Skoda now offers the ability to control charging of its Citigo iV all-electric and Superb iV plug-in hybrid cars via Alexa.

It will also roll out out the feature to the rest of its iV range in time, including the Skoda Octavia iV standard and vRS plug-in hybrids which are to be released later this year.

The feature allows users to start and stop charging their cars using voice and any compatible Alexa-enabled speaker or via the smartphone app. They can also check on the charging status of their vehicles, including the charge level.

In-car air conditioning systems can be activated remotely too.

Once the dedicated Alexa skill is activated, users can just use commands, such as "Alexa, ask Skoda, I want to start charging my car". As long as the car is connected to a charge cable, it will then start charging automatically.

Skoda adds Alexa remote electric charging to cars, Google Home support also coming photo 2

Alexa can be also used on diesel and petrol Skoda cars that are compatible with Skoda Connect and have a mobile data connection. Voice commands can be used to check the remaining oil level, current parking location and an overall vehicle health check.

The skill works in four languages: English, French, German and Italian.

Google Home support is also planned for the "next few weeks".