Pass rate
70.3%
Below average — 1.9 pts behind the 72.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 17,521 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £39–£116
2004 Skoda Fabia MOT pass rate
- 2004
- typical 105,959 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
20.5% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2023 97.0% pass
- Avoid 2003 70.1% pass
Across the 24 years on record, a spread of 26.9 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 60.3%
- Typical mileage
- 106k mi
The 2004 Skoda Fabia MOT pass rate is 70.3% of its MOT tests — 1.9 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 20.5% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Skoda Fabia does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Fewer problems with tyres
Tyres are 12.4% of this car’s recorded faults, against 19.8% nationally — the mirror image of the usual story on a car of this age.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Skoda Fabia? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2004 Skoda Fabia compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.2%, so this figure is 1.9 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 60.3%. The median 2004 Skoda Fabia in this dataset had covered 105,959 mi.
60% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 69.1% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 70.2% of the time, April–September 70.5%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated", noted on 8.50% of tests.
- 17,521 recorded tests behind this page.
- 70.3% overall pass rate, 60.3% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Skoda Fabia, the average is 80.4% — best year 2023 (97.0%), worst 2003 (70.1%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 17,521
- Typical mileage (median)
- 105,959 mi
- Make and model
- Skoda Fabia
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Body Panel Repair
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the Fabia MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 60% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (60% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Fabia
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 3,699 | 72.1% |
| South West | 2,907 | 65.3% |
| West Midlands | 2,073 | 71.2% |
| East of England | 2,010 | 72.4% |
| North West | 1,642 | 70.5% |
| Yorkshire | 1,524 | 71.2% |
| East Midlands | 1,167 | 70.1% |
| Wales | 808 | 68.6% |
| Scotland | 650 | 68.9% |
| North East | 542 | 69.4% |
| London | 499 | 76.8% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2004 Fabia
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2004 Fabia
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the lights 7.6% of tests
“headlamp lens slightly defective”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
-
Check the windscreen 4.4% of tests
“windscreen damaged”
Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.
-
Check the suspension joints 2.6% of tests
“track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated,”
With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2004 Fabia through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £39–£116 — and 40% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £39–£116
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 40%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 17,521 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the Fabia, side by side
24 model years on record, from 2000 to 2023. Across them the pass rate runs from 70.1% to 97.0% — a spread of 26.9 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 71.7% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2001 71.5% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2002 71.8% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2003 70.1% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2004 70.3%joints constant velocity boot…
- 2005 70.8% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2006 71.1% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2007 72.0% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2008 71.5% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2009 73.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2010 77.1% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2011 78.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 79.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2013 81.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2014 82.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2015 83.7% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2016 83.5% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2017 84.7% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2018 86.4% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2019 89.8% wipers does not clear the…
- 2020 90.7% wipers does not clear the…
- 2021 90.8% wipers does not clear the…
- 2022 94.1% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2023 97.0% has a cut in excess of the…
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2004 Skoda Fabia with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2004 cars with a similar record
- SEAT Ibiza 70.2%
- Hyundai Santa Fe 70.2%
- Vauxhall Zafira 70.5%
- Ford Mondeo 70.1%
- Rover 75 70.1%
- Volvo S40 70.5%
Closest pass rates among 2004 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2004 Skoda Fabia 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 55,825 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 11,637 | 20.50% | 20.98% | −0.48 |
| Brakes | 10,094 | 17.80% | 20.89% | −3.09 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8,904 | 15.70% | 12.21% | +3.49 |
| Tyres | 7,076 | 12.40% | 19.76% | −7.36 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 5,607 | 9.90% | 5.57% | +4.33 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 3,858 | 6.80% | 5.52% | +1.28 |
| Visibility | 2,710 | 4.80% | 4.97% | −0.17 |
| Steering | 2,361 | 4.20% | 2.57% | +1.63 |
| Non-component advisories | 1,911 | 3.40% | 4.18% | −0.78 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 1,667 | 2.90% | 1.76% | +1.14 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 8.5% | £80–250 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 7.6% | £5–25 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 5.1% | £5–20 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 4.5% | £80–250 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 4.4% | £80–200 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.2% | £30–80 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 3.5% | £45–110 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.2% | £5–25 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.8% | £3–12 |
| Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt Steering | Minor | 2.6% | £18–45 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 19.9% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 12.7% | £45–110 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 11.6% | £45–95 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 11.1% | £200–700 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 10.9% | £40–150 |
| Registration plates inscription illegible Identification of the vehicle | Advisory | 8.8% | £20–80 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 219 | 84.0% | 22,702 mi |
| 30-60k | 1,969 | 75.6% | 48,313 mi |
| 60-90k | 4,218 | 70.3% | 75,657 mi |
| 90-120k | 4,459 | 68.2% | 105,147 mi |
| 120k+ | 6,637 | 69.7% | 161,399 mi |
Source: 17,521 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2004 Fabia MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2004 Skoda Fabia?
70.3% of the 17,521 2004 Skoda Fabia tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.2% for cars first used in 2004. First-attempt pass rate: 60.3%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2004 Skoda Fabia?
The three most recorded items are joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (8.50%), headlamp lens slightly defective (7.59%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (5.13%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2004 Skoda Fabia MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 84.0% of the time, falling to 69.7% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2004 Skoda Fabia in this dataset had covered 105,959 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2004 Skoda Fabia?
Petrol: 69.1% pass rate across 10,583 tests. Diesel: 72.2% pass rate across 6,938 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2004 Skoda Fabia MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 70.2% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 70.5%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.