Skoda Fabia - Reliability and safety

It may be a supermini, but the Skoda Fabia comes with big-car levels of safety kit. The entry-level SE Comfort model has an autonomous emergency braking system (AEB). It helps avoid or mitigate potential collisions with other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists at low speeds by automatically applying brakes if an impending collision is detected. The base car also features Lane Assist, which can identify an unintended lane departure and automatically correct the steering.

Adaptive cruise control is an option as part of the Assisted Drive package available from Colour Edition and above, along with a Park Assist system and a Safety Package, which includes knee airbags for the driver and rear side airbags.

The fourth-generation Fabia achieved the full five-star rating when it was put through Euro NCAP's battery of crash safety tests in 2021. It received an 85 per cent score for adult occupant protection and 81 per cent in the child occupant protection category.

The Fabia didn't feature in our 2023 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, although the Kodiaq SUV finished fourteenth place on a 75-car list. The Skoda brand was voted into 20th position in the best brands poll – a repeat of 2022's performance.

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Warranty

Skoda offers a three-year/60,000-mile warranty with the Fabia, along with three years of European-wide roadside assistance. At an additional cost, the warranty can be extended for an extra two years.

Servicing

Servicing your Fabia will depend on what type of driving you undertake and how many miles you cover. There is either a fixed or flexible approach, with the former advising a service annually or every 10,000 miles. This is recommended if your vehicle covers mainly shorter journeys in towns or cities, or whether you regularly carry heavy loads and use frequent high revs/heavy braking.

The flexible service regime is more suited if your Fabia covers a higher mileage, with minimal loads and driven in a more constant, efficient manner. A service light will show between 9,000 and 20,000 miles to indicate that an inspection is required.

Skoda offers service plans to help with paying for scheduled maintenance. If you buy a new Fabia, or a model under a year old, you can pay for it upfront amount or in monthly instalments to cover your first two services.