Cheapest vs most expensive Skoda Fabia: what does an extra £9,000 get you?

The Skoda Fabia is one of my favourite small cars. It offers loads of interior space, generous standard equipment and a comfortable driving experience for a great price, but which version should you go for?

There’s a price difference of almost £9,000 between the cheapest and most expensive Fabia, and you don’t want to fork out extra cash on features you don’t want or need. I’m going to compare the base model and the range-topper to see what you get for your money, and I’ll also tell you which one I think is the best value.

Cheapest vs most expensive Skoda Fabia: prices and standard equipment

Let’s start with an introduction to these cars. The cheapest Skoda Fabia is called the SE Edition, and it currently starts from just over £21,000. Through Carwow, you can get one for as little as £19,500, so make sure to check out the latest deals to see the latest savings.

As standard you get an 8.3-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, cruise control, a digital driver’s display and rear parking sensors. Not bad for a car at this price.

The most expensive Fabia you can buy is the 130 model, which is a warmed-up version with a more powerful engine and sporty styling upgrades. It starts from £29,995, and through Carwow you can pick one up for less than £28,000 at the time of writing.

You get a larger 9.2-inch screen and a 10.3-inch digital driver’s display, dual-zone climate control, a reversing camera and power-folding mirrors.

You don’t actually have to go for the 130 to get these features though; they all come on the SE L model which costs just under £24,000. The 130 does look much sportier though.

Cheapest vs most expensive Skoda Fabia: design and interior

The Fabia SE Edition is a handsome-looking small car, but it’s not exactly head-turning. It gets titchy 15-inch alloy wheels, fairly plain front and rear bumpers and, if you don’t pay extra for paint, it comes in non-metallic blue which doesn’t exactly pop.

Being the hot hatch version, the Fabia 130 looks much more sporty and aggressive. It comes with 18-inch alloy wheels as standard, as well as a big rear spoiler, red brake calipers, twin tailpipes and bigger vents in the front bumper. The blue 130 decals are also a cool touch, and metallic paint is also included.

It’s the same story inside. In the SE Edition you get a two-spoke steering wheel, grey trim on the dashboard and standard seats. The 130 has a chunky three-spoke wheel, carbon-esque trim on the dash, body-hugging sports seats with integrated headrests and stainless steel pedals.

If you want most of these sporty upgrades for less, you could consider going for the Monte Carlo edition. It does without the twin exhausts and the decals, and the bodykit isn’t quite as aggressive, but it looks very similar to the 130 and costs almost £6,000 less.

Cheapest vs most expensive Skoda Fabia: engines and driving

It’s under the bonnet where you’ll find the biggest difference between these two cars, because they serve very different purposes.

The SE Edition in its cheapest form comes with a 1.0-litre petrol engine mated to a manual gearbox, and it puts out 80hp. It may be pretty economical, returning up to 55mpg, but with a 0-60mph time of 15.7 seconds it does feel really slow. I’d pay an extra £1,000 for the 116hp version, which feels much peppier and is just as fuel-efficient.

Under the 130’s bonnet is a 1.5-litre petrol engine, which in other Fabias puts out 150hp. In this version though it’s been tuned up to 177hp, and is paired with a seven-speed automatic gearbox. The result is 0-60mph in 7.4 seconds, and it feels properly rapid when you put your foot down.

It also has lowered sports suspension as standard, as well as slightly quicker steering to make it feel more agile and planted. I found it to be good fun to chuck through corners, if not quite as grin-inducing as a Ford Puma ST.

The SE Edition has no such sporty edge. It’s more of a comfort-focussed small car, which is not a bad thing by any means. It’s slightly better over bumps than the 130, thanks in part to the tiny wheels which allow for chunky tyres to be fitted.

Both cars are comfortable, refined and easy to drive in town, but if you want to have some fun in your small car then the 130 is the Fabia to choose. If all you want is something comfy and economical, then you’ll want the SE Edition.

Cheapest vs most expensive Skoda Fabia: my final verdict

So then, which of these cars is the best value for money? Well if I was buying a Fabia, I’d pay the extra £9,000 to get the 130 version. I like hot hatches, and I like my small cars with a bit of attitude. Plus I reckon the extra power and standard kit is worth it for the price.

But if you’re not interested in having something sporty, then I’d recommend stepping up from the basic SE Edition model to the SE L Edition. That may only be one extra letter, but it gets you the larger infotainment screen, a reversing camera, power-folding mirrors and 16-inch alloy wheels.

All this comes to just under £24,000, or £22,000 when you buy through Carwow and that’s including the more powerful 116hp engine. The Skoda Fabia SE L Edition is one of the best-value small cars you can buy.

Car change? Carwow!

Looking for a new set of wheels? With Carwow you can sell your car quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a car brand new, are after something used or you want to explore car leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for new car deals.

Click here to follow us on Reddit, where you can keep up-to-date with all the latest news, reviews, advice guides and videos. You can also subscribe to our WhatsApp channel to get the latest news sent straight to your phone.