Skoda Fabia: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Skoda Fabia fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 1.4 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 232,023 individual Skoda Fabia tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 75.3% first-time pass rate means roughly 25 in every 100 Skoda Fabias presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Skoda Fabia tested had covered 69,022 miles and was built around 2013.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Skoda Fabia sits 1.4 points below the national average, ranked 1,608 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. See how it stacks up against the Ford Fiesta.

Looking at a specific Skoda Fabia rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Skoda Fabia: £250 at UK salvage auction, from 31 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Skoda Fabia

1. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.1% of tests (2.02x the national rate for this defect)
2. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.5% of tests (1.61x the national rate for this defect)
3. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2% of tests (1.55x the national rate for this defect)
4. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 1.5% of tests (1.5x the national rate for this defect)
5. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 1.4% of tests (1.46x the national rate for this defect)
6. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 6.5% of tests (1.3x the national rate for this defect)
7. A tyre seriously damaged, 3.3% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this defect)
8. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.2% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this defect)
9. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.8% of tests
10. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.3% of tests

From 231,849 DVSA-tracked Skoda Fabia tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.68% of these flagged Skoda Fabia defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Skoda Fabia

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Skoda Fabia before it actually fails on it.

1. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 4.2% of tests (2.12x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 8% of tests (2.05x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 2.8% of tests (2.04x the national rate for this advisory)
4. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 3.6% of tests (1.35x the national rate for this advisory)
5. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 1.7% of tests (1.32x the national rate for this advisory)
6. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 17.5% of tests (1.31x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
7. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 3.6% of tests (1.28x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
8. A tyre seriously damaged, 19.6% of tests (1.27x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
9. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 14.4% of tests (1.18x the national rate for this advisory)
10. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 25.5% of tests, also fails

From 231,849 DVSA-tracked Skoda Fabia tests, 2024.

Skoda Fabia pass rate by model year

From its 2000 to its 2021 model year, the Skoda Fabia's first-time pass rate has risen 27.3 points, from 62.9% to 90.2%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Skoda Fabia year:

• 2000 Skoda Fabia - 62.9% first-time pass, 315 tests
• 2001 Skoda Fabia - 63.6% first-time pass, 1,358 tests
• 2002 Skoda Fabia - 61.3% first-time pass, 1,841 tests
• 2003 Skoda Fabia - 59.4% first-time pass, 2,785 tests
• 2004 Skoda Fabia - 60.5% first-time pass, 4,340 tests
• 2005 Skoda Fabia - 61.3% first-time pass, 6,093 tests
• 2006 Skoda Fabia - 60.1% first-time pass, 7,446 tests
• 2007 Skoda Fabia - 62.8% first-time pass, 8,954 tests
• 2008 Skoda Fabia - 61.4% first-time pass, 10,786 tests
• 2009 Skoda Fabia - 65.7% first-time pass, 13,736 tests
• 2010 Skoda Fabia - 70.8% first-time pass, 11,024 tests
• 2011 Skoda Fabia - 72% first-time pass, 12,100 tests
• 2012 Skoda Fabia - 74% first-time pass, 13,989 tests
• 2013 Skoda Fabia - 76.8% first-time pass, 18,714 tests
• 2014 Skoda Fabia - 78.6% first-time pass, 14,810 tests
• 2015 Skoda Fabia - 80.2% first-time pass, 17,920 tests
• 2016 Skoda Fabia - 79.7% first-time pass, 19,352 tests
• 2017 Skoda Fabia - 81.4% first-time pass, 18,129 tests
• 2018 Skoda Fabia - 84% first-time pass, 16,830 tests
• 2019 Skoda Fabia - 88.3% first-time pass, 14,747 tests
• 2020 Skoda Fabia - 89.4% first-time pass, 8,818 tests
• 2021 Skoda Fabia - 90.2% first-time pass, 6,864 tests

Skoda Fabia by fuel type

The Skoda Fabia's two most-tested fuel types split by 11.8 points: petrol passes first time 77.9% of the time (185,424 tests) against 66.1% for diesel (45,540 tests).

• Petrol Skoda Fabia - 77.9% first-time pass, 185,424 tests
• Diesel Skoda Fabia - 66.1% first-time pass, 45,540 tests

Other Skoda models

• Skoda Octavia - 78.9%
• Skoda Yeti - 80.3%
• Skoda Superb - 80%
• Skoda Citigo - 84.7%
• Skoda Karoq - 91.3%
• Skoda Kodiaq - 89.7%
• Skoda Rapid - 77.9%
• Skoda Roomster - 70.8%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Vauxhall Combo 2300 Edition Td - 75.6%
• Peugeot 508 - 75.5%
• Isuzu D-Max - 75.4%
• Toyota Corolla - 75.3%
• Mercedes-Benz 230 - 75.3%
• Peugeot 208 - 75.2%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

Embed this data

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate