Most motoring publications have their own annual awards at which they decide their cars of the year. These annual events have many different categories, from best hybrid, to best SUV, best electric car, and best overall car of the year. One of the other categories is the best estate car.
An estate car is like a three box saloon car, except rather than having a flat rear deck, it has a long hatchback at the rear. The best estate car, according to Auto Express, was a car aptly called the Skoda Superb. According to the reviewers, the Czech car, was praised for its interior, which the journalists said trumps that of its sister car, the German Volkswagen Passat. They praised its range of engines as well as it’s 2.2 tonne towing capacity.
Furthermore, they also liked the vehicle’s massive boot and practical interior elements, such as its Smart Dials. Overall, they said they’d go for the car in its 1.5 litre SE Technology spec.
They concluded: “While the Superb Estate faced competition from the all-new Audi A5 Avant this year, the Skoda’s vast, well appointed interior made sure that our Estate car of the Year trophy was going to go home in the Superb Estate’s generous 690-litre load area.
“We’d go for the entry-level 1.5-litre petrol in SE Technology trim because it’s powerful enough for most needs, and has mild-hybrid tech to boost its efficiency. This trim level comes with plenty of kit, yet the price stays below the £40,000 luxury car tax threshold.”
Coming in second behind the Skoda was the Audi A5 Avant, which was praised as being a “premium alternative” to BMW’s 3 Series Touring whilst having a wider range of engines.
Toyota’s Corolla Touring Sports was also highlighted as being a competent car in this category. As the Skoda Superb cleans up in the best estate car category in the Auto Express awards, new data suggests that this win could become more important as households in the UK look to downsize to a single car.
A poll of 2,000 adults found that people who went down from two car to one car saved around £1,500 by liberating their driveway with 57 percent saying they were now better off for having made the decision.
Speaking about the results, CEO of temporary car insurance provider Tempcover Paul Gilshan said that their research showed downsizing from two cars to one was working well for motorists.
He said: “Our research shows that for households that have downsized, one car works well. People are better off financially, it fits how they’re working and living now, and they’re more intentional about when they use it – and it’s better for the environment.
“In many ways, these households are already practising a form of car sharing – coordinating access, prioritising who needs it most, making it work around everyone’s schedule. The car is more of a shared resource rather than a personal fixture, and that mindset is only going to grow.”
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