The value potential of the latest generation Skoda Fabia has never been realised in Australia, but the most recent addition to the light hatchback lineup promises to change that.
Since the fourth-generation Fabia arrived here in 2022, Skoda Australia has only offered it in one high-spec variant that packs a turbo four-cylinder under the bonnet alongside a series of sports-oriented design and chassis enhancements.
Wearing the same badge as many of Skoda’s other performance flagships, the Fabia Monte Carlo was burdened the unenviable task of commanding a relatively higher price tag despite its light-car status.
Currently priced at $39,990 drive-away, the Monte Carlo is more expensive than the base-spec Audi A1 35 TFSI with which it shares a Volkswagen Group platform. For context, the same platform underpins other cars like Skoda’s larger Scala and the Kamiq small SUV, as well as the Volkswagen Polo hatch and Volkswagen T-Cross SUV, and the Monte Carlo is not much cheaper than the bigger-engined, more powerful VW Polo GTI.
Its sales reflect the steep pricing, too. In 2024 Skoda shifted just 331 Fabia vehicles in Australia, down on the Polo’s 2154 and even the 1559 deliveries chalked up by the more expensive Mini Cooper.
Even the Hyundai i20, which is only sold in Australia in manual N guise, recorded 445 deliveries last year. The Fabia was at least more popular than the A1, which recorded 176 sales.
So in late 2024, a new Fabia variant arrived at a much lower price, bringing it closer to cheaper Polo variants and positioning it below the faster and more premium i20 N and A1 respectively.
The Skoda Fabia Select is that variant. It’s less visually aggressive thanks to its smaller wheels and chrome trim, but its list of standard gear reflects the reduced price tag of $31,990 drive-away.
Its interior is more reminiscent of a cheaper car too; you lose the sporty Golf GTI-esque seats, the red accents, and faux carbon-fibre trim, and the updated tech and larger screens found in more premium Skodas are nowhere to be seen.
It’s by no means the cheapest in its sales segment, but it makes more sense as Skoda’s smallest model in Australia.
Can the Select hoist the Fabia from the sales doldrums in Australia, or would the Volkswagen Group be better off putting all of its light-car eggs in the Polo basket? And more importantly, is the new Fabia Select worth your cash?
How much does the Skoda Fabia cost?
The Select opens the two-variant Fabia range, and is considerably cheaper than the top-spec Monte Carlo at about $32,000 drive-away.
In terms of rivals, the Fabia Select is more expensive on paper than the base Polo Life at $29,490, and the Polo Style with the same engine outputs ($32,540), but those Volkswagen prices exclude on-road costs.
The related Audi A1 is priced much higher at a minimum of $39,200 before on-roads. Despite outselling the Fabia, the Cooper is much more expensive at $41,990 before on-roads in base C Core form. Similarly, the cheapest i20 N manual is priced at $35,500 before on-roads but still outsold Skoda’s smallest hatch.
On the cheaper end, the top-spec hybrid MG 3 Essence is priced at $29,990 before on-roads, while the most expensive Suzuki Swift Hybrid GLX costs $27,990 before on-roads.
There’s also the top-spec Mazda 2 GT for $28,070 before on-roads, the range-topping Toyota Yaris ZR Hybrid at $34,530 before on-roads, and the larger Subaru Impreza range from $31,490 to $37,990 before on-roads.
To see how the Skoda Fabia stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool
What is the Skoda Fabia like on the inside?
The Fabia pulls off the basic but brilliant directive exceptionally well inside, though its cabin may not necessarily reflect its relatively premium price.
It’s by no means as flash as some of the competition, but the Fabia’s strength is in its simplicity. There are only two digital screens, with a significant portion of the cabin’s systems remaining reliant on old-school physical controls, which many buyers may prefer.
Ahead of the steering wheel is one of those displays; an 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster. It’s simple in appearance but very functional, and if you know other VW Group products it’ll look familiar.
Here is where you’ll find all your key driving and economy information, which is presented cleanly and is easily navigated using the controls on the right of the steering wheel. You can flick through the handful of menus using the directional buttons, and scroll vertically or select using the roller.
The items being adjusted may not be immediately obvious, though the small pop-up that appears reveals everything on offer. This display is also where you’ll adjust the Fabia’s cruise control, but we’ll explain that further below.
The steering wheel itself is a classic Skoda unit: small but chunky with sporty sculpting, and wrapped in perforated leather. It feels nice in the hands as a result, and unlike with some other Skoda cars there’s plenty of adjustment to help you get comfortable.
On the left of the wheel are the infotainment controls, which operate in the same manner as their driving-related counterparts. Fortunately for both arrangements, there are no haptic controls to be seen.
To the left is the infotainment display itself, which like the instrument cluster is smaller than what you get in the top-spec Monte Carlo. It’s no less usable, however, thanks to the shortcuts on either side bezel, and we like the way Skoda has fitted two dials here compared to the Monte Carlo’s touch-only approach.
A small complaint is the way the volume icon rotates with the left dial, as the perfectionists among us find it annoying it doesn’t always point straight up. Still, everything like audio sources and settings are easily accessible within the screen.
It doesn’t boast the highest resolution quality, but its simple arrangement is easy to understand at a glance. In fact, the screen in this Fabia is a nicer unit than what you’ll find in other small hatches like the Mazda 2, but that car is much cheaper.
We can praise the Fabia for its inclusion of wireless smartphone mirroring on even this base Select, and to its credit Apple CarPlay worked flawlessly in our week with the car.
The interior here also appears more approachable than the Monte Carlo. There are no red accents, sportier seats or faux carbon-fibre. Instead, everything is either grey or black with a fair amount of hard plastic surfaces with simple textures.
You’ll notice the handles on the door cards are hard black plastic, while the dashboard has lost its red trim. There are still some uniquely Fabia quirks, like the neat inclusion of the embossed Fabia logo on either side of the instrument cluster housing.
There’s still some gloss-black plastic found sporadically throughout the cabin, but fortunately none of it has been placed in high-touch locations bar the gear selector and its surrounding trim, as well as the touchscreen buttons on the infotainment system.
It’s all simple in presentation to boot, which is something that’s especially evident on the climate control system. There are three rotary selectors and just three rudimentary buttons, which makes it a breeze to operate while on the move and very friendly to drivers coming from older cars.
Only four buttons are on the trim surrounding the gear selector too, which means there’s a handful of button blanks taking the space of functions not even found on the Monte Carlo.
The more mass-market approach means you get all the essentials required for comfortable daily commuting. The seats in particular are a big contributor to this, as they’re upholstered in regular cloth and appropriately soft for prolonged sessions behind the wheel.
Seat adjustment is entirely manual, though you still get the advantage of lumbar support adjustment by means of an old-school lever on the side of the driver’s seatback. There’s an appropriate range of manual reach and rake adjustment in the steering wheel too, though drivers with longer legs may find the wheel doesn’t come far enough forward to be perfectly comfortable.
You’ll still be able to find a position that works for you, and spending some time behind the wheel will help to adapt even if it doesn’t feel immediately natural.
The Fabia’s diminutive size doesn’t lend itself to incredible storage space either, but Skoda has provided enough for owners to find it practical.
Between the front seats you’ll find a coin cubby and set of cupholders; these comprise two larger spots and a smaller central option that eats into the outer ones.
They’re all still fairly small, but you do also have the option of using the bottle holders in the doors.
Additionally, there’s a small central storage box behind with a soft armrest on top (something all light cars don’t have), as well as an equally small storage cubby ahead of the gear selector for phones and wallets.
One complaint is the build quality doesn’t seem quite up-to-scratch. We can forgive the car’s relatively ‘hollow’ feel inside given it’s a budget-minded hatch, while the key touch points you interact with on a daily basis all feel solid enough.
A handful of rattles did appear in our week with the car though, namely a loud plastic-like noise coming from the front-left corner of the dash, which we were never able to pinpoint. Given that sound only emerged after having driven the car for a week, we’d be interested to examine the interior’s long-term durability.
Climbing into the back isn’t as easy as it could be given its small doors, though given the Fabia’s dimensions that’s not at all surprising. Similarly, second-row passengers will likely struggle with legroom if sitting behind a taller front-row occupant, but children shouldn’t have any issues.
Head room is fine thanks to the relatively high roofline. A downside is that amenities back here are scarce – there are rear-facing air vents, but there’s no fold-down armrest and the two additional USB-C ports are only fitted in the Monte Carlo.
It’s still a comfortable and useable space, just a little compromised. The boot is a different story, however, because at 380L with the rear seats in place it’s larger than both the Polo and A1 at 351L and 335L respectively, and much bigger than the MG 3 (293L), Mazda 2 (250L) and the larger Impreza (291L).
It may not be the widest boot and vertical space is limited, but it has a flat floor and you’ll find a handy storage nook on the left-hand side.
The rear seats can split and fold 60:40, revealing a maximum capacity of 1190L. As is typical for hatches, the cargo floor is lower than the boot opening, and while there’s no extra storage beneath the floor you will find a space-saver spare wheel as standard.
Overall, the Fabia’s interior is a comfortable place to spend time in, despite its budget-oriented design. When you consider the price though, it’d be fair to want something a touch nicer.
To see how the Skoda Fabia stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool
What’s under the bonnet?
As the entry point to the Fabia duo, the Select gets a tiny 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine delivering 85kW of power and 200Nm of torque, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission rather than the Monte Carlo’s 110kW/250Nm 1.5-litre turbo-four with the same gearbox.
In our week with the car we were just about able to match Skoda’s frugal fuel economy claim. That said, our driving was skewed towards freeway and highway routes, though there were several stints of inner-city driving in the mix too.
We wish Skoda Australia would import either of the two manual transmissions available for the Fabia in Europe, as they’d add a little extra spice to the lineup and bring the price down even further.
For context and at the risk of getting into the weeds, a Fabia with same 1.0-litre engine is available in Europe with a six-speed manual gearbox from 479,900 Czech Koruna (A$31,915). A bottom-of-the-barrel five-speed option with 70kW is also available for less money still.
The European model equivalent to the Australian automatic Select on test here is priced from 519,900 Czech Koruna (A$34,576), suggesting that potential savings could be possible in Australia with a manual gearbox.
To see how the Skoda Fabia stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool
How does the Skoda Fabia drive?
In as straightforward a manner as could be expected, but there are some typical Skoda characteristics that shine through.
A highlight of the Fabia Select’s on-road experience is its engine. Though it’s small, it’s absolutely packed with character and is capable of producing a surprisingly strong punch if you ask it to.
The three-cylinder produces an audibly different note to the four-cylinder in the Monte Carlo and, while its on-paper outputs aren’t earth-shattering, there’s enough of a shove to get the Fabia moving in a respectable time – it’ll even induce some wheel spin if you’re taking off while turning.
We’re also fond of how efficient it is. Skoda’s fuel consumption claim is already fairly low, and the fact that we were able to record a number slightly better than that is indicative of how well it can perform as an economy hatch.
Its seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox is also crisp, but it’ll naturally show some of the more typical dual-clutch traits like being somewhat stumbly at low speed.
Once you’re on the move its shifts are crisp yet smooth, and we like how the engine comes alive when under load.
It’s worth pointing out the Fabia Select is not intended to be a sporty car. Its engine – while fun – is not a performance unit, and there’s nothing about the car that should make it any more capable than other mainstream light hatches.
That said, it’s surprisingly capable of handling itself during more spirited driving. You’ll find it’s confidently planted and has no problem getting its relatively low power output to the tarmac when you exit a bend.
Throwing it into Sport mode helps with this, and it’s done by pressing the drive mode button to the left of the gear selector. You’d be forgiven for missing that button at first, as it’s obscured by the selector itself when looking at it from the driver’s seat.
You can also avoid that button entirely and move the gear selector to sports mode, which will adjust the transmission’s shift points to hold gears longer. The only way to shift gears yourself is using the gear selector too, as there are no paddles behind the steering wheel.
The feedback provided by the steering is similarly strong. It’s on the heavier side, but its lively feel makes the car fun to throw around while still being light enough to easily navigate tight carparks.
As the Select is fitted with 16-inch alloy wheels compared to the 18-inch units on the Monte Carlo, Skoda has been able to fit chunkier tyres that help improved the Fabia’s ride quality and refinement.
Road noise is reduced and everything feels a touch more compliant compared to the sportier Skoda. The more commuter-friendly ride is noticeably softer than what you experience in the Monte Carlo.
All that means the Fabia Select thrives in urban environments, especially in Melbourne where cars need to contend with rough road surfaces and other imperfections like tram tracks.
Its nimble steering is a bonus here too, while its compact turning circle makes tight manoeuvres that little bit easier.
Our previous review of the Monte Carlo found its suspension to be quite harsh, but the same can’t be said about the Select.
What also helps on-road convenience is a healthy array of sensors and cameras. While you don’t get the luxury of a surround-view camera, the Fabia’s reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors give you a good idea of what’s going on around the car.
It’s not perfect though. Steep driveways may trigger the front autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system when the car detects the road ahead. It happened to us on one occasion, with enough aggression to surprise passengers and spill drinks.
The Fabia Select misses out on adaptive cruise control and is instead fitted with a rudimentary system that can’t react to the cars around it.
It works fine and, once again, owners of older cars will be used such systems, but what’s unusual is the way it’s operated.
There’s no third stalk on the steering column to engage or adjust cruise control; instead it shares the indicator stalk on the left-hand side.
The button on the end of the stalk is used to set and adjust the car’s speed, while the small switch on top turns the system on or off.
It’s a little counter-intuitive at first, and you may find yourself inadvertently activating the blinkers or high-beam while interacting with those controls.
We find this a bit odd given the Monte Carlo has a traditional third stalk for cruise control, but some time behind the wheel will bring familiarity.
Otherwise, the Fabia Select is a very easy car to drive and live with. Small dimensions combined with nimble on-road dynamics make for a car that will eat up everything from city and suburban streets to freeways and rural roads, and even twisty backroads, all while being impressively economical.
To see how the Skoda Fabia stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool
What do you get?
Though it’s a base-spec variant, the Select still gets a decent list of standard equipment.
2025 Skoda Fabia Select equipment highlights:
- 16-inch alloy wheels
- Space-saver spare wheel
- LED headlights
- LED fog lights and tail-lights
- Automatic headlights
- Chrome exterior trim
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
- Keyless entry and start
- Electrically adjustable, heated side mirrors
- Front seat lumbar adjustment
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Cloth upholstery
- 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster
- 8.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
- 2x USB-C ports
- Umbrella in driver’s door
Is the Skoda Fabia safe?
The Skoda Fabia comes with a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on testing conducted by Euro NCAP in 2021.
Standard safety features include:
- 6 airbags
- Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist detection
- Driver fatigue monitoring
- Parking-speed AEB in drive and reverse
- Lane-keep assist
- Lane departure warning
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Side assist
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Rear-view camera
- Front, rear parking sensors
- Driver fatigue monitoring
How much does the Skoda Fabia cost to run?
Skoda Australia backs the Fabia with a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, with servicing required every 12 months or 15,000km – whichever comes first.
Though it’s not a direct comparison, the Fabia is cheaper to service than Polo variants with the same engine and service intervals. Volkswagen only outlines pricing for the Polo’s first five scheduled services, while the Fabia comes with a seven-year capped price service program, which works out to an annual average cost of $684.6 – or a total cost over five years of $3423.
A five-year service plan is also available for the Audi A1, which costs $2730 up front for an average annual cost of $546. Service intervals for the A1 are the same as both the mainstream Fabia and Polo, at 12 months or 15,000km.
To see how the Skoda Fabia stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool
CarExpert’s Take on the Skoda Fabia Select
When the new-generation Fabia was launched in Australia, it didn’t make a lot of sense.
The key issue was the fact that only the more premium Monte Carlo was made available here, and while it certainly looks the part, it doesn’t have the performance to match the similarly priced VW Polo GTI.
As such, it was a logical choice for Skoda to introduce a lower-spec Fabia here. Now there’s a Skoda hatch that can compete with the closely related base Polo, and finally one that is cheaper than Audi’s more premium alternative.
The Select finally provides reason for hatch buyers to put the Fabia on their consideration list, but it’s worth remembering the price tag means it’s still a premium-leaning model.
Though we’ve compared it to cheaper cars like the Mazda 2 and MG 3 in this review, that was primarily for context against higher-selling models. It’s not a through-and-through budget hatch, it’s simply the cheaper version of a hatch that was far too expensive when it first arrived.
But there’s not a lot to dislike about the Fabia Select. Sure, you could want some more standard gear to feel better about dropping more than $30,000 on a Czech hatch, but its turbo triple is simply joyous and we appreciate its confident on-road nature.
Better yet, it costs less to service than its Volkswagen-branded sibling, and that lower cost of ownership could be a deciding factor for buyers once a shortlist has been formed.
Even outside of the VW Group, this is a very worthy alternative for hatches like the Subaru Impreza too – and it even has more current World Rally Championship pedigree.
Those wanting cheaper wheels would be better off going for one of the aforementioned Japanese or Chinese hatches, but for those wanting a Fabia this is the one to get.
We’ll keep wishing for one of those manual transmissions to make their way Down Under for an even cheaper option, but given Mazda just axed the manual Mazda 2 due to low demand, that’s probably not going to happen.
As is, the Select makes the Fabia make sense. Maybe its introduction will see the model’s sales increase in 2025, and we wouldn’t be surprised if it began to steal buyers from the likes of Subaru and Volkswagen itself.
Interested in buying a Skoda Fabia? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here
MORE: Everything Skoda Fabia
Pros
- Characterful, efficient turbo triple
- Nimble yet comfortable ride, solid dynamics
- Finally a more logical value proposition
Cons
- Occasional interior rattles
- Still slightly too expensive
- Missing some handy safety gear
Top Line Specs
- Power: 85kW
- Fuel Type: Premium Unleaded Petrol
- Economy: 5.0L/100km
- CO2 Emissions: 114g/km
- ANCAP Safety Rating: Untested
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