Skoda Fabia MOT failure rate and common faults
220,281 Skoda Fabia cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 28.8% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 29.2% of the time, which makes the Skoda Fabia about as likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
28.8%
failed first time
220,281 MOT tests in 2025
-1%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 29.2%
120 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
96.0
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 107.3
What fails on a Skoda Fabia MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Skoda Fabia MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn | Suspension | 48.4 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 30.7 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 25.2 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 24.4 |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 22.3 |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 18.7 |
| Stop lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 18.1 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 17.4 |
| Parking brake efficiency: efficiency below requirements | Brakes | 17.0 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 16.7 |
Skoda Fabia MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 7,166 | 9.2% | 11.4% | 21,200 |
| 2021 | 8,619 | 14.3% | 12.8% | 28,500 |
| 2020 | 9,396 | 15.2% | 14.1% | 33,800 |
| 2019 | 14,622 | 16.7% | 16.5% | 39,300 |
| 2018 | 16,749 | 22.1% | 19.1% | 46,700 |
| 2017 | 17,997 | 23.5% | 21.8% | 55,000 |
| 2016 | 19,307 | 24.7% | 25.1% | 61,300 |
| 2015 | 17,737 | 25.0% | 28.1% | 65,400 |
| 2014 | 14,497 | 27.6% | 31.4% | 72,000 |
| 2013 | 18,284 | 29.6% | 34.3% | 78,800 |
| 2012 | 13,322 | 32.3% | 36.6% | 87,300 |
| 2011 | 11,280 | 35.3% | 38.8% | 90,600 |
| 2010 | 10,153 | 38.0% | 40.7% | 91,700 |
| 2009 | 12,553 | 44.1% | 41.8% | 91,900 |
| 2008 | 9,498 | 47.6% | 42.9% | 102,000 |
| 2007 | 7,815 | 46.4% | 42.7% | 105,600 |
| 2006 | 6,262 | 45.7% | 43.0% | 108,200 |
| 2005 | 5,024 | 46.5% | 42.4% | 111,600 |
Advisories to look for in a Skoda Fabia's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Skoda Fabia, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge251.5
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing178.3
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement153.5
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened145.6
- Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil88.8
- Brake pads: wearing thin54.5
Checking a used Skoda Fabia before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Skoda Fabia fails more often than average on brakes and body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts. Start there.
Brakes
Look through the wheel spokes at the discs for a deep lip or scoring, check the handbrake holds the car on a slope, and feel for a pull to one side when braking hard.
Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts
Turn the steering to full lock and look behind each front wheel: the rubber boots on the drive shafts should be whole, with no grease sprayed around. Then get down with a torch and check the exhaust hangers, sills, floor and subframes for rust.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Fuel mix of the Skoda Fabia cars tested: Petrol 83%, Diesel 17%. Average age at test 10.8 years, average recorded mileage 68,900.
Skoda Fabia MOT questions
What is the Skoda Fabia MOT failure rate?
28.8% of Skoda Fabia cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 220,281 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 29.2% of the time, so the Skoda Fabia was about as likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Skoda Fabia MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 147 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn", recorded 48.4 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Skoda Fabia year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2022 registrations did best: 9.2% failed against an average of 11.4% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Skoda Fabia will pass?
No. These are averages across every Skoda Fabia tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other Skoda models
- Skoda Octavia24.0% failed
- Skoda Yeti26.1% failed
- Skoda Superb22.5% failed
- Skoda Karoq11.1% failed
- Skoda Citigo22.0% failed
- Skoda Kodiaq12.8% failed
Ranked close to the Skoda Fabia
- Citroen C1rank 117
- Suzuki Swiftrank 118
- MG HSrank 119
- Suzuki Altorank 121
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Skoda Fabia cars of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.