Skoda Fabia Review (2021-present)
Skoda Fabia cars for sale
4.0
Expert review
Pros
Very roomy interior
Comfortable and easy to drive
Good value for money
Cons
Some weedy engine choices
So-so warranty offering
Monte Carlo feels no more exciting than any other Fabia
The CarGurus verdict
For many years, Skoda's ethos has been to provide its customers with a bigger-than-average car for a smaller-than-average price, but with little-or-no compromise in quality, technology, safety or dynamic ability. The Fabia has always been a cornerstone of this philosophy, and the latest version arguably demonstrates these values better than any other Fabia before it.
It's one of the roomiest, most practical cars of its type, with a boot big enough to shame many cars from the class above, making it a good budget option for growing families. The quality and solidity on display in the cabin is a match for pretty much anything else in the class, and you'll want for very little in terms of luxury, safety or infotainment kit.
The driving experience is a very grown-up one, with impressive comfort and refinement allied to decent performance and competitive economy. And all for a price that undercuts those of many rivals.
What is the Skoda Fabia?
The year 2000 marked the arrival of the original Skoda Fabia. This was a hugely critical point in the company’s history, because it was at about this time that Skoda stopped being a figure of fun in the UK and started becoming recognised as a maker of very decent cars. And the Fabia was a big part of the reason why.
Up against perennial favourites such as the Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Polo, Vauxhall Corsa, Renault Clio and Peugeot 206, the Fabia offered something a little different to its super-popular rivals. It offered buyers a car that was a little bit bigger and a little bit roomier than its competitors were, but for a substantially lower price, and with little-or-no sacrifice to be made in terms of quality, technology, safety or dynamic ability. Sound familiar? This would go on to become the Czech brand’s established Modus Operandi over the following years, and to this day, it’s this same high-value appeal that sees the company’s models remain incredibly popular with the UK’s car buyers.
Fast-forward a couple of decades, and the world is a very different place, but the fourth-generation Fabia has a pleasing whiff of familiarity about it. The big-car-feel-for-small-car-money appeal is all present and correct, and the design has the same smart-but-understated vibe. Despite that familiarity, though, plenty has changed under the skin compared with the outgoing Mk3 Fabia.
How practical is it?
The Fabia sits on the MQB-A0 platform, which is the same architecture that underpins all of the VW Group’s latest supermini-sized cars. This includes the Polo, the T-Cross, the Audi A1, the Seat Ibiza and Arona, and the Skoda Kamiq and Scala. This has a variety of benefits.
The first of them is that the Fabia is even bigger and roomier than ever before, and the previous Fabia was already one of the biggest, roomiest cars in the supermini class. The latest Fabia is 11cm longer than the last one, and 9cm of those can be found between the axles, meaning exceptionally generous legroom in both the front and the rear seats. Headroom is generous all-round, too, and because the Fabia has also grown in terms of width, carrying three in the back isn’t out of the question, either.
Open up the tailgate, and you’ll find boot space that’s 380 litres in capacity, an identical figure to those of the Volkswagen Golf and Seat Leon, both cars from the class above. It’s actually considerably bigger than you get in a Ford Focus, too, let alone the Fiesta with which the Fabia is actually supposed to compete. Think of the Fabia as a miniature Octavia, and you're not far off.
Folding down the rear seats frees up even more cargo-carrying space, although doing so does leave a step in the floor, and the backrests also lie at a slight angle. Nevertheless, the Fabia is still about as good as it gets in the supermini class for practicality.
Chuck in a cabin that’s a match for pretty much anything else in the class for quality and sophistication (especially where the plastics and the interior finishes are concerned), and you'll find very little to complain about inside the Fabia.
What’s it like to drive?
The Fabia is a car focussed very much on comfort, and it’s all the better for it. Whatever your speed, motorway or urban road, and whatever the state of the surface beneath you, it does a really impressive job of mopping up lumps and bumps. And aside from a bit of road noise, it’s an impressively quiet car, too, which also helps keep life even more relaxed.
Granted, you do feel a bit more body roll in corners than you do in a lot of other superminis, but it’s nothing unreasonable and the car still feel tidy, secure and light. Light is also a word that applies to the steering, and you don’t get a vast amount of feedback, either, but you will be impressed by how quick and responsive it is.
The car is powered by a range of turbocharged petrol engines that deliver a very decent balance of performance and economy. None of them will blow you away with their performance, but most of them should be adequate enough for the majority of drivers, and from what we've experienced so far, refinement is impressive.
While the sporty-looking Fabia Monte Carlo might whet your appetite for a more exciting driving experience, you might be disappointed when you drive it. Beneath the skin it’s all but identical to the rest of the range, though it does bring with it access to a more peppy 1.5-litre petrol engine. But while you do get more power, and better performance as a result, its suspension setup is identical to that of the standard Fabia, so while it’s still smooth and crisp to drive, it lacks the eagerness or excitement of a Suzuki Swift Sport or a Ford Fiesta ST.
Technology, equipment and infotainment
The Fabia supports much of the latest technology that the VW Group has to offer, improving the car’s performance in the areas of safety, infotainment and driver assistance.
S trim is a little basic with steel wheels and wind-up rear windows, but you do get powered front windows, manual air-conditioning and LED headlights.
Upgrading to SE Comfort trim is well worth it because it earns you a leather-bound multi-function steering wheel, alloy wheels, rear parking sensors and front fog lights. SE L cars add various aesthetic upgrades inside and out, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, powered rear windows, keyless start and an upgraded infotainment system. The Colour Edition's upgrades are mainly aesthetic, but you do get the 10.25-inch digital instrument panel - instead of traditional dials - that's optional on the SE L version.
At the top of the range sits the Fabia Monte Carlo. Additional equipment is limited to sportier cosmetics, with black trim and smarter alloy wheels on the outside, and bright red decor and sports seats within.
Infotainment and connectivity are crucial in any new car these days, and the Fabia is offered with three different systems. S and SE cars come with the ‘Swing’ system that gives you a 6.5-inch touchscreen through which you operate functions including your Bluetooth phone connection, DAB radio and wireless Apple Carplay/Android Auto. SE L trim gives you the range-topping ‘Amundsen’ system gives you an even bigger 9.2-inch screen along with 3D satnav, gesture control and a wifi hotspot. The Colour Edition gets the mid-range ‘Bolero’ system, which reverts back to the more basic functionality of the Swing system, but comes with a bigger 8.0-inch screen. The operating system is pretty much the same on all of them, and it’s reasonably easy to find your way around.
Skoda Fabia running costs
In terms of purchase prices, Skodas are no longer the super-cheap options they once were. They are, however, still more affordable than most rivals, and because Skoda has never forgotten its high-value appeal, the firm’s cars generally tend to be physically bigger than most of those with which they compete, and they also tend to be more generously equipped, too.
Your choice of engine won’t have a huge impact of your fuel economy according to the official figures. The three lowest-powered engines all return an identical official figure of 56.5mpg, while the pokier turbocharged unit is only just behind with a figure of 52.3mpg. However, we could very easily see the turbo matching – maybe even surpassing – its less powerful compatriots for fuel consumption in the real world, because you won’t need to thrash it as mercilessly in order to extract half-decent acceleration.
The only exception to this rule is the Monte Carlo with the 1.5-litre engine and the automatic gearbox, which will be a little thirstier. Even so, its official fuel consumption figures are identical to those of the 1.0-litre with the automatic gearbox, which is a little less economical than the manual, so there’s no real penalty for choosing the larger engine.
CO2 emissions are intrinsically linked to fuel consumption, and as a result are just as impressive. If you buy brand new, the low emissions will only add £180 in VED costs to the overall cost of your car, and your annual road tax outlay after that will be paid at the flat rate for petrol and diesel cars.
Skoda Fabia reliability
Skoda as a brand came a decent 13th our of the 31 brands in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey, and the previous Fabia was 12th out of the 15 models in the small car class (which isn't many). Not great, but not disastrous.
There’s nothing too special about Skoda’s warranty offering. You get unlimited-mileage cover for two years, and cover for a third year up to 60,000 miles. That’s about par for the course among most new cars, but looks very average compared with the five-and seven-year arrangements being offered by some Korean manufacturers.
- It may be the smallest Skoda, but the Fabia still provides all those ingenious little touches designed to make family life that little bit easier, touches that the firm dubs ‘Simply Clever’. Old classics on show in the Fabia include the ice scraper under the fuel flap and the umbrella concealed in the driver’s door (standard on SE L trim only), but the Fabia even manages to showcase a couple of new ones. There’s a removable cupholder between the front seats, and on the transmission tunnel in front of the rear seats, you can optionally add a small storage box that comes complete with an extra cupholder.
- The family-friendly focus of the Fabia continues with some big advances in the area of safety. The new platform supports many of the very latest active safety systems, and depending on the trim level selected and the options fitted, it’s possible that your Fabia could come with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance, blind spot alerts, traffic sign recognition, a self-parking function and up to nine airbags. The latest Fabia has been tested by Euro NCAP, and like all the other VW Group products that use the same platform, it's achieved the full five-star score.
- Given the Fabia shares so much with the VW Polo and Seat Ibiza, we decided to test all three cars back-to-back to see which is best. View our full video to see how the cars compare, and why the Fabia didn't quite take the victory.
- If you want to keep your purchase price down: The most affordable engine option in the Fabia line-up will be the entry-level naturally aspirated 1.0-litre MPI engine, which dishes out a modest 64bhp. We’ve not had a chance to try it in the Fabia yet, but a 0-62mph sprint time of 15.9 seconds indicates the kind of acceleration that should be described as less of a ‘sprint’ and more of a ‘waddle’.
- If you want the best fuel economy: There’s another naturally aspirated 1.0-litre option that gives 79bhp, but it’s hardly any quicker, on paper at least. However, the 94bhp turbocharged TSI option is a good bit more eager (although still not particularly sprightly), and it posts identical mpg figures to the two weaker engines, with an official fuel economy of 56.5mpg. Pricier to buy, but we reckon the extra performance will be worth it.
- If you want the most powerful Fabia possible: That’ll be the Fabia Monte Carlo. While the Monte Carlo can be had with the standard 1.0-litre petrol engine, it’s also available with a 1.5-litre engine that kicks out 148bhp, and that’s teamed to a fast-shifting automatic gearbox. That’s not enough to push it into the big leagues of pocket-sized hot hatches, and given no changes have been made to the suspension, that’s not what you’re getting here. But with the smarter interior, it’s a good option if you’d like a faster Fabia that feels a little more posh.
- If you want an automatic gearbox: While all Fabias except the expensive Monte Carlo have a manual gearbox as standard, only the most powerful 108bhp 1.0-litre turbo can be specified with a seven-speed DSG twin-clutch automatic transmission as an optional extra. We’ve tried this engine and gearbox combination, and to be honest, it’s not the happiest of unions. The gearbox can make the engine’s performance feel a tad strangled at times, and it can be a little reluctant to kick down when it needs to, so it doesn’t feel as fizzy as the manual version. Still, it’ll be perky enough for most drivers and gearchanges are reasonably smooth.
