Part of the Skoda Fabia Mk2 (2007–2014) guide: best and worst years compared.

Used car guide

2007 Skoda Fabia: common problems and what to check

What gets flagged at MOT on 2007 Skoda Fabias, from 7,844 tests in 2025, plus known faults and what to look at before you buy one.

7,844MOT tests in 2025
54%pass first time (all 2007 cars: 57%)
5,600typical miles a year
2.5×the usual rate for drive shaft (cv) joints

What stands out

Parts flagged at MOT more often on 2007 Skoda Fabias than on all cars registered in 2007.

  • Drive shaft (CV) joints2.5× usual
    Skoda Fabia
    18.2% All 2007 cars
    7.3%

    Failed outright at MOT: 8.9%, against 3.2% of all 2007 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £60–£350 our estimate

    At the viewing: Drive slowly on full steering lock in both directions and listen for clicking. Look for split rubber boots behind the front wheels.

  • Suspension arm2.2× usual
    Skoda Fabia
    8.4% All 2007 cars
    3.9%

    Failed outright at MOT: 0.6%, against 0.4% of all 2007 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £120–£180 (one arm) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Listen for clunks over bumps and feel for the steering wandering. Worn arm bushes show as cracked rubber near the wheels.

  • Link ball joint covers2× usual
    Skoda Fabia
    7.3% All 2007 cars
    3.6%

    Failed outright at MOT: 3.9%, against 2% of all 2007 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £60–£150 (one joint) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Listen for knocking over bumps and check the rubber boots behind the wheels aren't split.

  • Individual direction indicators2.1× usual
    Skoda Fabia
    6.8% All 2007 cars
    3.3%

    Failed outright at MOT: 2.6%, against 1.4% of all 2007 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £10–£80 our estimate

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light while you work the switches: indicators, brake lights, fog lights and reversing lights.

  • Power steering pipes and hoses3.8× usual
    Skoda Fabia
    2.3% All 2007 cars
    0.6%

    Failed outright at MOT: 0.2%, against 0.1% of all 2007 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £100–£400 our estimate

    At the viewing: Ask to see underneath, or check the MOT advisories: corroded brake or fuel pipes get worse every year and fail the MOT when they do.

Better than most

Rigid brake pipes: 1.2% here, against 11.2% of all 2007 cars. Sub-frame: 2.2% here, against 7.7% of all 2007 cars.

By area

The share of 2007 Skoda Fabia MOT tests where testers flagged each area, as a fail or an advisory. Rough prices are typical independent-garage costs.

  • Suspension
    48% of testsRough price £120–£400

    At the viewing: Listen for knocks over speed bumps, and look behind each front wheel for a snapped coil spring.

  • Lights and electrics
    39% of testsRough price £10–£80

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light, including brake lights and indicators, while you operate them.

  • Tyres
    35% of testsRough price £70–£150

    At the viewing: Check the tread on all four tyres, including the inside edges, and look for cracks or bulges.

  • Brakes
    32% of testsRough price £150–£350

    At the viewing: Look for a lip on the disc edges and feel for judder or pulling when braking firmly from about 40mph.

  • Driveshafts and joints
    18% of testsRough price £60–£350

    At the viewing: On full steering lock, drive slowly and listen for clicking from the front wheels.

  • Exhaust and emissions
    15% of testsRough price £100–£1,200

    At the viewing: Look for black soot in the tailpipe, listen for blowing from the exhaust and check for engine or DPF warning lights.

Known faults

Reported by owners, mechanics and buying guides for this model and age. Check which engine the car has, as some apply to one engine only.

  • Cambelt and water pump
    Diesel and 1.4 petrol

    All diesels and the 1.4 petrol use a cambelt, due every five years or 100,000 miles, with the water pump at the same time.

    At the viewing: Look for the cambelt receipt.

    If it needs doing: Timing belt (cambelt) change, about £300–£700 (often with the water pump). ClickMechanic

    Source: Carbuyer: used Skoda Fabia Mk2 buying guide

  • Oil use on smaller turbo petrols
    Small turbo petrols

    Some small, higher-powered petrols use up to a litre of oil every 1,000 miles.

    At the viewing: Check the dipstick.

    Source: Carbuyer: used Skoda Fabia Mk2 buying guide

  • Loose trim and squeaks
    All engines

    Window switches can come loose, and the dashboard top can rattle.

    At the viewing: Try every window switch and listen over bumps.

    Source: Carbuyer: used Skoda Fabia Mk2 buying guide

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Other years

YearMOT testsMost flagged
20227,157Tyres 24%
20218,605Tyres 24%
20209,410Tyres 27%
201914,617Tyres 28%
201816,742Tyres 31%
201718,008Tyres 31%
201619,330Tyres 32%
201517,747Suspension 33%
201414,493Tyres 32%
201318,318Tyres 33%
201213,335Suspension 33%
201111,288Suspension 37%
201010,170Suspension 36%
200912,584Suspension 43%
20089,516Suspension 49%
20066,289Suspension 46%
20055,040Suspension 47%
20043,503Suspension 50%
20032,230Suspension 50%
20021,397Suspension 49%
20011,039Suspension 53%

Where this comes from: the DVSA's anonymised results for every MOT test in Great Britain in 2025, counting tests of 2007 Skoda Fabias registered in 2007. "Flagged" includes advisories, so it isn't the same as a fail rate. How we score