The good news is that your shortlist is already very strong. We'd recommend a small petrol or hybrid model (unless you cover a lot of motorway miles – more than 12,000 a year, in which case a diesel might be more appropriate). Deciding between automatic or manual is down to personal preference, really, although the DSG automatic gearbox used in the Fabia isn't the most reliable. A hybrid Toyota Yaris would be a very sensible choice – cheap to run and very reliable. We'd also recommend the Hyundai i20.