Skoda Fabia review (2015 - 2020)
Skoda Fabia cars for sale
4.0
Expert review
Pros
Big boot compared with rivals
Estate model offers added versatility
Comfortable ride
Cons
A Ford Fiesta is more enjoyable to drive
Entry-level engine feels sluggish
Dull styling
The CarGurus verdict
It’s fair to say that the Fabia isn’t the most fashionable small hatchback money can buy. On that front, it’s beaten by cars like the Mini, Peugeot 208 and Seat Ibiza, all of which look sleeker and feel less frumpy to drive.
But if you don’t care about looks, and aren’t planning on trying to drive your town-friendly hatchback as though it were a sports car, you’ll love the Fabia. It’s a doddle to drive, it’s comfortable both in town and out on the motorway, and there’s enough room for almost anything you could reasonably throw at a small car. That’s especially true if you go for the estate, of course.
Its appeal to your sensible side is only boosted by its reputation for dependability, and while it’s a bit of a shame you don’t get a longer warranty, if Skoda’s record is to be believed, you shouldn’t need it. It might not tug at your heart strings, then, but the Fabia is probably the small car you’ll buy if you’re using your head.
What is the Skoda Fabia?
If you wanted to sum up the Skoda Fabia in one word, it would be ‘sensible’. Ever since the first generation arrived on the scene in 2000, it’s gained a reputation for offering practicality, solidity and comfort by the bucket-load, all qualities that very much appeal to small car buyers who prioritise an easy life.
This third-generation Fabia isn't a new car, but it did benefit from a comprehensive facelift in 2019, and it's still a chip off the old block. It slots into the Czech manufacturer's range beneath the Octavia.
This version was replaced by the current Skoda Fabia in 2021.
How practical is it?
Very. See that tall-ish roofline? That means lots of room inside. Whether you’re in the front or the rear seats, there’s leg room aplenty, and lots of useful nooks in which to store your odds and ends. At 330 litres, the boot’s massive for a supermini, more capacious than most of its rivals’, and even bigger than some family-sized cars from the class above.
Yet if it still isn’t big enough, there’s even an estate version of the Fabia, and it’s a bit of a novelty these days, as very few manufacturers sell an estate model of this size in the UK. If you want a small car with a huge boot, then, the Skoda Fabia estate will fit the bill like virtually nothing else.
What's it like to drive?
The Fabia uses the same platform as the VW Polo (if you're interested, the PQ26 platform, which predates the MQB-A0 used by both cars today), but it has its own character. It's a very comfortable car, its cushy suspension absorbing bumps better than equivalent superminis like the Peugeot 208, Nissan Micra or Vauxhall Corsa. Of course, its softness also makes the Fabia a little less precise if you’re the kind of driver who enjoys a spirited run down a country lane. The Fabia feels rather stodgy if you press on a bit, with slow steering and a body that leans over more than you might like when you turn the steering wheel.
That said, the Fabia is far more likely to be found trundling around a supermarket car park than racing along the B660 between Bedford and Kimbolton, and in that environment it’s perfectly judged.
The big windows and near-vertical tail mean it’s easy to see out and to judge where the car ends. Meanwhile, the steering twirls easily in your hands and, with lots of feel, the clutch is a doddle to balance.
Technology, equipment & infotainment
The Fabia isn’t exactly lavishly equipped, but there are at least enough toys to be going along with. The entry-level model, the S, gets remote central locking, Bluetooth, electric front windows, daytime running lights and an infotainment touchscreen, but otherwise it’s very basic.
We reckon it’s best ignored in favour of, at least, the SE, which adds alloy wheels, air conditioning, rear parking sensors and smartphone control.
From there, trim levels progress through the SE Drive, which gets front parking sensors and sat nav, or the Colour Edition, which comes with free metallic paint, as well as a contrasting roof with alloy wheels painted to match, and cruise control. The plushest Fabia of all is the SE L, which gets satnav, cruise control, climate control, and a push-button start.
Skoda Fabia running costs
The most economical version of the Skoda Fabia is the 1.0 MPI 60, but not by much. In fact, whether you choose this model or the 1.0 TSI 95, you should see around 50 mpg in everyday use, and given how much more usable the more powerful engine is, that makes it a bit of a no-brainer in our book.
Mind you, even if you upgrade to the 1.0 TSI 110, the most powerful engine in the Fabia range, you should still see fairly similar fuel economy, probably just shy of 50mpg. That makes it worth considering if you can afford the difference in cost.
Skoda’s servicing costs are very reasonable, and that should mean you’ll pay relatively little to maintain your Fabia. What’s more, it shares its engines with lots of other cars built by Volkswagen, which is Skoda’s parent company, and that means there are plenty of cheaper independent garages that will be familiar with the Fabia’s oily bits and therefore be able to work on it cheaply and easily.
All Fabia engines have a rubber timing belt, which connects the bottom half of the engine to the top half. If this breaks, it can cause severe engine damage, which is why Skoda recommends that it’s replaced every five years. Expect to pay around £500 to have this done at a Skoda dealer, and slightly less elsewhere.
Skoda Fabia reliability
The Skoda Fabia has a pretty strong reputation for reliability. The model finished 10th out of the 25 small cars featured in the 2019 What Car? Reliability Survey, with a respectable score of 95.8 per cent.
That strong showing is backed up by Skoda’s impressive second-place ranking in the 2019 JD Power Vehicle Dependability Study. Skoda owners reported 88 problems per 100 cars, which compares well with the scores of Ford (104), Seat (117) and Renault (122).
Those results should give you plenty of peace of mind, but it’s a shame Skoda hasn’t sealed the deal with an industry-leading warranty. Instead, a new Fabia is guaranteed for three years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first, and that’s about the minimum you could hope for these days. By comparison, Hyundai will sell you an i20 that’s warrantied for five years with no mileage limit, and you can get a Kia Rio with a whopping seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty.
- You used to be able to get your Fabia with a diesel engine, but no longer; the range consists only of only one petrol engine now. It's a 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit shared with its VW Group siblings, the Seat Ibiza and Volkswagen Polo, and there are three versions to choose from; the least powerful MPI version feels rather sluggish even around town, and becomes very strained once you get up to motorway speeds. As a result, we recommend upgrading to one of the two turbo TSI engines, which feel altogether punchier and deliver lots of useful grunt right where you need it.
- Another option Skoda’s done away with is that of the automatic gearbox. That’s right, only manual gearboxes are available now, so if you want an auto, we’re afraid you’re going to have to look elsewhere, or buy a used example with the DSG automatic option. What’s more, only the most powerful engine gets a modern six-speed manual; the other two have to make do with five-speed 'boxes, though to be fair, even this gearbox is slick and satisfying to use.
- Sitting at the top of the Fabia range is the Monte Carlo model. Skoda will try to give you the impression this is a sporty Fabia, as it has skirts and spoilers and a smattering of black plastic around the grille. Don’t be fooled; you get exactly the same engine range as the standard car, and even the suspension is untouched, so it drives no differently. That said, the bigger wheels do make it ride a little less comfortably. Really, then, it’s less rounded than the standard Fabia, and given it’s more expensive too, we’d give it a miss. Some may be disappointed that Skoda decided not to offer a vRS hot hatch version on this generation of the car, like on previous Fabias.
- For most people, the best version to buy will be the Skoda Fabia SE with the 1.0-litre TSI 95 engine. This version gets you all the key features you’d need and none you don’t, and this mid-range turbo engine offers a good balance of flexible performance with very affordable running costs. And the very reasonable price leaves you free to splash out on a few options, should you choose to.
- Need a bit more luggage space? If so, consider bumping up to the Fabia estate. This time we’d go for the 1.0-litre TSI 110 SE; the extra power will be useful if you’ve got a boot full of heavy things, or if you decide you want to tow a small trailer.
- If you’re seeking something a bit more plush, we’d skip the SE Drive model, which feels a bit expensive for what it is. Instead, go the whole hog and opt for the SE L. The extra equipment you get is well worth the additional cost, and it’ll hold its value better, too.
