Can I fit child seats and a buggy in the Skoda Octavia Mk3?
You absolutely shouldn't struggle in terms of stashing baby buggies and any other amount of kid-related paraphernalia in the back of the Skoda, as luggage capacity is one of its strongest suits. The Octavia has a simply colossal boot for this class, the hatchback offering 590 litres with all seats in place and up to 1,580 litres with the back row folded away, while the Combi/Scout models go even further with a massive 610 litres as a minimum, rising to 1,740 litres with the seats folded down. Not only do both the hatch and the estate models have big boots, they're also a good shape, with wide access apertures and flat loading floors, as well as easy-to-operate levers on either side to drop each section of the split rear seat-backs in an instant.
Similarly, the interior is capacious and there's a better chance of getting three child seats across the second row of the Octavia than in some other C-segment hatchbacks, but while there's a full trio of three-point seatbelts in the rear, only the outer two chairs have ISOFIX mounting points. Best idea is to take the child seats in question along to a viewing, to see if they'll all fit three-abreast. If you don't need to fit three child seats, though, instead requiring only two or one to be installed, then know that the Octavia's impressive rear legroom means that manoeuvring bulky ISOFIX bases into place is easier than in most cars in this sector.
How safe is the Skoda Octavia Mk3?
Like many cars, the Octavia picked up a full five-star EuroNCAP safety rating when tested in 2013, recording individual section scores of 93 per cent for adult occupant safety, 86 per cent for child occupant safety, and 66 per cent for both pedestrian safety and also safety assist systems. All models come with seven airbags, a seatbelt warning system, stability control (ESC) with anti-slip regulation and a tyre-pressure monitoring system, while later options included a speed limiter, hill-hold control, parking sensors all round, High-Beam Control, Lane Assist, Travel Assist (Traffic-Sign Recognition, Lane Assist and High-Beam Control), a third ISOFIX point (on the front passenger seat), additional curtain and side airbags in the rear, Forward Collision Warning with Emergency Brake and Pedestrian Protection, and adaptive cruise control, too.
Click here for the full EuroNCAP report on the Skoda Octavia Mk3