Used Skoda Fabia Estate 2000 - 2007 review

What's the used Skoda Fabia like?

We love the Fabia hatchback. It was our Supermini of the Year not long ago, and even now it's still an excellent car.

However, estate car buyers who haven't been put off by the badge may be put off by the car's tiny dimensions. They shouldn't be. The estate is every bit as well built and good to drive as the hatchback, but it doubles the capacity for luggage. It's not the biggest in its class, but you'll be surprised how much it can carry.

Overview

One of the best supermini-based estate cars

Pros

• The Fabia has a surprisingly large boot, and it's as good to drive as the hatchback

Cons

• It's too small to be a serious workhorse, and the smaller engines struggle

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Skoda Fabia

1.4 TDI Pure Drive 3 5dr

£1,194

Skoda Fabia

1.4 TDI Pure Drive 2 5dr

£1,195

Skoda Fabia

1.4 TDI Pure Drive 2 5dr

£1,495

Skoda Fabia

1.4 TDI Pure Drive 2 5dr

£1,500

Skoda Fabia

1.6 16V 3 Tiptronic 5dr

£1,799

Skoda Fabia

1.6 16V 2 Tiptronic 5dr

£1,850

Skoda Fabia

1.6 16V 2 Tiptronic 5dr

£2,290

Skoda Fabia

1.6 16V 2 Tiptronic 5dr

£2,350

Skoda Fabia

1.6 16V 2 Tiptronic 5dr

£2,495

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As well as that, there's enough room to seat five adults in comfort. Some may accuse the cabin of being dull, but it's easy to use and, like the rest of the car, it's sturdily built.

The drive is good, too. The Fabia strikes an excellent balance between ride and handling, with refinement that puts many bigger cars to shame.

Our recommendations

Which used Skoda Fabia should I buy?

Leave the smallest engines alone, because they can't cope with the estate's weight. The 75bhp 16-valve 1.4 is the smallest to provide decent performance, but another version of the same unit with 100bhp is much better. There's also a 2.0-litre petrol, but it's more expensive to run and insure.

Our favourite is the 1.9 TDI, which has fine performance because you get more pulling muscle than with the petrol engines, and excellent fuel economy. It's pricey in comparison with the smaller engines, but it's worth it. The other diesel, the 1.9 SDi, isn't. It doesn't have a turbo, so it's really sluggish.

Base Classic and Comfort trims do without air-conditioning, so we'd pay the extra and go for Elegance, which also gives you alloy wheels and four electric windows. However, if you can find Classic or Comfort models with chilled air fitted as an option, it may save you a bit of cash.