The UK seems to enjoy Skoda. The Czech brand has scooped first place in the Auto Express Driver Power survey… for the second year in succession.

More than 32,000 independent members of the public vote in the reliability and satisfaction poll, making it a true reflection of how pleased people are with their cars. This year, as with last, Skoda Octavia owners are the happiest of the bunch. This latest glowing report means that 2008 is the fifth consecutive year that a Škoda model has finished in the top five.

The survey asked respondents for their opinions on all aspects of car ownership. They were quizzed on their vehicle’s reliability, build quality, running costs, performance and ease of driving: basically everything that contributes to a favourable ownership experience.

David Johns, Auto Express’ Editor in Chief, said: “The Octavia is a deserving winner of the Best Car title in Driver Power 2008. With great reliability and a strong set of results across our judging categories it will be tough to beat in next year’s survey. Owners have struggled to find any faults with Škoda’s family car.”

Škoda has picked up a plethora of titles and gongs over the years, both for its cars and for customer satisfaction. From the first-generation Fabia (Auto Express and What Car? Car of the Year in 2000), to the Fabia vRS (Diesel Car Best Performance Diesel, 2004), to the Octavia (What Car? Best Small Family Car, 2005, 2006), Octavia vRS (What Car? Hot Hatch 2006) and the new Roomster (Scottish Best Family Car 2006), Škodas continue to impress.

Škoda UK Brand Director, Robert Hazelwood, is delighted, but not surprised by this latest success. "Having toppled Lexus from the top spot in the Top Gear customer satisfaction survey last year, we’re delighted with the news that Octavia is the top car in this latest survey from Auto Express. This proves we’re the Manufacturer of Happy Drivers."