The passenger compartment of the Skoda Octavia remained stable in the frontal offset test. Dummy readings indicated good protection of the knees and femurs of both the driver and passenger.  Skoda demonstrated that a similar level of protection would be provided to occupants of different sizes and to those sitting in different position.  Protection of the driver’s chest was rated as marginal, based on dummy readings of compression.  Analysis of the deceleration of the impact trolley during the test, and analysis of the deformable barrier after the test, revealed that the car would be a somewhat aggressive partner in a frontal collision. In the full-width rigid barrier test, protection of all critical body areas was good or adequate for both the driver and rear passenger.  In the side barrier test, dummy readings indicated good protection of all critical body areas and the Octavia scored maximum points for this test.  In the more severe side pole impact, dummy readings of rib compression indicated marginal protection of that part of the body.  Control of excursion (the extent to which a body is thrown to the other side of the vehicle when it is hit from the far side) was good. The Octavia has a counter-measure to mitigate against occupant to occupant injuries in such impacts.  The system performed well in Euro NCAP’s tests, with good protection of the occupants’ heads.  Tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated good protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision. A geometric analysis of the rear seats also indicated good whiplash protection.   The Octavia has an advanced eCall system which alerts the emergency services in the event of a crash and a ‘multi-collision braking’ system applies the brakes to prevent secondary collisions.

In the frontal offset test, protection of the neck of the 10 year old was rated as marginal, based on dummy readings of tensile forces.  In the side barrier test, protection of the chest of the 10-year dummy was rated as poor, based on high decelerations recorded during the impact, although all other body regions were well protected.  The front passenger airbag can be disabled to allow a rearward-facing child restraint to be used in that seating position.  Clear information is provided to the driver regarding the status of the airbag and the system was rewarded.  All of the child restraint types for which the Skoda Octavia is designed could be properly installed and accommodated in the car.

Protection of the head was predominantly good or adequate, with some poor results recorded only on the stiff windscreen pillars.  The bumper offered good protection to pedestrians’ legs but protection of the pelvis was mixed.  The autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system of the Skoda can respond to vulnerable road users as well as to other vehicles.  The system performed adequately in tests of its response to pedestrians and in tests of its response to cyclists, with collisions avoided in many cases.

The autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system of the Skoda Octavia performed well in tests of its reaction to other vehicles.  A seatbelt reminder system is fitted as standard to the front and rear seats and the car is equipped with a system to detect driver fatigue.  The lane support system gently corrects the vehicle’s path if it is drifting out of lane, and also intervenes in some more critical situations.  A driver-set speed limiter is standard across the Octavia range.