Skoda Fabia 130 (2026 – ) review

The 130 is based on the existing 1.5-litre Fabia, only with a modest lift in power. Equipped with a seven-speed DSG automatic transmission, it means the punchy little Skoda is not too hard on fuel – we managed to see more than 40mpg from it on a steady motorway cruise, which feels a good return for a hot hatch of this sort. It also has the same CO2 output as the Fabia Monte Carlo with the less powerful version of the same engine, so there’s no real penalty incurred from a running-costs perspective when stepping up to the 130 beyond the (significantly) higher purchase price.

This generation of the Skoda Fabia has a solid reputation for reliability, and there’s nothing in the 130 that should spoil that. Generally Fabia owners report high satisfaction with both the manufacturer and the model of car itself, while the Fabia 130 uses tried-and-trusted hardware that should ensure dependability, despite its racy appearance. The three-year warranty is nothing special, but you can extend this to four or five years at relatively modest cost if you feel the need.

A slithery drive across icy Peak District roads felt an appropriate way to test the Fabia 130’s rally-inspired looks, Skoda’s perhaps sensible choice of fitting our test cars with all-season tyres helping it put its extra power down safely even in these conditions. Keen drivers will meanwhile appreciate the 130’s addition of a slightly more relaxed setting for the stability control as well. In more everyday driving you get all the kit required of a modern hatchback, including automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance and the rest. Credit to Skoda that this is all sufficiently discreet we didn’t feel the need to turn it all off, as happens all too often in less polished rivals. You still need to pay extra for the Safety Package with additional knee airbag for the driver and side airbags in the rear cabin – the latter an important consideration if you’re going to use your Fabia 130 as a family car. The base Fabia’s budget positioning also means it lacks useful safety aids like blind-spot alerts, though the compact size and decent visibility mean this isn’t a deal-breaker.

Hot versions of regular hatchbacks often get super-stiff suspension in the name of improved handling but on lumpy British B-roads we appreciated Skoda’s more mature approach and the smart compromise between comfort and control in the 130’s dedicated set-up. It’s lower and stiffer than any other Fabia and gets faster steering for sharper response without straying into the harshness of some more traditional hot hatches. There’s a little bit more noise from the tyres at times but it’s never unbearable, and for all the sportiness the Fabia doesn’t ride speed bumps and lumpy urban roads too harshly while the extra poise is welcome at higher speeds, be that on motorways or twisty roads. The figure-hugging sports seats look good and are very supportive in all situations, fitting with the overall sense that for all the focus on thrills the 130 remains, at heart, just as comfy and usable as any Fabia.

The days of Skodas feeling cheap and flimsy are long gone, the Fabia now built to a quality more than equal to the VW Polo with which it shares roots. Externally, the Fabia 130 is set apart from the rest of the range by various model-specific trim parts, including black-coloured front splitter, grille, mirror housings, wheels and even roof. You’ll also notice the prominent spoiler attached to the rear edge of the latter. Inside, a gorgeous set of bucket seats with distinctive striped upholstery spruce up a cabin that also gets lots of perforated leather, contrast stitching and even carbon-fibre-effect trim to lift things the practicality and useful space you’d expect of any Fabia still present and correct.

A sporty, combustion-engined hatchback feels a rare indulgence these days, and one petrolheads will appreciate given the 130 is the most powerful Fabia yet. True, 177 horsepower is more ‘warm’ than ‘hot’ in the grand scheme of things but in a car as light as the Fabia is still more than enough to have some fun, without compromising fuel consumption or other running costs too much. Call us old-fashioned but we’d have preferred a manual gearbox – or the option of one – to fully appreciate the 130’s extra focus but the automatic at least shifts smoothly and is easier around town. If it weren’t so close in price to the distantly related and more powerful Volkswagen Polo GTI with its lusty 2.0-litre engine, then we’d be rating the Fabia 130 even more highly here.