2025 MOT results
Skoda Fabia common problems
The most common reason a Skoda Fabia fails its MOT is worn suspension bushes, on 12.6% of its 67,261 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 3 faults stand out: worn suspension bushes at 12.6% of failures against 4.6% expected; a split joint boot at 7.3% of failures against 4.7% expected; a weak handbrake at 6.2% of failures against 4.1% expected.
- Tests in 2025 228,848 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 29.4% 67,261 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 7.1% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 55.8% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Skoda Fabia MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Skoda Fabia tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 12.6% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 9.5% |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | 7.3% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 7.1% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 6.6% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.4% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 6.2% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 6.0% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 5.0% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.9% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 4.8% |
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 4.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Worn suspension bushes
12.6% of failures 4.6% expected 2.7 times as often
Worn rubber bushes in a suspension arm, letting the arm move under load.
Perished or cracked rubber at the inner ends of the lower arms, visible with the wheel turned.
-
Sidelight out
9.5% of failures 8.9% expected about as expected
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Split joint boot
7.3% of failures 4.7% expected 1.6 times as often
A split rubber boot on a joint or driveshaft. The joint may still be sound, but dirt and water get in once the boot is open.
Turn the wheels to full lock and look behind them for greasy splits in the rubber concertina.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
7.1% of failures 6.5% expected about as expected
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
6.6% of failures 8.1% expected somewhat less often
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
-
Brake light out
6.4% of failures 6.7% expected about as expected
A brake light not working, from a bulb, a poor earth, or the switch on the pedal.
Reverse up to a wall or window at dusk and press the pedal to see all three lamps light.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Skoda Fabia, on 35.2% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is brakes, on 26.1% against 22.3% expected.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 35.2% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 34.4% |
| Brakes | 26.1% |
| Tyres | 21.4% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 15.1% |
| Visibility | 13.5% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 11.9% |
| Steering | 5.4% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
55.8% of Skoda Fabia tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Skoda Fabias, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 17.4% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 11.6% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 10.8% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 10.7% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 6.8% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 4.8% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.4% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 3.5% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 3.3% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 3.2% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 2.8% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 2.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Skoda Fabia gets older
A 2022 Skoda Fabia failed 9.2% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2003 one failed 47.7%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Skoda Fabia 9.2% failed, from 7,118 tests
- Cut tyre 19.5%
- Headlamp aim set too high 18.1%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 10.8%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 7.4%
- Worn brake pads 5.8%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 5.5%
2003 Skoda Fabia 47.7% failed, from 2,216 tests
- Headlamp aim out of line 12.7%
- Sidelight out 11.6%
- Brake light out 10.9%
- Split joint boot 9.4%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 9.1%
- Weak handbrake 8.0%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Skoda Fabia problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Skoda Fabia?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” is the most common: it appears on 12.6% of failed Skoda Fabia tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 35.2% of failed tests.
How often does a Skoda Fabia fail its MOT?
29.4% of Skoda Fabia tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 228,848 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 50 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Skoda Fabia than on other cars?
Yes. “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” appears on 12.6% of its failures against 4.6% for cars of the same age, and “Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt” appears on 7.3% of its failures against 4.7% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Skoda Fabia aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 228,848 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.