A family car can never have too many driver-assistance systems to guard against dangerous situations. For example, the Octavia Combi can cope with the following situations: it monitors oncoming traffic when you are turning left (in a left-hand drive) and brings the car to a halt if there is a danger. Once you have parked the car, it monitors the area behind and warns you if there is a risk of hitting another car or a cyclist as you open the door.

In the event of an accident, the occupants are protected by a sturdy body with generous crumple zones and up to 10 airbags, delivering finely-tuned interaction with three-point automatic seat belts and safety head restraints. Other safety features include modern electronic systems designed to mitigate the consequences of an accident, such as multi-collision braking and Crew Protect Assist front and rear.

The Octavia Combi features the eCall system, which communicates information such as the car’s location, the number of persons in the car, the position of the car before and after the accident, and the status in the event of an accident. It can also be activated manually at any time via buttons in the roof module.

The Euro NCAP has awarded the Škoda Octavia the highest possible rating of five stars, thereby certifying that the car offers optimum protection for all those on board.

In the Child Occupant Protection category, the Octavia received a score of 88 per cent of all possible points. This ranked the Octavia at the top end of all cars tested. In the Adult Occupant Protection category, the Octavia scored 92 per cent.