To help drivers select their perfect destination Škoda divided its finding into three categories: Camping and Environment, Adventure and Road Safety.
Environment
Heading the Environment category is Italy, which scored highly for world heritage sites and low CO2 emissions. Italy tops the charts when it comes to historical landmarks with no fewer than 58 UNESCO sites located around the country. Germany and France complete the top three, with the former offering a number of must-visit sites including the gothic cathedral in Cologne. For drivers wanting to travel to a country with the least environmental impact, Denmark, which sits in fifth place in the Index, is considered to be one of the most environmentally-friendly countries in Europe. In 2020, the country committed to a 2030 target of a 70% reduction in CO2 levels compared to 1990 levels.
British drivers aiming for Italy can be enjoying la dolce vita within 10 hours with a route that takes in France and Switzerland.
|
Country |
Air pollution rank |
CO2 emissions rank |
EPI rank |
World Heritage rank |
Overall index rank |
|
1 – Italy |
78.1 |
92.4 |
63.3 |
100 |
83.4 |
|
2 – Germany |
89.9 |
78.4 |
71.8 |
93 |
83.3 |
|
3 – France |
71.6 |
96.6 |
72 |
91.2 |
82.9 |
|
4 – Greece |
100 |
92.5 |
60.5 |
64.9 |
79.5 |
|
5 – Denmark |
61.9 |
95.1 |
100 |
57.9 |
78.7 |
|
6 – Sweden |
63.2 |
98.8 |
90.5 |
62.3 |
78.7 |
|
7 – Spain |
65.4 |
95.4 |
61.3 |
92.1 |
78.5 |
|
8 – Malta |
66.3 |
99.9 |
95.1 |
51.8 |
78.2 |
|
9 – Romania |
84.6 |
99.3 |
60.2 |
57 |
75.3 |
|
10 – Slovenia |
78.4 |
87.1 |
80.7 |
53.5 |
74.9 |
Adventure
Topping the Adventure category is Malta, a destination that offers everything from stunning scenery to ancient heritage sites and a plethora of water sports. Cyprus and Portugal complete the top three in the Adventure index.
Taking data and review scores from TripAdvisor, Škoda found that Malta offers visitors a huge variety of adventure-based activities. And, thanks to its relatively small size, visitors don’t need to travel far to discover a new activity. Malta also scored highest for extreme sports, with 28 activities per 620 miles – the highest ratio in the Index. However, British drivers will need to pack plenty of snacks on board as the journey to get there is an adventure in itself. To reach Malta from the UK, drivers will need to travel the length of Italy before taking a ferry to Sicily and then a second ferry to Malta.
|
Country |
Avg reviews |
Activities per 1,000km rank |
Activities per 100k people rank |
Overall index rank |
|
1 – Malta |
94.4 |
100 |
100 |
98.1 |
|
2 – Cyprus |
87.8 |
66 |
94.8 |
82.9 |
|
3 – Portugal |
83.6 |
97.4 |
62.5 |
81.1 |
|
4 – Ireland |
79 |
58 |
80.4 |
72.5 |
|
5 – Finland |
77.2 |
60.2 |
78 |
71.8 |
|
6 – Croatia |
100 |
55.9 |
57.7 |
71.2 |
|
7 – Slovenia |
93.2 |
54.3 |
65.6 |
71 |
|
8 – Romania |
100 |
56.3 |
55.3 |
70.5 |
|
9 – UK |
68.2 |
67.2 |
70.6 |
68.7 |
|
10 – Estonia |
84.8 |
50.7 |
56.7 |
64.1 |
Road Safety and Camping
In the Road Safety and camping section, Škoda’s researchers focused on EU countries that have the safest roads and most campsites available to travellers. The data takes into consideration the number of campsites per 62,000 miles, driving incidents per 100k people, and driving fatalities per million for each country. Denmark tops the charts with the safest driving routes and an ample choice of campsites. The Netherlands and Ireland round out the top three with the former offering some of the best camping opportunities in Europe. The so-called camping capital of Europe, The Netherlands has an average of 75 sites per 62,000 square miles, including the top-rated Rijinsburg site at Vakantiepark Konigshof.
All three locations are among the easiest to reach for British drivers looking to spend a few nights under canvas. The Netherlands is easily accessible thanks to direct ferries from Newcastle, Harwich and Hull, while those taking ferries or the Eurotunnel from Dover and Folkestone can be in The Netherlands within an hour of disembarking.
|
Country |
Campsites per 10,000 km rank |
Incidents per 100k people rank |
Fatalities per million rank |
Overall index rank |
|
1 – Denmark |
63.1 |
94.4 |
93.8 |
83.8 |
|
2 – Netherlands |
75.9 |
86.6 |
88.7 |
83.7 |
|
3 – Ireland |
51.6 |
100 |
93.1 |
81.5 |
|
4 – Sweden |
54.5 |
82.6 |
100 |
79 |
|
5 – UK |
54 |
80 |
98.7 |
77.6 |
|
6 – France |
57.6 |
89.6 |
84.6 |
77.3 |
|
7 – Finland |
54.7 |
90.4 |
84.5 |
76.5 |
|
8 – Spain |
51.7 |
76.2 |
92.9 |
73.6 |
|
9 – Slovakia |
50.5 |
88 |
80.4 |
73 |
|
10 – Estonia |
51 |
85.7 |
80.7 |
72.5 |
To help drivers make the most of their European road trips, Škoda offers a range of accessories including a Travel Pack that consists of roof bars and a 380-litre roof box. Available for every model in the Škoda range, prices start from £625 including VAT.
The Škoda Adventure Index was created using data from a range of sources, including UNESCO, TripAdvisor, EEA and EC Europa. After collecting the data, the metrics e.g., air pollution, were categorised by Environment, Road Safety/Campsite Availability and Adventure. The countries were then ranked based on a combination of metrics and the lower the ranking, the worse the country performed in that category.
