Safety is now one of the most important buying criterias in the global automotive industry and Skoda is one of the strongest proponents of the same. Both Kushaq and Slavia are the safest cars in India— both underpinned by the MQB A0 IN architecture— scoring 5-star safety rating.
The Czech carmaker once again has earned laurels in safety as the new second-gen Kodiaq has secured the perfect 5-star safety rating at the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP). This holds significance since the second-gen Kodiaq is due for launch in India next year.
Expected to launch in India by mid-2025, the new Kodiaq has already been spied testing on Indian roads. The new-gen Kodiaq will most likely be locally-assembled in India via CKD (completely knocked-down) kits. The model tested by Euro NCAP was a left-hand drive unit in diesel all-wheel drive spec.
Although the diesel-powered Kodiaq is not headed to India, the crash test provides relevant insights about its structural safety. Moreover, the scores are applicable for all variants of the Kodiaq. The prototype tested was equipped with safety features such as 6 airbags, ISOFIX mounts on the front passenger and rear seats, seat belt reminders with pretensioners for all seats, and ADAS features.
Skoda Kodiaq adult occupant protection
For adult occupant protection (AOP), Skoda Kodiaq performed well in all tests, earning maximum points for side impacts and pole collisions. During the frontal offset test, the passenger compartment held up well and protected the knees and femurs of both occupants.
Passenger critical body areas were well-guarded, with a slight penalty due to the deformable barrier reaching its limits in some cases. The full-width rigid barrier test showed good or adequate protection for all critical areas of both driver and rear passenger. Whiplash protection was also effective in the simulated rear-end collision test.
Skoda Kodiaq child occupant protection
The Kodiaq aced child occupant protection (COP) tests in both frontal and side impacts, offering good protection for all critical body areas of 6 and 10-year-old dummies. It’s worth noting that neck protection for the 10-year-old dummy was rated slightly lower, as “adequate.”
For rear-facing child seats, the front passenger airbag can be conveniently deactivated, and the car clearly informs the driver of this airbag status. However, one safety feature missing from the Kodiaq is a child presence detection system.
