2026 Subaru Impreza

The Subaru Impreza is the offbeat brand’s most affordable car, and it brings with it many of the charms that people love about the brand. Some Subaru hallmarks like strong safety ratings and standard all-wheel drive are accounted for, plus it has the frugality and practicality of a compact hatchback with adult-friendly interior space, even in back. The RS trim turns up the fun while keeping it fuel-efficient, and a few options like a sunroof and Harman Kardon audio system make it more premium than you might expect.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of compact cars, including the Subaru Impreza.

This year, the 2026 Subaru Impreza lineup is simplified with only two trims: Sport and RS. The old base trim has been discontinued. Citron Yellow Pearl joins the color palette as a new premium paint option, and there’s a new Auto Vehicle Shutdown feature that turns off the engine after idling for 30 minutes. Additionally, a new Emergency Lane Keep Assist is now standard in RS and optional in Sport.

The 2026 Subaru Impreza starts at $27,790 for the Sport trim and $30,690 for the RS model.

The starting price of the Subaru Impreza is a little high compared to the rest of the compact hatchback class, but remember, it ditched its base trim this year. It’s similarly priced to similarly equipped cars in this class, like the hatchback versions of the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Mazda3. Notably, the Impreza is one of America’s most affordable vehicles with all-wheel drive.

Before buying an Impreza, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. Subaru Impreza resale value is a little above average for the segment. Recouping more money when selling a vehicle can mean a bigger down payment and lower monthly payments on the next one.

The 2026 Subaru Impreza is powered by a 152-horsepower 4-cylinder engine matched with a CVT automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. A familiar staple of Subaru models, it produces sufficient thrust to make piloting an Impreza an enjoyable enough experience. It can come off a bit coarse if you’re not used to Subaru’s trademark flat engines, but its refinement levels are above those of earlier Impreza generations.

Even more refined is the gutsier 2.5-liter boxer engine that powers the Impreza RS. This turns up the heat with 180 horsepower and is an easy upgrade to recommend if your budget allows it. That little extra power is noticeable; it drives a little smoother, and the fuel economy is about the same between the two engines.

Perhaps more significantly, the refined Impreza boasts outstanding ride quality. Subaru stiffened the chassis a bit in the 2024 redesign, which allowed the use of softer springs and firmer shock absorbers. The result? We find the Impreza a practical compact hatchback that’s remarkably comfortable on long trips but quite capable on twisty pavement.

Fuel Economy

The 2026 Subaru Impreza is rated at 27 city/34 highway/30 combined mpg with its base engine. All three of those numbers drop by one with the bigger engine in the RS, making a negligible difference in fuel costs.

The Impreza is about as efficient as the Mazda3, but the Honda Civic Hatchback and Toyota Corolla Hatchback get 34 and 35 combined mpg, respectively. The Civic Hatchback has a hybrid option that gets up to 48 combined mpg and is priced close to the Impreza RS.

In typical Subaru fashion, the Impreza has a functional and practical interior that’s low on frills. The quality and durability are good for the price point. The interior’s centerpiece is a vertically oriented 11.6-inch infotainment display. The big icons are easy to manage, but this system is already feeling a little dated compared to some rivals. At least wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay come standard, and the HVAC controls still use physical buttons.

Interior space in the Subaru Impreza is great for a compact hatchback. 36.5 inches of rear legroom and class-leading 38 inches of rear headroom make it one of the most accommodating back seats for taller adults in this class. There’s 20.4 cubic feet of cargo room behind the rear seats and a whopping 56 cubic feet with the back seats folded down. The Impreza is among the roomiest compacts in its class, but the Civic Hatchback has a little extra cargo space and rear legroom.

Now that the Subaru Impreza only comes in the Sport and RS trims, every model has a distinctly sporty look to it. Both trims have stylish 18-inch wheels with a dark gray finish, and the RS trim adds extra black exterior accents. A nice addition for 2026 is the new Citron Yellow Pearl paint option.

All-wheel drive
A Subaru hallmark, with active torque vectoring to deliver the right amount of drive to each wheel for optimum grip and stability, all-wheel drive is standard in every new Impreza.

EyeSight
The Impreza’s EyeSight driver assist includes forward collision warning with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and advanced adaptive cruise control with lane centering.

Infotainment system
Subaru fits an 11.6-inch touchscreen into every 2026 Impreza, which is accompanied by wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration.

Paddle shifters
Although they’re not a replacement for a stick shift, steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters in the Impreza enable a manual mode with eight preset gear ratios, creating a more engaging driving experience.

RS model
Rolling on a sport suspension, wearing unique exterior treatments, bringing extra safety tech, and producing 180 hp, we think the RS is worth the extra cost.

Harman Kardon audio
The Impreza RS offers an optional Harman Kardon 10-speaker, 432-watt premium audio system, which brings music and podcasts to life.

The Impreza Sport is powered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that produces 152 hp and 145 lb-ft of torque. This horsepower is about the same as that of the Civic and Sentra; however, it’s less than that of the Corolla and the class-leading Mazda3.

The RS has a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine that generates a more spirited 180 hp and 178 lb-ft of torque. Both have a continuous variable automatic transmission (CVT) that sends power to all four wheels. Unfortunately, there’s no manual option like there is for the sportier versions of the Civic, Corolla, and Mazda3.

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

Subaru’s current new-car warranty lasts three years or 36,000 miles, whichever happens first. The powertrains are covered for five years or 60,000 miles, which is typical for the class. Subaru offers free routine maintenance for the first two years or 24,000 miles.

Safety

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the Impreza the top “Good” rating in every category of its testing except the moderate overlap front crash test, where it got a “Marginal” rating. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave it the top 5-Star overall safety rating. The Subaru Impreza is well-equipped with standard safety features. The standard EyeSight safety tech suite has a wider camera view, automatic emergency braking, and advanced adaptive cruise control with lane centering. Emergency Lane Keep Assist is included on models equipped with blind-spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert.