Skoda Fabia long-term test | Small by name, large by nature

Small cars are getting bigger. There’s no escaping it. In fact, all cars are getting bigger. I hadn’t really appreciated just how much.

I recently found myself facing a 350-mile round trip from Peterborough to the Cotswolds and the Fabia was the only car at my disposal. I’ll admit I felt a slight reluctance at having to complete such a long journey in a ‘small’ car.

On the day in question, it was absolutely chucking it down with rain too.

Phone connected via Android Auto, route punched in to Google Maps, I set off with an estimated three-and-a-half hours of driving ahead of me.

Quite quickly it became apparent that the Fabia is exceptionally competent on the motorway. Despite the rain, poor visibility and prolonged driving at higher speeds, the car took it all in its stride.

The automatic climate control kept the cabin warm and the windows clear of condensation. The audio system was more than up to the task of keeping me entertained with 90s tunes. Most impressively? The miles-per-gallon readout was showing 55.

Due to traffic conditions, the journey ended up taking four hours. I emerged from the car feeling unafflicted by the pretty challenging conditions I’d just tackled. What made this moment even more satisfying was remembering the ‘simply clever’ umbrella that’s stored in the driver’s door.

After a few hours of driving another car around the Cotswolds, I jumped back in the Fabia for the return leg. Thankfully the roads had dried up, traffic was calm and I was able to open up the little 1.0-litre engine a bit. Here’s the next surprise. The Fabia is a rapid thing!

It’s eager to accelerate, not just around town but at higher speeds too. The engine is extremely flexible, developing power across a broad rev range. Paired with the six-speed manual gearbox, dare I say it’s actually quite fun to drive.

Back to my point about size. I looked up the Fabia’s dimensions and found that it’s actually larger than a Volkswagen Golf from 20 years ago. A car that was, at the time, considered more than adequate for lengthy journeys. No wonder the Fabia feels assured.

Oh, and one more thing… 20 years ago the Golf GTi had 115PS and could accelerate from 0-62mph in 10.2 seconds. The Fabia puts out 116PS and hits 62mph a second quicker.

No hybrid, no problem

Hybrid power seems to be the buzz word in the small car segment at the moment. As manufacturers grapple with the challenge of reducing emissions while also keeping costs down, and giving buyers a practical and usable range, the switch to hybrid power is well underway.

That makes our Fabia a little ‘old fashioned’ with its 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine relying purely on fossil fuels.

Rival cars like the Renault Clio and Vauxhall Corsa now offer hybrid options alongside regular petrol engines, while Toyota’s Yaris is hybrid only.

But in the small car segment the VW Polo is the best-seller. It’s a car that shares a platform and powertrains with the Fabia, which means the majority of buyers aren’t necessarily looking for a hybrid.

The CO2 emissions from our Fabia are 115g/km. A Corsa Hybrid emits 106g/km, while a Clio E-Tech hybrid emits 97g/km. Drivers, therefore, face a higher benefit-in-kind tax rate for the Skoda. But it doesn’t cost as much as you might think.

For a 20% taxpayer, the Fabia costs just over £100 per month. For the Clio its £91 and the Corsa – which has a much higher P11d price – is £112.

Since we took delivery of the Fabia, our long-term fuel consumption is sitting close to 50mpg. An impressive performance. On one trip, taking in motorways and A roads, it returned almost 60mpg.

Hybrid cars deliver similar numbers, in our experience. Although the biggest difference comes when you’re sat in traffic. The Fabia’s stop start system prevents unnecessary idling, but it needs the engine to move even an inch. A hybrid can crawl along in traffic burning no fuel at all.

When it comes to driving experience, the Fabia’s petrol engine, paired with a six-speed manual gearbox, is far superior to any hybrid hatchback we’ve driven. The throttle response is immediate and there’s ample power, with 0-62mph dispatched in 9.2 seconds.

You don’t have to wait for the engine to fire up or the gearbox to decide what ratio to select. You just shift and go. The simplified experience is refreshing.

Electrified cars benefit the environment and, in some cases, the pockets of drivers. In the smaller, cheaper segments, however, a petrol engine still gets the job done.

Skoda Fabia 1.0 TSI SE L joins our fleet

Skoda has been competing in the small car segment for more than 20 years with its Fabia model.

As the brand has evolved, the Fabia has too. It’s widely known as the ‘sensible choice’ among its pool of rivals, offering comfort, practicality and value for money.

For years the Ford Fiesta was the go-to model in the small car category. Ford’s decision to discontinue the Fiesta has opened up significant opportunity for other brands, including Skoda, to swoop in and pick up extra customers.

The Vauxhall Corsa has since become the dominant player in the category, but the Fabia is still a stand-out model when it comes to interior space and running costs.

We’ve decided to add one to our fleet for six months, to see how Skoda’s smallest car shapes up in 2024.

The Fabia has just been updated, with a revised powertrain and enhanced specification. So now is the perfect time to be putting it through its paces.

We’ve opted for the Fabia SE L, which sits beneath the range-topping Monte Carlo in a four-grade model range.

It’s powered by a 1.0-litre TSI petrol engine that develops 116PS. Skoda also offers a 95PS version of the engine, along with an 80PS non-turbo derivative and a more powerful 1.5-litre unit.

Our car emits 115g/km of CO2 and promises 55mpg. From a company car perspective it sits in the 28% benefit-in-kind tax band, costing a 20% taxpayer £100 per month.

To keep things simple, we’ve avoided adding any extra features to our Fabia. It's pretty well equipped, after all. The £600 Race Blue metallic paint is the only option box ticked, bringing the price to £23,125.

The standard specification includes LED headlights, ambient interior lighting, cruise control, keyless start, dual zone climate control and rear parking sensors.

You also get a 9.2-inch touchscreen with sat-nav and wireless phone connectivity via Apple Carplay and Android Auto. The central screen is complemented by a fully digital instrument cluster.

For a fairly basic small car, the Fabia certainly doesn’t feel cheap. It has a nicely finished interior with good quality materials.

Over the next six months we’ll assess the Fabia’s driveability, comfort levels, technology and running costs, to see if it’s a viable contender against the best-selling Corsa.