In 2025, 219,611 Skoda Fabia cars had a regular MOT in Great Britain. 70% passed first time, compared with 70% for all cars of the same ages, which makes the Fabia about average. Adjusted for age, it ranks 135 of the 217 most-tested car models.
That comparison matters: older cars fail more often, so a raw pass rate flatters models that are mostly young. We compare each model against every car on the road at the same age.
Pass rate by age
At 3 years old, 86% of Fabias passed first time (all cars that age: 88%). By 20 years, that figure is 54% (all cars: 58%). It is weaker than average when young but holds up better than most from around 10 years.
Skoda Fabia All cars of that age
| Age | Tests | Fabia passed first time | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years | 680 | 86% | 88% | 22,593 |
| 4 years | 6,721 | 85% | 87% | 29,622 |
| 5 years | 8,788 | 84% | 86% | 33,945 |
| 6 years | 14,622 | 83% | 84% | 39,251 |
| 7 years | 16,749 | 78% | 81% | 46,698 |
| 8 years | 17,996 | 76% | 78% | 55,028 |
| 9 years | 19,307 | 75% | 75% | 61,290 |
| 10 years | 17,737 | 75% | 72% | 65,360 |
| 11 years | 14,493 | 72% | 69% | 72,012 |
| 12 years | 18,279 | 70% | 66% | 78,841 |
| 13 years | 13,318 | 68% | 63% | 87,239 |
| 14 years | 11,270 | 65% | 61% | 90,600 |
| 15 years | 10,150 | 62% | 59% | 91,689 |
| 16 years | 12,549 | 56% | 58% | 91,867 |
| 17 years | 9,497 | 52% | 57% | 101,961 |
| 18 years | 7,814 | 54% | 57% | 105,550 |
| 19 years | 6,261 | 54% | 57% | 108,154 |
| 20 years | 5,023 | 54% | 58% | 111,622 |
What fails most on a Skoda Fabia
The area that lets the Fabia down most, relative to other cars, is body and structure: 5.5% of tests failed on it, 1.3 times the rate for the average car.
Share of Fabia tests failing on this area Average car
The six most common failure items
| Failure item | Area | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|
| A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | Suspension | 7.0% |
| The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | Lights and electrics | 4.1% |
| A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning | Lights and electrics | 3.4% |
| A tyre seriously damaged | Tyres | 3.3% |
| Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements | Tyres | 2.7% |
| Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen | Visibility | 2.6% |
What to check when buying a used Fabia
Based on where the Fabia fails more often than other cars, these are the checks worth making before you buy:
- Body and structure: Get underneath with a torch: sills, jacking points, subframe mounts and floor pans. Structural rust is the failure that can make a car uneconomic to fix. Repair guide
- Brakes: Look through the wheels for lipped or scored discs, check the handbrake holds on a slope, and feel for pulling or vibration under firm braking. Repair guide
- Emissions and leaks: Look for oil and coolant leaks underneath, listen for exhaust blows on a cold start, and watch for smoke when revving. Repair guide
Then check the individual car: its own MOT history will show whether it follows the pattern. A car with repeated advisories in the same weak area is more likely to fail its next test.
Check a specific Fabia
Enter the registration to see its full MOT history, mileage record and reliability score, compared with these figures.
Check a FabiaFrequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a Skoda Fabia?
In 2025, 70% of Skoda Fabia cars passed their MOT first time, across 219,611 tests. Cars of the same ages averaged 70%.
What do Skoda Fabia cars most often fail their MOT on?
The most common failure items were: a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn (7.0% of tests); the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements (4.1% of tests); a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning (3.4% of tests).
Other Skoda models
Skoda Octavia (74%), Skoda Yeti (74%), Skoda Superb (76%), Skoda Citigo (78%), Skoda Karoq (89%), Skoda Kodiaq (87%). All Skoda models
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 (class 4 normal tests; first-time pass means passed with no faults fixed at the test). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.