Skoda Fabia review

Some small cars are cheap and feel it while others have a premium price tag without giving you much extra for your money. And then there’s the Skoda Fabia.

The Fabia has always seemed to offer more than the sum of its parts, and that’s one reason why more than 4.5 million of these small hatchbacks have hit the roads since its original launch.

Why else are people drawn to the Fabia? For many reasons, including efficient engines and Skoda's Simply Clever philosophy, which aims to provide clever features to solve simple problems – think an umbrella in the driver’s door.

Skoda Fabia video review

So is the Skoda Fabia good enough to compete with the best small cars? After all, there are plenty of rivals, with low-cost entrants such as the Citroën C3 and Dacia Sandero, mainstream alternatives including the Renault Clio and Seat Ibiza plus pricier choices like the Peugeot 208 and VW Polo. Read on to find out...

Unless you only drive on slow town roads, we’d avoid the Skoda Fabia’s underpowered 1.0 MPI 80 petrol engine and go straight for our favourite engine, the turbocharged 94bhp 1.0 TSI 95.

In our tests, it managed a 0-60mph time of 10.7 seconds, which is swifter than the Renault Clio TCe 90 by a comfortable margin. Indeed, while you’ll have to change down a gear to overtake, it’s plenty fast enough for everyday driving. Alternatively, the 114bhp 1.0 TSI 116 adds a little extra oomph, although we’re not sure it’s worth the extra cost.

If pace is your ultimate goal, the 1.5 TSI 150 will be the one for you. With 148bhp to play with, it cuts the 0-62mph time down to eight seconds, and feels much quicker than the other versions. It’s available on most trim levels, but there’s no manual option with it – you’ll get a DSG automatic gearbox (which is also available as an option with the 1.0 TSI 116).

Small cars haven't traditionally been particularly attractive to those who want a smooth, pampering ride, but the Fabia is on a par for comfort with one of the best – the VW Polo.

It’s softer than the Clio and the Ibiza, and not far off the Peugeot 208 for its ability to isolate you from lumps and bumps in the road.

Around town and on A-roads, the Fabia rides almost all dips and divots very well. The payoff is that it pitches around a bit, swaying your head from side to side, but the effect is gentle. In this respect, it manages to just edge the Polo, which fidgets slightly more at slow speeds.

The Fabia’s steering is usefully light for city driving and tough to fault for accuracy, but it's worth using the Sport driving mode (optional as part of the Convenience Package) for more reassuring weighting when driving along faster, winding roads.

Either way, there’s plenty of grip in corners but also a fair amount of body lean. The Clio and Ibiza are better choices if you want a taut, agile small car that will put a smile on your face.

The Fabia's five and six-speed (available if you go for the 1.0 TSI 116 engine) manual gearboxes are light and easy to use, if not as smooth and positive as equivalents in the Clio and Ibiza. The clutch and brakes respond consistently, making it an easy car to drive deftly in traffic.

In terms of engine noise, the 1.0 TSI engines boom and babble a bit, with small vibrations felt through the floor when you wind them up. They’re hushed when you drive sedately, though, and you'll barely hear them at all when cruising on the motorway.

There's some suspension noise on broken roads but otherwise refinement is impressive and the Fabia is a quieter cruiser than the Clio and Ibiza.

“Personally, I'd spec the Fabia with the smallest, 16in wheels, which keep road noise to an absolute minimum and enhance the already impressive ride.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

The Skoda Fabia’s driving position is excellent and it’s easy to set everything up just how you want it, with all trims offering seat-height adjustment and manual lumbar adjustment, helping to keep your posture on long journeys. On top of that, the seat itself is comfortable and offers plenty of shoulder support.

Entry-level SE Edition trim comes with an 8in digital driver's display, while the rest of the trim levels get a larger 10.3in one that offers a wide range of lay-outs and customisation.

There are proper buttons and dials to control the air conditioning, so changing the interior temperature isn't too distracting (in the Peugeot 208 you have to use small icons on the infotainment touchscreen).

The Fabia is much easier to see out of than the Peugeot 208 and Vauxhall Corsa. For starters, the windscreen and middle pillars are much thinner than they are in those rivals, so you have a clearer view out at junctions and roundabouts.

The rear glass area is larger than on most small cars – including the Renault Clio – making parking easier. All trim levels have rear parking sensors to help you a bit more, while a rear-view camera is added from SE L Edition and front parking sensors on top-spec Monte Carlo Edition (they’re also optional as part of the Convenience Package).

Basic LED headlights are fitted to all versions for good visibility at night. Full LED headlights are optional on all models and standard on Monte Carlo Edition.

Most Fabias come with an 8.3in infotainment touchscreen that’s slightly better than the set-ups in most small cars. SE L Edition gets a larger, 9.2in screen that looks sharp and responds quickly enough to inputs but isn't as good as the VW Polo equivalent.

All Fabias have wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, which is especially helpful because only the larger system comes with sat-nav.

You also get DAB radio, Bluetooth and a punchy six-speaker stereo. There are USB-C sockets in the front, and for a small charge you'll get a couple more in the back and one under the rear-view mirror (for windscreen-mounted devices). Wireless phone-charging is available as an option.

The Fabia’s interior is far from plush, but neither is it at all offensive. It's smarter than the Hyundai i20 interior for example, and not far behind the Seat Ibiza and VW Polo – although both those cars have a soft-touch dashboard, while the Fabia's is rock hard.

If you want a small car that’s smarter inside, have a look at the Clio – its interior uses a wider range of soft materials and trim finishers.

You do get some fabric covered areas on the dashboard, to add a bit of variety, but otherwise it’s tad bland. Top-spec Monte Carlo Edition adds some red decorative elements to the dashboard.

“You get some really useful and thoughtful features in the Fabia. Car iced up and you don't have an ice scraper? No worries, there’s one stored in the petrol flap. Raining outside? There’s an umbrella in the driver’s door.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

The Skoda Fabia offers plenty of space for those sitting in the front. You don't get quite as much as you do in the Honda Jazz but there’s still oodles of head and leg room for anyone over 6ft tall. You won’t feel pinched at the sides, either, thanks to the generous width (for the class) between the doors.

There’s storage space to match, including well-sized door bins, trays, cubbies and a massive glovebox.

The rear space in the Fabia isn’t quite up to the standards set by the Jazz. It matches the Seat Ibiza though, and is far more accommodating than the back of the Renault Clio.

As long as the front seats are not slid all the way back, you’ll be able to carry two tall rear passengers without any moaning. It’s a tighter squeeze for three adults in the back and there's a hump on the floor that hampers leg room for the person in the middle, but three children will fit just fine. If you need a bit more all-round space, consider the Skoda Kamiq small SUV.

There are some handy touches in the back, including pockets on the backs of the front seats for maps and mobile devices.

This is where the Fabia falls behind the Jazz, which rules the roost here thanks to its flip-up rear seat bases that create more storage options.

Skoda gives you 60/40 split folding rear seats, which is par for the course among small cars and isn’t as versatile as the 40/20/40 split in slightly larger – and admittedly more expensive – family cars like the Mercedes A-Class.

For even more flexibility, like sliding rear seats, you’ll want to look at small SUVs such as the VW T-Cross.

The Fabia has a 380-litre boot and we managed to fit six carry-on suitcases below the parcel shelf. That’s impressive for the class, beating all of its rivals and matching the Dacia Sandero. It’s even the same as the Ford Focus, which sits in the class above.

There are lots of accessories available to add versatility. If you pay extra for the Simply Clever Package, you'll get nets to stop items sliding around and clip-on devices to divide up the boot.

There's a pronounced drop down from the opening to the boot floor, but this can be mitigated by adding an optional height-adjustable boot floor – it’s not hugely expensive, but it is something you get as standard on the Renault Clio.

“My wife often rides in the back of cars with our daughter, and reckons it can get really stuffy when there aren't rear air vents. Fortunately, these are fitted to higher-spec Fabias.” – Steve Huntingford, Editor

As a cash purchase, the entry-level Skoda Fabia looks good value, undercutting the starting prices of the Peugeot 208 and VW Polo and costing only slightly more than the Vauxhall Corsa. Only the Dacia Sandero manages to seriously undercut the Fabia on price, as it does with all small cars.

Meanwhile, if you’re buying on PCP finance, you’ll be happy to know that the Fabia is predicted to hold its value pretty well, depreciating at the same rate as the Polo and slower than all of its other rivals except the Jazz. That can help to keep monthly payments down.

Our chosen 1.0 TSI 95 engine managed 45.7mpg in our Real MPG tests, which is pretty good but slightly less than the Clio TCe 90 (46.3mpg). You can’t have the Fabia with hybrid tech, like you can the Jazz and Yaris, so they’ll be even more economical, especially around town.

Entry-level SE Edition is the trim level we’d go for because it keeps costs down but still gives you plenty of standard kit. That features list includes 15in alloy wheels, keyless engine start, dual-zone air conditioning, cruise control, automatic LED headlights, wipers and other goodies.

Design Edition adds larger 16in wheels and the larger digital driver's display, but if you want more kit we’d avoid that and go for SE L Edition. It's not much more expensive and adds electrically adjustable, heated and folding door mirrors, a rear-view camera and an upgraded infotainment system.

Top-of-the-range Monte Carlo trim gives everything a sportier edge, introducing 17in alloy wheels into the mix, alongside sportier styling, artificial leather and fabric sports seats, and carbon-fibre details on the dashboard.

Skoda came 13th out of 31 manufacturers in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey. That’s a decent showing, and puts the Czech brand above Ford, Volkswagen, Peugeot, Audi, Seat and Vauxhall.

Who did better? Well, Mini took top spot, closely followed by Suzuki (third), Honda (fourth), Toyota (fifth) and Dacia (sixth). Renault and Hyundai also managed to claim places above Skoda.

You get a three-year, 60,000-mile standard warranty with your Fabia, but that isn’t all that special among small cars, matching the Jazz, Ibiza and Polo. It certainly has nothing on the five-year, unlimited mileage warranty you get with the Hyundai i20 or up to 10 years with a Toyota Yaris.

When it comes to safety, the latest Fabia was awarded five stars out of five when it was tested by Euro NCAP in 2021, so it should do a good job of protecting you and your occupants if an accident proves unavoidable.

Both the Ibiza and Polo also scored five star ratings, but it’s impossible to directly compare them with the Fabia’s result, as they were both tested in 2022 under stricter testing.

Either way, you get plenty of standard safety equipment with the Fabia, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assist, traffic-sign recognition and driver drowsiness detection.

“The optional Safety Package is worth considering because it brings a knee airbag for the driver and rear side airbags.” – Claire Evans, Consumer Editor

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