Subaru Solterra
Published · Researched 2026-09-21
Review: Subaru Solterra
The Solterra's story is really two cars wearing one name. The 2023–2024 version was an EV with an asterisk — short real-world range, slow DC charging that got slower on repeated stops, and winter range that tested owners' patience. The 2026 refresh is the car the launch should have been: up to 288 miles of EPA range on lower trims, 150 kW fast charging, battery preconditioning, a NACS port, and up to 338 horsepower in XT form. If you're shopping this car, which Solterra you're talking about changes everything.
Owner evidence backs the split. In the Subaru Solterra Owners Group, 2023–2024 owners are frank about the charging curve being the real limitation rather than the headline range number, and about winter sapping the usable miles. The 2026 owners showing up in September 2026 are notably more positive — one summed it up as the car finally feeling finished, with preconditioning alone worth the wait. Nobody's reporting systemic battery or motor failures, which matters: the early car's sins were capability gaps, not breakdowns.
The persistent complaints deserve daylight. There's no true one-pedal driving mode, which in 2026 is a strange omission for an EV. The built-in route and charging planning is poor enough that owners route around it. Collision repair is expensive and slow — one owner's accident-repair thread described an eye-watering bill and weeks waiting on parts, the tax of a low-volume EV. And a 2026 owner has already reported low-speed brake squeal; one report isn't a pattern, but it's worth watching.
Pricing needs a footnote. Subaru announced $38,495 before destination; a later listing showed $34,945 including destination for the Premium trim. That gap is unresolved — treat the lower figure as unverified until Subaru's own channels confirm it, and negotiate accordingly.
Who should skip it: road-trippers who need the fastest charging curve in the class — Hyundai and Kia still lead there — and anyone who considers one-pedal driving non-negotiable. Also skip the idea of paying launch-era money for a 2023: early depreciation has been steep, which is exactly why used 2024s are in demand in the owner group, with buyers complaining they can't find one before lease returns free them up.
Sweet spot: the 2026 refresh, bought new — it's the finished article. Value alternative: a used 2024 at the depreciated price, if you can live with the slower charging and plan around it. Years to avoid: 2023 launch cars at anything near original pricing; also verify the early hub-bolt wheel recall was completed on any used example.
A note on how the 2026 changes the competitive picture. The original Solterra's problem was never that it was a bad car — it was that the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 existed, charging faster and going farther for similar money. The refresh closes most of that gap: 150 kW charging and preconditioning put it in the same conversation, standard AWD remains an advantage in snow states, and the NACS port removes the adapter dance for Tesla's network. It still won't win a charging drag race, and the missing one-pedal mode remains a philosophical choice Subaru will have to answer for. But "competitive with caveats" is a different sentence than "behind on the fundamentals," and it changes who should consider one.
Leasing deserves a mention too. With EV incentives and steep depreciation doing their usual dance, a lease on a 2026 can sidestep the residual-value question entirely — several owner-group discussions suggest the Solterra leases better than it buys, though terms vary by region and month.
The Solterra went from a compliance-flavored placeholder to a legitimate contender in one refresh. Buy the new one, or buy the old one cheap — just don't confuse the two.