Subaru Solterra review
The Subaru Solterra is a well-rounded electric family SUV, but it’s very expensive to buy
Our opinion on the Subaru Solterra
The Subaru Solterra is the Japanese brand’s first-ever electric car, and it’s surprisingly good to drive, features great on-board tech, and sticks with good old-fashioned, easy-to-use controls. As is the Subaru way, the Solterra comes as standard with all-wheel drive, plus some slightly off-road-style features that should please fans of the brand.
However, it must be said that while the Solterra is a well-rounded electric family SUV, it simply doesn’t offer the same levels of practicality or range as some of its key rivals, many of which have much lower starting prices, too.
About the Subaru Solterra
The Subaru Solterra landed here in late 2022, and it might look a little familiar to those in the market for an electric family car because its sister car is the Toyota bZ4X.
But as Subaru likes to point out, this is not a bait-and-switch, badge-engineering job, a la Toyota Yaris and Mazda 2 Hybrid. Subaru helped to develop the platform used by both cars, which also underpins the Lexus RZ.
We’ve pitted the Subaru Solterra against the Skoda Enyaq in a family EV twin test. While we did enjoy driving the Solterra, it just couldn’t live up to the Enyaq’s practicality and value.
Performance & driving experience
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Few brands are as synonymous with all-wheel drive as Subaru, so it’s no surprise that the Solterra features permanent all-wheel drive as standard, courtesy of two electric motors (one on each axle).
Used - available now
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Cash £14,197
2025 Peugeot
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2018 Nissan
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Cash £11,000You might not expect a two-tonne-plus electric SUV to be the sort of car we’d praise for the way it drives, but Subaru has achieved a great middle ground between capable handling and a settled ride with the Solterra.
To help deliver optimum traction on difficult terrain, this car features X-Mode settings developed by Subaru, but its rather ordinary ground clearance means it’s not capable of venturing too far off the beaten track.
| Model | Power | 0-62mph | Top speed |
| Solterra Limited | 215bhp | 6.9 seconds | 100mph |
| Solterra Touring | 215bhp | 6.9 seconds | 100mph |
Electric motors, 0-60mph acceleration and top speed
Combined, the Solterra’s two electric motors produce 215bhp and 336Nm of torque. That’s not a huge amount of power compared to the 302bhp in the dual-motor Nissan Ariya or the Tesla Model Y Premium AWD’s 370bhp, but it’s still plenty for the school run, accelerating from 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds.
Power delivery is smooth from the Solterra’s two electric motors, and we have no reason to doubt the claimed acceleration time. Slowing down is just as impressive, because the Subaru’s brake feel is reassuring, and the transition between the regeneration of the electric motor and physical brakes is almost imperceptible.
Town driving, visibility and parking
Responsive and lightweight steering make the Subaru Solterra easy to manoeuvre around town, and a standard-fit 360-degree camera means parking it isn’t too troublesome, either.
You can adjust the level of brake regeneration on the fly via paddles mounted behind the steering wheel, while the strongest setting is accessed using a button on the dashboard. The latter is almost capable of one-pedal driving, but doesn’t bring the car to a complete stop.
Country road driving and handling
Find yourself a twisty B-road, and body roll is kept to a minimum around corners and the Solterra turns in keenly. The steering is light enough to make manoeuvring around town easy, yet it is still well weighted and provides a convincing impression of feedback from the front tyres.
Motorway driving and long-distance comfort
The Solterra remains composed over bumps and does a solid job of cushioning passengers from shocks, both in terms of noise and vibration. The cabin is well isolated from road noise as well, making this Subaru a great motorway cruiser.
Range, charging & running costs
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Unlike the majority of electric family SUVs, the Solterra is offered with just one powertrain: a 71.4kWh battery used to power two electric motors. According to Subaru, this combination is good for 289 miles on the WLTP combined cycle in base Limited trim. The fancier Touring trim gets a shorter 257-mile claimed range, largely as a result of its larger 20-inch wheels with greater rolling resistance.
For context, entry-level versions of the Skoda Enyaq offer 282 miles on the combined cycle, while the least-expensive Tesla Model Y provides 314 miles.
What’s more, our test car seemed to be hit particularly hard by colder weather. We could only muster a real-world efficiency figure of 2.5 miles per kilowatt hour, while a Skoda Enyaq we were testing at the same time returned 3.0mi/kWh. At that rate, the Subaru would only cover 178 miles on a full charge, compared to 231 miles in the Skoda. The Solterra does at least come with a standard-fit heat pump to help mitigate this issue.
Even though the Solterra’s 150kW rapid-charging capabilities aren’t the fastest in this class, they are at least on par with the Skoda Enyaq and Nissan Ariya. Find a suitably fast ultra-rapid charging point and a 10-80 per cent top-up will take 30 minutes, while a 7.4kW home wallbox will take nearly 12 hours to fully replenish the battery.
| Model | Battery size | Range | Insurance group |
| Solterra Limited | 71.4kWh | 289 miles | 38 |
| Solterra Touring | 71.4kWh | 257 miles | 39 |
Insurance groups
As well as being relatively expensive to buy, insurance for the Subaru Solterra won’t be all that cheap, either. That's because the base Limited model lands in insurance group 38 (out of 50), and the top-spec Touring goes up group 39.
Curiously, the Solterra’s sister car, the Toyota bZ4X, sits in insurance groups 32 to 41, despite using the same underpinnings. However, neither of these cars will be anywhere near as affordable to cover as the Skoda Enyaq, which starts from group 27.
Tax
Due to the Solterra sitting firmly above the £50,000 mark, the luxury car tax applies to every model sold. This adds another £440 on top of the yearly VED road tax bill from the second the vehicle is taxed until it is six years old.
Company car drivers will at least benefit from the lowest applicable Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax rates due to this car's zero-emissions status. However, many business buyers will almost certainly be more attracted to the Toyota bZ4X’s lower starting price.
Depreciation
Our market data shows that the Solterra is set to retain a mere 30 per cent of its original value after three years or 36,000 miles. When taking its starting price into account, this isn’t great news.
The much cheaper Skoda Enyaq, on the other hand, manages to hold on to 43 to 47 per cent of its value after the same amount of time or mileage. The Toyota bZ4X is also a stronger performer than the Subaru at between 41 and 44 per cent.
Interior, design & technology
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The Solterra follows a sleeker, less boxy design language than many Subarus of the past. However, large swathes of black plastic on the wheelarches and sills give it a bit of a rough-and-ready look.
Interior and dashboard design
Inside, the Solterra doesn’t feel as spacious as a Hyundai Ioniq 5, but the much more traditional, user-friendly interior is easy to get along with. It’ll undoubtedly appeal to those who aren’t sold on the growing theme of everything being controlled through a touchscreen.
The Solterra also bucks the trend of relying on touch-sensitive panels and sliders, instead sticking with buttons and physical controls for the most part, particularly for the steering wheel. The climate controls are a combination of physical and touch switches, and they’re reasonably easy to fathom. It’s certainly a better set-up than the many cars we’ve tested that force you to dig through the menus on a touchscreen to change something like the fan speed.
Materials and build quality
The Subaru might not be as airy inside as a Skoda Enyaq, but we can't fault the quality of the Solterra’s cabin. The sturdy plastics and use of fabric materials over the dashboard help to make it feel as premium as you’d expect at this price.
The seven-inch instrument panel is less of a highlight. While the screen is clear and crisp, it’s mounted above the steering wheel, much like Peugeot’s similarly divisive i-Cockpit set-up. The system won’t work for everyone, and especially shorter drivers, who might find the wheel blocking part of the dials – as we experienced ourselves.
Infotainment, sat-nav and stereo
The Solterra is certainly packed with tech, but the central 12.3-inch screen is a definite highlight. It has clearly thought-out menus, it responds quickly to touches, and loads routes quickly. All versions of the Solterra come with wireless Apple CarPlay; however, you’ll need a cable to use Android Auto, and only the top-spec Touring version gets a wireless charging pad for your smartphone.
Subaru’s Care App allows owners to control a variety of car functions from their smartphone. These include the ability to remotely pre-heat the car before a journey, set charging schedules, check that the car is locked and view driving analytics data.
Boot space & practicality
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This being a Subaru, there are one or two quirky touches in the Solterra’s cabin, some of which we like, others less so. The large storage space under the floating centre console is pretty handy, and we quite like the smartphone tray that’s hidden by a translucent cover.
However, there’s no glovebox or rear windscreen wiper, with the latter becoming something of a trend in new cars and one we hope ends soon. At least passengers can keep their devices charged up using the pair of USB-C sockets in the back.
Dimensions and size
The Solterra is longer than both the Skoda Enyaq and its own Toyota bZ4x sibling. Its wheelbase is also the longest of the three.
| Dimensions comparison | |||
| Model | Subaru Solterra | Toyota bZ4X | Skoda Enyaq |
| Length | 4,690mm | 4,690mm | 4,658mm |
| Width | 1,860mm | 1,860mm | 1,879mm |
| Height | 1,650mm | 1,600mm | 1,622mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,850mm | 2,785mm | 2,766mm |
| Boot space |
452 litres (Limited) 441 litres (Touring | 452 litres | 585 litres |
Seats & passenger space
Passengers in the back of the Solterra get loads of kneeroom and a decent amount of headroom, too. The seat backs do recline, which might be handy for particularly tall passengers. However, the limited amount of leg support for them can’t be fixed, because the high floor forces your thighs off the squab.
Boot space
Boot space in the Solterra measures 452 litres in Limited spec cars, or 441 litres if you go for Touring. That’s not particularly big for a car of this type, so those after the most boot space possible will be better served by a Skoda Enyaq or Tesla Model Y. There’s also no ‘frunk’ under the bonnet of the Subaru, and the 60:40-split rear seats don’t fold completely flat.
There aren’t many features in the Solterra’s boot, either, and those that are present aren’t that well thought out. For example, the folding bag hooks are positioned on the trim surrounding the boot opening, so you’ll struggle to hang any decent-sized bag of shopping on them without blocking the tailgate.
Towing
Electric cars aren’t renowned for their towing abilities, but even still, the Solterra’s 750kg maximum towing capacity is below average. Especially compared to all-wheel-drive versions of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Nissan Ariya, which are rated to pull up to 1,600kg and 1,500kg, respectively.
Reliability & safety
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Neither the Solterra nor the Subaru brand appeared in the latest Driver Power survey, but Subaru is no stranger to the top of the best manufacturer list. The Solterra is also a winner in the eyes of Euro NCAP’s expert safety testers, as it achieved a full five stars when it was tested in 2025.
The Solterra comes with a pretty average three-year or 60,000-mile warranty. However, the Toyota bZ4X has the advantage of the option to extend its coverage to ten years or 100,000 miles.
| Euro NCAP safety ratings | |
| Euro NCAP safety rating | Five stars (2025) |
| Adult occupant protection | 88% |
| Child occupant protection | 85% |
| Vulnerable road user protection | 80% |
| Safety assist | 79% |
Buying, prices and deals
- Best buy: Subaru Solterra Limited
To put it bluntly, the Subaru Solterra isn’t a cheap car; so we’d suggest saving just that little bit more by sticking with the entry-level Limited model from £52,500. The Touring starts from around £55,500, and there are no performance or efficiency gains to be had, just a little bit of extra kit.
Of course, you can always save on the list price with the Auto Express Buy A Car service. We also have Solterra leasing deals available, as well as used Solterra models in stock.
Subaru Solterra alternatives
There are plenty of capable and much cheaper rivals to consider in the electric SUV sector. The Skoda Enyaq is a firm Auto Express favourite, and it starts from under £41,000. The tech-filled Tesla Model Y is a big seller in the UK, and it’s also cheaper than the Subaru at £42,000. Perhaps the most obvious Solterra alternative, though, is its own sibling, the Toyota bZ4X. This shares the same underpinnings but starts from less than £40,000.
Key updates of the Subaru Solterra review
3 July 2026: Latest driving impressions and line-up details.
Subaru Solterra pictures
Frequently Asked Questions
The Subaru Solterra is covered by a three-year/60,000-mile warranty, while its battery gets an eight-year/100,000-mile guarantee.
Deals on the Solterra and alternatives
