Skoda UK has renewed its contract with London’s Air Ambulance to replace its current Skoda fleet with three Octavia vRS estate models and two Kodiaq SUVs.

The manufacturer has worked with LAA for the past 12 years and the five new vehicles will act as the ground support alongside the service’s two helicopters.

The rapid response cars will be used from sunset to 8am and in adverse weather conditions when the helicopter in unable to fly.

The cars are based at The Royal London Hospital in east London and are driven by the service’s paramedics and navigated by an advanced trauma doctor.

Paul Smith, driving standards manager at London’s Air Ambulance, said: “We provide a vital service to the capital transporting an advanced trauma doctor and paramedic to seriously injured people.

“While the helicopter can reach patients in a matter of minutes, our fleet of rapid response cars is also critical to serve the community and ensure that we are ready to respond instantly in all-weather conditions.

“The reliability and performance of Skoda continues to meet the demand of our service and we are pleased to renew the contract once again.”