Renault Clio vs Skoda Fabia

Renault Clio

Renault’s popular compact city car.

Skoda Fabia

Skoda’s roomy, affordable supermini.

First car

Second car

Pick this one if…

Renault Clio

Pick the Clio for an affordable, efficient and agile city car with a large used supply.

Best engine: The 1.0 TCe (petrol) or 1.5 Blue dCi (diesel) — or the E-Tech hybrid for town.

Read the full guide

Pick this one if…

Skoda Fabia

Pick the Fabia for a roomy, economical and affordable supermini with a sweet 1.0 TSI.

Best engine: The 1.0 TSI 110 — the sweet spot of the range.

Read the full guide

Performance

1.0 TCe 100 · Petrol vs 1.0 TSI 110 · Petrol

	Renault Clio	Skoda Fabia
Power	100 hp	110 hp Winner
Torque	160 Nm	200 Nm Winner
0–100 km/h	11,8 s	9,9 s Winner
Top speed	187 km/h	205 km/h Winner
Power-to-weight	91,7 hp/t	99,1 hp/t Winner
CO₂ emissions (WLTP)	112 g/km Winner	113 g/km
Consumption (WLTP)	5,0 L/100km	4,9 L/100km Winner

Dimensions & space

	Renault Clio	Skoda Fabia
Boot	391 L Winner	380 L
Boot (seats folded)	1.069 L	1.190 L Winner
Wheelbase	2,59 m Winner	2,56 m
Length	4,05 m	4,11 m
Width	1,80 m	1,78 m
Height	1,44 m	1,46 m
Seats	5	5

Powertrain & tech

	Renault Clio	Skoda Fabia
Platform	B (MK4) · CMF-B (MK5)	PQ26 (MK3) · MQB-A0 (MK4)
Drive	Front-wheel drive	Front-wheel drive
Engine family	0.9 TCe · 1.2 TCe · 1.0 TCe · 1.3 TCe · 1.5 dCi/Blue dCi · E-Tech Hybrid	1.0 MPI/TSI petrol · 1.4 TDI diesel (MK3)
Fuel	Petrol · Diesel · Hybrid	Petrol · Diesel
Transmission	5/6-speed manual · EDC6/EDC7 · X-tronic CVT · E-Tech automatic	5/6-speed manual · 7-speed DSG automatic
Euro standard	Euro 5/6 (MK4) · Euro 6/6d (MK5)	Euro 6 (MK3) · Euro 6d (MK4)
LEZ access	Euro 6/6d (post-2016/2019) allowed; early MK4 (Euro 5) restricted	Euro 6 petrol/diesel allowed in the LEZ

Reliability & watch-outs

Known issues

Renault Clio

1.2 TCe (MK4): timing chain and oil consumption
EDC automatic: juddery at low speed
Electrical gremlins (battery drain, MediaNav/R-Link)

Skoda Fabia

1.0 TSI: timing belt on interval
Early MPI: oil consumption
Electrical gremlins

Pros

Renault Clio

Smooth, efficient engines (1.0 TCe and E-Tech)
Compact, agile and affordable
Large used supply

Skoda Fabia

Roomy boot for its class
Affordable and economical
Practical and reliable

Cons

Renault Clio

Tight rear seat and boot (MK4)
Base trims are sparsely equipped

Skoda Fabia

Sparse base equipment
Less refined driving feel
MK3 infotainment dated

Driving experience

Renault Clio

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Skoda Fabia

As a model line, the Fabia is a roomy, nimble supermini. The steering is light and the chassis controls imperfections neatly, keeping it composed in town and on twisty roads. The MK3 feels simpler, the MK4 more modern and mature, yet both are easy to drive. The TSI engines are smooth and economical. Expect no sportiness, but safe, predictable and affordable city motoring.