People make generalizations about drivers, whether it’s because of their age, gender, vehicle type, or car brand. A common cause of these generalizations is road rage, such as calling someone a “stupid driver” when they cut in front of you. However, recently, a study analyzed the link between intelligence and the car brand that people drive. And the study found that the smartest drivers with the highest IQ drive vehicles from a car brand that’s mysterious to many Americans: Skoda.

Drivers of Skoda cars are the smartest with the highest IQ, says study

Scrap Car Comparison, an automotive site from the United Kingdom, conducted research to see if there’s a correlation between the car you drive and your level of intelligence. For the study, the site had over 2,000 drivers take an IQ (intelligence quotient) test. An IQ is a score to determine how smart a person is — and is based on their performance on standardized intelligence tests. 

According to the study, drivers of Skoda cars are the smartest with the highest IQ. The results of the study might surprise some people — especially in America, since Skoda models are not sold in the United States. Skoda is an automotive brand from the Czech Republic. 

The average IQ of Skoda drivers is 99. They were the smartest drivers of the 22 car brands in the study. The next most intelligent ones are Suzuki (98.09) and Peugeot (97.79).

Here are the driver IQ scores for the car brands in the study — in order from highest to lowest:

1. Skoda: 99
2. Suzuki: 98.09
3. Peugeot: 97.79
4. MINI: 97.41
5. Mazda: 95.91
6. Toyota: 95.76
7. Vauxhall: 95.11
8. Mercedes Benz: 94.74
9. Nissan: 94.71
10. SEAT: 94.71
11. Citroen: 94.29
12. Hyundai: 93.52
13. Renault: 93.41
14. Audi: 93.25
15. Kia: 93.01
16. Honda: 92.88
17. Ford: 92.75
18. Volvo: 92.40
19. Volkswagen: 92.25
20. BMW: 91.68
21. Fiat: 90.14
22. Land Rover: 88.58

At the lowest end of the intelligence spectrum are BMW, Fiat, and Land Rover drivers. They have the lowest IQ scores in the study.

Skoda drivers are also the least psychopathic

Earlier research from Scrap Car Comparison also showed that Skoda drivers are the least psychopathic in a comparison of car brands. To determine the level of psychopathy, the site had 2,000 drivers take a psychopathy test, which measures traits of psychopathy. This includes a lack of remorse or guilt, a grandiose sense of self-worth, and superficial charm. 

With a score of 3.2, Skoda drivers are the least psychopathic. This indicates that they are calmer, more considerate, and less quick to anger while on the road. Other drivers that had low psychopathy scores in the study are Kia (4.2) and SEAT (4.3).

Here are the driver psychopathy scores for the car brands in the study — in order from the least to the most psychopathic:

1. Skoda: 3.2
2. Kia: 4.2
3. SEAT: 4.3
4. Vauxhall: 4.7
5. Toyota: 4.7
6. Peugeot: 4.8
7. Nissan: 5.0
8. Volvo: 5.2
9. Other: 5.3
10. Renault: 5.3
11. Hyundai: 5.3
12. Volkswagen: 5.4
13. Citroen: 5.8
14. Mercedes-Benz: 5.9
15. Ford: 6.1
16. Honda: 6.3
17. Mazda: 6.4
18. Fiat: 7.0
19. Audi: 11.7
20. BMW: 12.1

Once again, BMW drivers didn’t fare well. They had the highest psychopathy score in the study (12.1), followed by Audi (11.7) and Fiat (7.0).

What are Skoda cars? 

Like most Americans, I didn’t know much about Skoda cars — at least until recently. For myself, the unfamiliarity was somewhat surprising, for I have Czech heritage. Back in 2002, I took a trip to the Czech Republic with my mother, grandmother, and brother to visit some of my relatives there. 

We enjoyed some of the things for which the country is famous, such as the vibrance of Prague, medieval castles, beautiful historic architecture, quaint small towns, beer, and the hot springs of Karlovy Vary. However, at the time, I didn’t realize that two of the world’s oldest continuous automakers are from the Czech Republic: Skoda and Tatra.

Skoda was originally an arms manufacturer, founded in 1859. It started producing cars under the Laurin & Klement brand in 1895 — and later became Skoda Auto in 1925. The Volkswagen Group bought Skoda in 1991 — and it’s now a subsidiary of the German automaker. 

Will Skoda cars ever be available in the US?

Vehicles from the Czech brand are sold in over 100 countries — but not in America. Given that Volkswagen already has a strong presence stateside, Skoda cars likely won’t be available in the U.S. anytime soon.

Skoda has a nice collection of SUVs, crossovers, wagons, and sedans. In 2021, the best-selling Skoda model was the Octavia small sedan, followed by the Kamiq subcompact crossover SUV and the Karoq compact crossover SUV. Also, Skoda offers an iV lineup of electric cars, including the Octavia iV, Superb iV, and Enyaq iV.

If you think of yourself as a smart driver with a high IQ — after hearing about the study, you might want to drive a Skoda car. However, you can’t get a new one in the U.S. If you’re an American, you’ll have to settle for a U.S.-sold car brand from other intelligent drivers in the study — such as MINI, Mazda, and Toyota.

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