You can place a scale bar in a layout where you can explicitly decide on the behavior of the scale bar.

Divisions and subdivisions as well as markers, can be configured on an overview layer for any scale. Typical use case would be a short horizontal scale line below a map. It is also possible to use divisions, subdivisions and markers as a ruler. Typical use case would be a scale bar placed vertically next to the map. The options or element types you can choose from are listed in the following table.