Price shock! Smallest Skoda no longer the cheapest with 2023 Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo Edition 150 price now rivalling Audi A1

Skoda’s smallest car is no longer its most affordable, as the Czech brand has revealed the new Fabia’s prices and specifications ahead of the five-door hatch’s arrival in August.

Available in only the top-of-the-line Monte Carlo Edition 150 grade, the 2023 Fabia can be had for $37,990 driveaway - an almost $20,000 jump over the recommended retail price (before on-road costs) of the previous entry grade 1.0-litre 70TSI Fabia.

While the price is expensive for a Fabia, the Monte Carlo Edition 150 comes equipped with an extensive features list.

Standard features include a 9.2-inch Amundsen media screen with sat nav, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six-speaker stereo, 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless phone charger, digital radio with a six-speaker stereo, heated front seats, proximity key and push-button start, and dual-zone climate control.

The Monte Carlo Edition 150-badged Fabia has a sporty look with its 18-inch Black Libra alloys wheels, gloss-black grille, roof top spoiler, rear diffuser, privacy glass, aluminium door sill trim, sports seats with integrated headrests, three-spoke sports steering wheel and aluminium pedals. 

Not just all about looks, the Monte Carlo Edition 150 has sports suspension, and the most powerful engine in the Fabia range - a 110kW/250Nm 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. 

Safety features include AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, rear traffic alert, lane keeping assistance, blind spot detection, front and rear manoeuvre braking, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, rear parking camera, and six airbags.   

The $37,990 driveaway price makes the new entry point into the Fabia more expensive than $25,250 before on-road costs starting price of the Volkswagen Polo, which shares the same underpinnings. 

Skoda Australia brand director Michael Irmer justified the price, and said that the Monte Carlo Edition 150 is still true to the brand's ethos of delivering great value for money to the customer.

“Perhaps no new model better embodies Skoda journey in Australia than the new Fabia Monte Carlo,” he said. 

“Far from being a budget sticker European as it was initially perceived, last year the average drive away price of a new Skoda was $52,000. 

“The value of Skoda resides in providing the most metal, the very latest in technical sophistication and the best whole of life ownership proposition for the money. We have launched the new generation Fabia in its top line configuration because this is what our customers tell us they want from a Skoda. 

“The Monte Carlo Edition 150 is packed with every item of equipment and technical refinement available, at a drive away price and the best whole of life affordability of any European brand.”

Buyers looking for a more affordable Fabia shouldn’t give up hope, but they may have to wait, with Mr Irmer hinting that once the Monte Carlo Edition 150 has settled into Australia, a cheaper lower grade could be added to the line-up. 

Can’t wait? Well, buyers may also be able to step into a larger Skoda now for less than the $37,990 driveaway price of the Monte Carlo Edition 150. The Scala small wagon starts at a list price of $31,990 before on-road costs, the Kamiq small SUV begins at $34,690, and even the entry Octavia wagon lists for $35,190.