Key Highlights – 2026 Subaru Solterra
⚡ Power: 233 hp base, 338 hp XT (AWD)
🔋 Battery: 74.7 kWh, 288 miles range (EPA est.)
⚡ Charging: 11 kW onboard, 150 kW DC fast charging (10–80% in ~30 min)
🚘 Design: New front lighting, refreshed styling, Subaru logo illumination
💺 Comfort: Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto, radiant leg warmers, IsoDynamic ride
💰 Price: Expected from ~$40,000 (2025 base was $39,915)
The Subaru Solterra won’t be an only child for much longer. For the past few years, it's been Subaru's only fully electric offering; the brand's first step into the EV world. But soon, it'll be joined by two new siblings, the Trailseeker and the Uncharted, as the Japanese automaker goes big on electrification. But don't count the OG out just yet: the 2026 Solterra got a major makeover that will hit dealerships this fall, right before its new family members arrive.
After a long day driving the 2026 Solterra through Colorado's mix of paved and unpaved roads, I can tell you this isn't the same EV Subaru launched in 2021. The changes are pretty substantial and show Subaru is serious about making the Solterra competitive in an increasingly crowded electric crossover market.
Toyota DNA, Subaru Personality
The Solterra has plenty of Toyota influence, since the two companies developed the platform together, but it manages to carve out its own identity. It shares its basic profile, interior, and electric powertrain with the Toyota bZ. (Subaru could have called it the Subaru Doorstop, and they still would have won the name game compared to Toyota's alphabet soup.)
Built in Japan at a Toyota plant, the Solterra comes in two variants for 2026, both powered by an upsized 74.7-kilowatt-hour battery pack (up from 72.8 kWh) and two redesigned electric motors for all-wheel drive. The base setup delivers 233 horsepower, 18 more than last year, while the new-for-2026 Solterra XT cranks it up to 338 horsepower.
The charging updates are some of the biggest improvements. The onboard charger now handles up to 11 kilowatts from a Level 2 charger, up from 6.6 kW. Hook it up to a Level 3 DC fast-charger, and it'll accept 150 kW. Even with the bigger battery, it can go from 10 to 80 percent in about 30 minutes, shaving five minutes off last year's time.
Want to see how it compares to a close rival? Read our 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Review
Range gets a nice boost, too. Subaru estimates up to 288 miles on a full charge, a solid improvement over the 2025 model's 227-mile max. The XT's extra power costs it just 10 miles, for a still-solid 278.
Subaru moved the NACS charging port from the driver’s side to the passenger’s side, making it way easier to use public chargers like Tesla Superchargers. A CCS adapter comes with the purchase.
Different Looks For 2026
Style-wise, the Solterra has a fresh look this year. An illuminated Subaru logo at the center of the blocky front end gives way to headlights with six LED running lights each, a nod to the six-star Pleiades constellation in the Subaru logo.
Inside, the Solterra's nice, though it has some quirks. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility is standard, and higher trims have cloud-based navigation. The software is borrowed directly from Toyota, and it works well. Most functions are just a tap or two away, and I found everything to be laid out logically. The screen was bright and easy to read, which is always a win. A smaller screen in front of the octagonal-ish steering wheel is packed with info and small icons. A bigger display or a simpler layout would help here, and you'll need to adjust your seat carefully, so the steering wheel doesn't block your view.
Top-end Touring models get radiant leg warmers that help heat the footwells in cold weather — a clever, battery-saving alternative to cranking the climate control that might show up in more cars soon. It was too warm in Colorado to test them, but I felt quite a bit of heat when I turned on the seat heaters. Less clever: there’s still no glovebox, and rear-seat riders have decent legroom but not much headroom. Cargo space is around 24 cubic feet with the rear seatbacks up, which is better than a sedan but not as roomy as competitors like the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Volkswagen ID.4.
Refinement Is the Ace Up Solterra’s Sleeve
On the road, the Solterra could pass for a Lexus. It glided quietly over the road, even when the pavement turned to dirt. Its ride quality, already one of its strong points, got even better this year thanks to stiffer front springs and softer rear springs.
What looks like paddle shifters actually control the brake regeneration. A tug of the left paddle increases regen; tug it three times, and it’ll go into a smooth one-pedal mode. You can drive in this mode without making your passengers queasy, which we can't say about many of its rivals.
The Solterra XT I drove accelerated smoothly, quietly, and reasonably quickly. It doesn't have the neck-snapping response you’ll find from, say, a Mustang Mach-E or a Tesla Model Y, but it had no trouble keeping up with traffic or climbing elevation as we headed from Denver into the Rockies.
It’s not much of an off-roader, though its 8.3 inches of ground clearance bests most other EVs. There's an off-road drive mode called X-Mode that tweaks the traction control and activates hill-descent control, and a zip through a bouncy trail Subaru created showed the Solterra can handle getting dirty.
Maybe the Best Value in a Crowded EV Pack
If the Solterra’s MSRP stays close to last year’s $39,915 starting point, as Subaru has hinted, the new model is unquestionably a better buy thanks to its much-improved range and quicker charging.
The base Premium has 18-inch wheels, synthetic leather seats, heated front seats, a power liftgate, and a 14.0-inch touchscreen with wireless smartphone mirroring. The Limited trim, which is also the starting point for the XT option, has 20-inch wheels, a heated steering wheel, a surround-view camera, and Harman Kardon speakers. The XT-only Touring trim has cooled front seats, a panoramic sunroof, and radiant leg warmers.
All models have good crash-avoidance and driver-assistance tech, including automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, active lane control, and a system that uses the dashboard ambient lighting to warn you before opening a door into oncoming traffic or a cyclist.
At around $40,000, the Solterra is now one of the best buys in the all-wheel-drive small EV segment. We’ll have to wait for full 2026 model-year pricing to be released across its top rivals, but it undercuts the base versions of the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 while offering longer range, and it’s about $5,000 cheaper than the Volkswagen ID.4.
How the Solterra will stack up against its own siblings — the Uncharted and Trailseeker — remains to be seen.
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