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Car Wars Wednesdays: Skoda Fabia vs VW Polo

April 22, 2015

It’s finally ‘hump day’ and in today’s edition of Car Wars Wednesdays, it’s the battle of the superminis. With the well-built, desirable VW Polo taking on WhatCar’s Car of the Year 2015 – the new Skoda Fabia – it’s going to be a race to the finish line.

Skoda Fabia vs VW Polo: who will be this week’s winner? Let’s find out.

Design

VW took over ownership of Skoda in 1994, so it’s little wonder these two superminis share more than one similarity. It’s a competitive class, so when it comes to styling, neither of these superminis are going to ‘wow’ – but they do look smart and well-built. The new Skoda Fabia is undoubtedly a step up from its predecessor and its practicality is enough to challenge the Polo’s design. The cabin in both cars is reasonably comfortable, with plenty of room for the driver and passengers. When the rear seats are folded down, the Skoda’s boot boasts an impressive 1,150 litres – significantly more than the Polo. The Polo might be beaten on boot space, but thanks to its premium edge – it wins on the style front.

Features

Inside the cabin, the new Skoda comes well equipped, including a MirrorLink Infotainment system as standard. All Skoda Fabias now also come come with Bluetooth and DAB digital radio as standard. The Polo can’t quite match up to the Fabia here – equipment is sparse in the entry-level model and the MirrorLink system is an extra £160. In the Skoda vs VW battle of impressive interior features, the Fabia gets our vote.

Performance

In terms of performance, the Polo is comfortable to drive but it’s unlikely to set your pulse racing. With a choice of 10 engines to the Fabia’s six, the Polo offers the greatest selection – and when it comes to fuel economy, the smart little VW has the edge. Its basic 59bhp 1.0 litre petrol engine returns 60.1mpg and emits just 106g/km of CO2, making road tax a low-cost £20 a year. In the Fabia, every spec is capable of at least 50mpg, and the popular 1.0 litre and 1.2 litre petrol engines bump this up to 58.8mpg. The Fabia’s 1.4 turbo diesel engine returns 83.1mpg, while the Polo’s manages 91.1mpg. Points to the Polo in this round.

Price

If you want to keep costs low, the award winning Skoda Fabia comes in at just £10,600. While the VW Polo is slightly pricier at £11,250, it’s available with a wider range of engine options and carries the premium VW badge. This really comes down to a lower purchase price vs long term running costs – and we’re going with the Polo.

The verdict: The Skoda Fabia is undoubtedly a worthy contender in the supermini class, but we’re playing devil’s advocate – and as an overall package, the VW Polo gets our vote.

Skoda vs VW: whoever you choose, the Car Loan Warehouse can help you finance your winner. Our flexible lending options mean we could help you secure finance, with payments that you can afford. Check out our Skoda Fabia finance and VW Polo finance options today, or use our online car finance calculator for an instant quote.

About The Author

Jon Le Roux is co-founder and company director of The Car Loan Warehouse. Being a mad engineering and motorsport enthusiast, I spend more hours than is healthy, watching, reading or talking about cars, boats, motorbikes…..basically anything with an engine.