Skoda sweeps board in driver power survey

Not content with being awarded the title of ‘Car of the Year’ in Auto Express’ Driver Power survey, Skoda has also finished second in the magazine’s review of dealers. Over 32,000 drivers submitted their views on around 6,000 car sales and service centres nationwide and, despite some tough competition, Skoda finished on the podium yet again.

Last year the Czech firm placed a respectable third, but this time round the 135-strong dealer network impressed visitors even more. ‘Communication’, ‘standard of workmanship’ and ‘technical knowledge’ were three of the areas in which customers thought Skoda dealers excelled.

This great news comes on the back of a plethora of customer satisfaction accolades that have already been bestowed on the carmaker. For example, Skoda was second in the 2007 JD Power customer satisfaction survey run by What Car? (top five for the last 12 years) and was also named ‘Best Manufacturer’ by Top Gear readers last year.

An example of the comments submitted by respondents comes from James Dixon of Stroud, Gloucestershire: “Excellent before and aftersales service. The staff are friendly and keep you informed, and they gave me a superb deal on my car. The purchase price was as good as any I could find on the internet. I would recommend my dealer to anyone.”

Auto Express, Britain’s biggest selling car news weekly, said: “Is there any part of the Skoda ownership experience that doesn’t come up to scratch? It doesn’t look like it! The Czech firm’s Octavia has topped the Driver Power 2008 car satisfaction survey, and now the brand’s dealers have scored another amazing result. Matching this success in next year’s survey will be a real challenge.”

Skoda UK’s Managing Director, Robert Hazelwood, was delighted by the achievement. “We strive to offer our customers a friendly and warm reception every time they enter a showroom. This survey shows how good a job our dealers are doing in this regard and that we really are the manufacturer of happy drivers. Anyone who is yet to try the Skoda ownership experience should look at these results and ask themselves ‘what am I missing out on here?’” he said.