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Škoda Fabia, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

248,099 Škoda Fabias are licensed in the UK, the 32nd most common model on the road. In 2025 they passed 70.6% of initial MOT tests, 1.7 points below the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific Fabia? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Škoda Fabia at the MOT

70.6% of 228,995 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Fabia 342nd of 575 models. Škoda Fabias aged 3 to 5 years passed 85% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 61.2%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Škoda Fabia70.6%
  • All Škoda modelsThe Fabia is 5.8 pts behind76.4%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Škoda Fabia tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years29,536 tests85%
  • 6 to 10 years84,677 tests76.2%
  • 11 years and over108,562 tests61.2%

Where Fabias fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Škoda Fabia tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment22.2%
  • Suspension21.1%
  • Brakes18.5%
  • Tyres12.1%
  • Body, chassis, structure7.6%

The items testers recorded most often were pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (7.2%), position lamp not working (4.5%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (3.7%).

The MOT page lists every common Fabia MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Škoda Fabia MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Fabia's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

    Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.22.2% of Fabia failure items

  2. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.21.1% of Fabia failure items

  3. Brakes

    Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing.18.5% of Fabia failure items

Škoda Fabias in the UK

248,099 were licensed at the end of June 2026, more than any other Škoda. The number licensed has grown 6.8% since the end of 2014, although it peaked at 262,651 at the end of 2019.

Change since 2014
+6.8%from 232,373 licensed
Typical year of first use
2015half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2015 or earlier
First registered in 2025
10,823against 20,490 in 2016
Declared off the road
16,7616.3% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Škoda Fabias since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2014232,373
End of 2015241,144
End of 2016252,030
End of 2017256,731
End of 2018260,609
End of 2019262,651
End of 2020258,922
End of 2021257,482
End of 2022255,158
End of 2023251,890
End of 2024250,195
End of 2025248,699
End of June 2026248,099

How old they are

Licensed Škoda Fabias by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 11,672 were first used before 2006.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
202510,34010,823
20249,74410,082
20237,4097,833
20226,8977,312
20218,4298,831
20209,4169,800
201914,59015,282
201816,75017,715
201717,57118,693
201619,38520,490
201517,55818,847
201414,267
201317,794
201212,933
201110,707
20109,532
200911,784
20088,690
20077,093
20065,530

17,558 Fabias first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 93% of the 18,847 first registered that year.

Fabia engines and fuel

1.2 litre engines made up 45% of Škoda Fabia MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.0 litre at 31%. Petrol accounts for 86% of licensed Fabias and diesel for 14%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 228,959 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.2 litre44.5%
  • 1.0 litre31.4%
  • 1.4 litre11.4%
  • 1.6 litre8%
  • 1.9 litre4.6%

Fuel type, licensed Fabias

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol212,25986%
Diesel35,82014%
Gas20<0.1%

Škoda Fabia recalls

11 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Škoda Fabia. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Fabia is affected.

  1. Sep 2026 R/2026/342

    Replacing TAKATA driver airbag

    Fabias built Apr 2017 · 9 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles in the event of an accident in which the airbag is deployed the front airbag gas generator could burst sending metal fragments into the vehicle. This could cause serious harm or fatal injuries to the driver and their passengers.
    Remedy
    Replace the front airbag on the driver side.

  2. Jul 2025 R/2026/002

    Takata drivers side front airbag

    Fabias built Jun 2013 to Dec 2015 · 108 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the propellant in the front airbag may deteriorate due to high humidity and temperature fluctuations. As a result in the event of an accident and airbag deployment fragments could detach from the generator housing and injure the vehicle occupants.
    Remedy
    Replace the front airbag on the driver's side.

  3. Jul 2025 R/2025/278

    Passenger Airbag

    Fabias built Sep 2022 to Mar 2025 · 179 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles there is a risk in the event of an accident that if the passenger airbag is activated the protective effect of the airbag may be reduced and the gas generator cover may rupture resulting in serious or fatal injuries.
    Remedy
    Replace the passenger airbag. Whilst waiting for repair vehicle owners are advised to deactivate the passenger airbag according to the owner's manual and not to use the passenger seat during this time.

  4. Aug 2023 R/2023/251

    On affected vehicles airbags have been fitted which may rupture when activated and may not function properly

    Fabias built Sep 2021 to Jun 2022 · 3,844 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace the passenger airbag module with a modified unit.

  5. Mar 2023 R/2023/086

    On affected vehicles from a certain production period there is a possibility that the gas generator cover could be damaged when the driver's airbag is activated

    Fabias built Jun 2013 to Jun 2017 · 63 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace the driver's airbag in affected vehicles.

  6. Dec 2021 R/2022/017

    The right- hand rear seat backrest frame has a reduced strength

    Fabias built Mar 2021 · 132 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The right-hand rear seat backrest frame has a reduced strength weld.
    Remedy
    The right-hand rear seat backrest frame must be replaced.

  7. May 2019 R/2019/210

    Air bag may not inflate quickly enough on deployment

    Fabias built Jan 2018 to Feb 2018 · 393 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Driver's airbag may not inflate quickly enough in case of its activation
    Remedy
    The steering wheel airbag has to be replaced in the vehicles affected

  8. Dec 2014 R/2014/143

    Fuel may leak

    Fabias built Apr 2011 to Oct 2014 · 4,306 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the fuel filter may crack around inlet connection. This will allow fuel to leak which may cause a smell within the vehicle interior and possibly contaminate the road environment. This may affect the handling of the vehicle and of other traffic.
    Remedy
    Check type of filter fitted. If not of improved type then replace with improved filter.
How to check a specific Fabia for recalls

Fabia vs similar cars

Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.

Other Škoda models

The most-tested Škoda models in 2025, against the Fabia's 70.6% MOT pass rate.

All 12 Škoda models

Škoda Fabia FAQs

How many Škoda Fabias are there in the UK?

248,099 Škoda Fabias were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 16,761 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Škoda Fabia reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 70.6% first-time pass rate for the Škoda Fabia across 228,995 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Škoda Fabia had any recalls?

11 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Škoda Fabia. The most recent was published in September 2026. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Škoda Fabia?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension and brakes. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a Škoda Fabia's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

Already found a Fabia?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Škoda history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Skoda VIN check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.