Skoda Scala review

Prices start from £22,105 (around £230 per month) for the 1.0-litre petrol with the lower output that you don’t want, and £23,080 (or £245 per month) for the pokier variant that you do.

Those figures snare you SE spec which brings 16in alloys, Apple/Android connectivity, four USB-C ports, an 8.25in infotainment screen, full LED headlights and rear parking sensors. The fundamentals, really.

SE L spec adds another £1,800 (or another £15 a month) and brings 17in alloys, larger display screens (9.2in), rear privacy glass, auto lights and wipers, ambient interior lighting and an armrest for those sitting in the back. We quite liked the suede effect microfibre trim on the dashboard here too.

The bigger kit influx comes with top Monte Carlo spec (£2,925 over an SE L, or an additional £40 a month). Not a full rally pastiche, but its black exterior trim and 18in diamond-cut alloys do look the part. Full LED matrix lights can at least make you pretend you’re in a WRC car too, while bringing actual safety benefits. Basically you can keep your high beam on, with the headlights doing some clever adjustment to avoid blinding oncoming traffic. It’s a step up from dim-witted ‘auto high beam’ systems, at least.

Monte-badged Scalas also boast a panoramic roof, reversing camera and two-stage damping. Though in truth the car is plusher and more easygoing in a lower spec perched on smaller wheels. Plus we don’t imagine many Scala buyers will be meticulously choosing the right damper setting for their commute home.

What about the powertrains?

Upgrading from the 94 to 114bhp tune of 1.0-litre engine will cost £975, or around £15 a month. We reckon it’s money well spent. Jumping up to the big boy 1.5-litre is another £1,300 (or £15pm), while the DSG gearbox is £1,350 (or another £15pm).

You can see how the price quickly rises if you get carried away, with a 1.5-litre DSG Monte Carlo a full £100 per month costlier than a base 1-litre SE. Still, Skodas are premium enough to get away with higher prices if you really can’t resist. It’s just that this particular Skoda is in its happy place fulfilling that good old ‘lots of car for the money’ trope.

Which one should I go for? 

It's always tempting to pile on the spec, but some would see the mid-range SE L model as a bit of a steal. We'd be tempted to grab one at a smidge under £25k in 114bhp 1.0 guise with the manual gearbox then splurge a bit on the Winter Package for heated seats and the Simply Clever Plus Package just to have some extra things in the car to show off with. Like the little bin.