The mk3 Fabia took a pragmatic approach to the supermini segment and eclipsed rivals that once had a tight grip on the market
Frugal, friendly and affordable, the third-generation Skoda Fabia is a great little hatchback that puts common sense and usability at the very heart of its driving experience.The Mk3 Fabia doesn’t look particularly dated, yet it was launched more than a decade ago, and prices for this smart supermini are starting to look unignorably attractive.Today, you can pay as little as £1500 for a high-miler with plenty of battle scars but we found several decent mid-rung SE and range-topping SE L cars with reasonable mileage for around £6000. That’s decent value, especially as SE cars get perks like Bluetooth, DAB radio, 15in alloys and air conditioning.SE L cars have an even better roster of kit, with climate control, 16in wheels and cruise control – and if you want a bit of chic, the Monte Carlo with its black alloys, panoramic roof and sporty bodykit is your best bet. Value is the name of the game here, clearly, but we would nevertheless advise steering clear of the basic, entry-level S.The solid fit and finish of the Fabia’s interior is pleasantly surprising at this end of the market. Sure, it doesn’t have the same soft-touch materials as its cousin, the Volkswagen Polo, but it’s well appointed, the touchscreen is a doddle to operate and there’s plenty of buttons and switches to play with – and it’s capacious up front too.This pragmatic approach is applied to the rear, where there’s just enough room for adults for short trips. The real highlight, however, is the segment-leading 330-litre boot, which can house suitcases, pushchairs or a weekly shop without hassle. The lesser-spotted Fabia estate, now sadly departed, ramped up boot capacity to a whopping 530 litres. While you can choose from a wide variety of petrol and diesel engines, you’re likely to end up with one of the more prevalent 1.0 or 1.2-litre petrol engines.The early non-turbo 1.0-litre MPI can be had with 59bhp (a bit too sluggish for daily duties) or 74bhp (punchier but harder to find). So we would aim for one of the turbo 1.2 TSI units, specifically the 108bhp version (there’s also an 89bhp one), which has enough grunt for motorway stints and comes with a six-speed manual gearbox.You will pay around £7500 for a 1.2 TSI with about 50,000 miles, but it will easily do 50mpg and some variants cost just £20 to tax annually.The diesels are all 1.4-litre four-pots (74bhp, 89bhp or 104bhp). We would recommend a diesel only if your mileage is on the high side. You should get 60mpg (more on the motorway) and tax costs are low. Just be aware that they are rarer than petrol and were dropped when the Fabia was facelifted in 2018.Engines aside, the Fabia is a grown-up supermini geared for ride comfort rather than driver engagement. It irons out lumps and bumps well and takes the edge off the sharpest road imperfections around town.It lacks the agility and body control of the best-handling small cars like the Ford Fiesta, but there’s plenty of grip and it drives predictably at real-world speeds.And whether you’re pootling to the supermarket, or heading for the coast for a short getaway, the easy-going Fabia has plenty of ‘big car’ feel to make it a great all-round proposition – and for the price of a year’s PCP on a new supermini, who can grumble with that?
