2026 Subaru Solterra Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The 2026 Subaru Solterra’s makeover starts with fresh styling. It debuts with the new EV face shared with the Subaru Trailseeker and Uncharted that will also be arriving at dealerships for the 2026 model year. The daytime running lights feature six elements each—symbolizing the six stars of the Pleiades cluster, Subaru’s Japanese namesake—positioned above simple, block-style headlights. The grille is also no longer a plain, unadorned surface. This really helps distinguish the Solterra from its twin, the Toyota bZ (formerly the bZ4X), which sticks closer to its old styling for 2026.

However, the styling changes are mostly concentrated around the front of the vehicle, meaning the headlights and taillights don’t match anymore. The body sides are mostly unchanged, and the Solterra still sports box fender flares that are reminiscent of older versions of the Subaru Impreza, but also feature on the Toyota bZ. Unpainted plastic cladding is another common Subaru styling trait deployed on the previous model, but for 2026, that trim is mostly painted black or body colour, depending on the main paint colour chosen. (A black roof is also available on Luxury and Technology models).

The exterior looks like a typical mid-cycle refresh, but Subaru claims more extensive changes under the skin. The 2026 model has a different front subframe and motor mounts and an improved crash structure, according to Subaru. The roof structure has also changed, eliminating the support beam that previously bisected the glass roof panel with changes made in the rear to maintain rigidity. The amount of sound-insulating material has also increased.

Inside, fans of the Subaru SVX or XT will find a lot to like. This remains one of the quirkiest interiors in a new car with an oddly-shaped steering wheel, an instrument cluster that’s socially distancing from everything else, and no glovebox. Black-and-blue two-tone leather upholstery is now available on the top Technology grade, further adding to the distinctive look of the cabin. Premium-feeling materials are still not part of the Subaru experience, but everything at least felt sturdy enough for the long haul.

Befitting a Subaru, the new Solterra continues with standard all-wheel drive (AWD), while battery-pack size increases slightly from the previous 72.8 kilowatt-hours to 74.7 kWh. Output also increases from the 2025 model’s 215 horsepower to a standard 338 hp in Canada, and will scoot the Solterra from 0–100 km/h in 5.1 seconds, according to Subaru.

Even with the power increase, the Solterra will only feel quick to drivers who have never experienced the instant torque of an EV. Granted, the leisurely acceleration of a Crosstrek, Forester, or Outback will likely heighten that effect for existing Subaru owners looking to go electric. Subaru also claims the AWD control logic was changed to deliver more torque at turn-in and corner exit for a more consistent feel, but it’s hard to detect the difference whether on pavement, dirt, or gravel. The traction control also cuts in aggressively, so despite Subaru’s rallying heritage, this is not the car for sideways antics. Heavy steering also dampens the fun of attacking corners on paved roads.

At a more sedate pace, though, the numerous changes under the skin contribute greatly to overall refinement. Our Technology test car’s cabin is quiet, even by the already-high standards of EVs, and its ride quality builds on the solid foundation of the pre-refresh version and its Toyota bZ4X twin. These cars already had somewhat better body control and suspension compliance than rivals such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Volkswagen ID.4, but the 2026 Solterra feels even more comfortable. The harsh, cratered dirt roads chosen for parts of this first drive seemed like they would shake the car apart at times, but none of that was transmitted through the seats.

The regenerative braking system has been retuned for what Subaru calls “more distinctive” settings. There are five to choose from, but even with this re-tuning we tended to go straight from the strongest setting on surface streets and back roads to the weakest setting to allow for coasting on highways. Not terribly different from most other EVs, in other words. Maximum regen also requires only occasional use of the brake pedal.

Subaru (like most automakers) is eager to emphasize light off-road capability in its new cars, but that’s just not the Solterra’s thing. It does offer 21.1 centimetres of ground clearance, which is less than most gasoline Subaru models but more than most electric rivals. The Solterra also includes standard dual-mode X-Mode drive modes with snow/dirt and deep snow/mud settings, as well as both hill descent and ascent controls. But on a short off-road course set up by Subaru, the AWD system had trouble rerouting power with wheels off the ground while negotiating small moguls. That meant coming in hot and smashing into them, or getting stuck. This is not exactly a typical use case, but this EV is clearly a step back in capability from other Subaru models.

The Solterra’s interior dimensions haven’t changed, meaning the refreshed model offers reasonable but not lavish interior space for its market segment. Some compact electric SUVs offer a few centimetres of additional front headroom than this Subaru, but its rear-seat headroom is nearly identical to what you get in rival EVs. The Solterra does trail rivals in second-row legroom, but its first-row legroom is within normal range. Despite the deep dashboard, we also find setting up the driver’s seat for good outward visibility is fairly easy.

When it comes to cargo space, the 674 litres behind the Solterra’s rear seats falls behind most rival EVs by a significant amount. It’s 167 litres less than you get in a Ford Mustang Mach-E and 184 litres less than in a Volkswagen ID.4, for example. The Ford also has a large frunk, something the Subaru doesn’t have. But then again, neither do many of the other EVs the Solterra will be cross-shopped against. Things improve with the rear seats down, as the Solterra’s 1,798 litres trails only the VW.

To compensate for its lack of a glovebox, the Solterra has a raised centre console with a storage tunnel underneath. It provides roughly the same amount of space, but the rattling of items in there is a lot more noticeable. There’s a conventional storage bin as well, plus two large cupholders and a pair of wireless phone chargers flanking a space-efficient twist-knob shifter.

Cabin heating is a much bigger energy drain for EVs than gasoline cars as battery packs don’t generate as much heat as engines. To address that, Subaru equips the Solterra Technology with radiant heaters positioned close to front-seat occupants’ legs for more efficient heating. A heat pump is standard in Canada, along with heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. Heated outboard rear seats are available with the Luxury trim.

We had the opposite problem during our sunny test-drive day. The amount of windshield glass made it hard for the air conditioning and our Technology test car’s ventilated seats to keep up. The cabin got noticeably cooler when we turned away from the sun.

A 14-inch infotainment touchscreen is now standard on all Solterra models, replacing the 8-inch screen on the base Solterra Premium and the 12.3-inch screen on higher trim levels. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on all models as well, along with dual USB-C ports for each row of seats and a 7-inch digital instrument cluster. The aforementioned dual wireless smartphone chargers are standard in Canada as well, and a Harman Kardon premium audio system is equipped on Solterra Luxury and Technology trims. The latter also gets a digital rearview mirror.

The 12.3-inch screen that previously came with other trim levels was already pretty big, so the 14-inch screen isn’t much of an upgrade from that. It’s also not the most elegantly integrated piece of hardware, but it is at least easy to reach from both the driver’s and front passenger’s seats. Integrated temperature knobs and a volume knob make operation easier, but other climate control settings don’t have physical controls, making usage more awkward than it needs to be.

Subaru does offer a voice assistant for climate control, audio, phone, and vehicle-information functions, but it’s available only with a data subscription. The same goes for built-in, cloud-based navigation, but at least you can rely on Google Maps or Apple Maps via a connected smartphone for that. Digital-key functionality is also available and comes with a three-year trial period.

The Solterra still features Subaru’s camera-based EyeSight driver-assist system, with standard features including: emergency steering assist, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, lead vehicle start alert, traffic sign recognition, front- and rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control. The latter adds stop-and-go functionality and hands-free driving at low speeds (under 40 km/h) on pre-mapped roads with a navigation-data subscription. In addition, a 360-degree camera system is standard on Luxury and Technology models.

Crash-test ratings for the 2026 model weren’t available at the time of writing, but earlier versions sharing the same basic architecture earned an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick+ award and a five-star overall safety rating from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)—top ratings in both cases.

Official Natural Resources Canada range ratings weren’t available at the time of writing, but Subaru expects up to 446 kilometres, compared to the previous maximum of 359 kilometres. That pushes the Solterra into the realm of respectability, surpassing the 423 kilometres of dual-motor VW ID.4 models and coming close to the 463-kilometre and 475-kilometre bests of the dual-motor Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, respectively. But the Hyundai and Kia can also charge a lot faster.

The Solterra switches from the Combined Charging Standard (CCS) charging port to Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) for 2026, and the port also moves to the right front fender to make parking at Tesla Supercharger stations easier. Maximum power is 150 kilowatts (up from 100 kW previously), which should allow for a 10%–80% charge in 30 minutes, according to Subaru. An 11-kW onboard charger for Level 2 AC home charging is now standard, compared to the previous 6.6-kW unit, which should help improve on the 2025 model’s 9.5-hour recharge time.

Subaru’s EV warranty coverage includes the same three-year/60,000-kilometre new vehicle warranty and five-year/100,000-kilometre powertrain warranty as the automaker’s gasoline vehicles, plus an eight-year/160,000-kilometre battery warranty. That’s in line with electric cars from most other brands.

In Canada, the base 2026 Subaru Solterra starts at $55,179, including destination charges and fees. The Solterra Luxury starts at $58,179. The top Technology trim level carries a $61,179 starting price.

The Solterra’s base price undercuts the Hyundai Ioniq 5 but not the Kia EV6. The Korean EVs come standard with rear-wheel drive (RWD) instead of AWD, but they can charge faster. The Chevrolet Equinox EV will offer 513 kilometres of range for less money, albeit with front-wheel drive (FWD).

So, despite its numerous improvements, the 2026 Subaru Solterra will likely appeal mostly to loyal Subaru customers who want to go electric, while brand-agnostic shoppers might want to consider other options.