Skoda owners can check the status of their car with just their voice thanks to the integration of Skoda Connect and Amazon’s Alexa virtual personal assistant. The technology works across all devices equipped with Alexa Voice Services and allows owners to interact with their vehicles “on a completely new level”.

By simply asking a question to an Alexa-equipped device, owners can receive information about numerous aspects of their car, from current fuel level to the average speed of their last journey. Owners can also check to see if they have inadvertently left their lights on and even ask Alexa to remind them where they have parked.

To use, owners simply need to wake Alexa and ask a question. So if an owner wants to know whether their next journey requires a visit to a fuel station, they can ask: “Alexa, ask Skoda how far I can drive with the current fuel level”. Alexa then checks the fuel level of the car and replies immediately with the information based on fuel level and the average fuel consumption of the vehicle.

From launch, Alexa can access 12 different parameters relating to the condition and status of an owner’s car, with the potential for more functionality to be added in the future.

To activate, owners need to update their Alexa device with a new ‘Alexa Skill’ – called Skoda Connect – which allows the device to communicate with their car. Once installed (via an active Amazon account) and linked to the owner’s Skoda Connect account, Alexa can access real-time information and relay this to the owner on request.

Skoda Connect is available on Fabia, Rapid, Octavia, Karoq, Superb and Kodiaq models and is made up of three core services; Infotainment Online, Care Connect and Emergency Call. Care Connect gives owners remote access to their car whenever they are away from it. With the new integration with Alexa, owners can now access information about their car with their voice as well as via a smartphone app.

Launched in 2015, Alexa is a virtual personal assistant developed by Amazon. Through voice interaction, the device can manage a vast range of everyday tasks, including music playback and online shopping. It can also be used to access real-time information such as news, weather and traffic conditions, and has the ability to control smart devices by using itself as a home automation system.