala range have service intervals every 12 months or 10,000 miles, whichever comes first. You can specify a service plan to cover your first two services when you purchase the car.