Subaru got off on the wrong foot regarding sales for 2026. From January to April, every month was worse than the same one for 2025. As a result, the company’s total sales for 2026 have been trailing last year’s, too. Starting in May, though, sales for a number of models were turning around. Despite that, as of July, only two models have topped 2025’s sales to date, one of which is a volume model, and the other is the WRX.
The WRX Is Having A Great Year
Even though it’s a seriously niche (but fun) product, the WRX is having a remarkable 2026. In July, WRX sales were up by 214.7% compared to the same month last year. For the year to date, the WRX is also up by 24.1% versus 2025. The caveat is that WRX sales are still small in the grand scheme of things. Actual volume came to 1,438 units for the month, bringing the year’s total so far to 8,546. That does mean it has nearly matched the regular Impreza’s sales this year, and it’s about 7,000 units ahead of the BRZ.
2026 Subaru Forester Hybrid front 3/4Subaru
The other winner in Subaru’s lineup so far is the Forester. Subaru sold 15,873 of them this month, an increase of 33.5% over July of last year. For the whole year so far, Subaru Forester sales have hit 123,727, 14.7% more than last year through July. The Forester’s strong sales through the year have also placed it comfortably in first place for Subaru sales, whereas it was neck-and-neck with the Crosstrek last year.
Other Subarus Could Make A Comeback
Even though most Subaru models are still down for the year, that could change for some of them. The Subaru Ascent, the brand’s only three-row model until the Getaway launches, had a seriously good July, with sales jumping by 38.1%, topping even the Forester’s percentage. With total sales for the year at 23,770, the Ascent only has about a 700-unit deficit compared to 2025. The BRZ also had a positive July with a gain of 4.9% over the same month in 2025. Subaru has sold a total of 1,785 of them this year, which is about 100 units off last year’s total through July.
2026 Subaru Trailseeker First DriveSubaru
It’s also worth discussing Subaru’s new EVs, the Trailseeker and Uncharted, too. Because they just launched this year, we don’t have previous sales to compare them against, but they’re racking up some modest sales. The Outback-like Trailseeker had the best month with 1,077 sales, bringing it to 3,513 for the year. Subaru only moved 359 Uncharteds in July, reaching a total of 2,850. They both handily outsold the Solterra, which only racked up 138 units, a drop of more than 90% over July last year. If the Trailseeker maintains its sales advantage, it could easily outperform the Solterra, which has a total of 5,275 sales through July.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Although Subaru’s sales don’t seem hugely impressive, they do show that the company is turning things around this year. With the small improvements from various models, even those that haven’t yet hit last year’s numbers, Subaru’s sales were up ever so slightly (0.8%). That has also helped close the gap with last year a bit. In fact, annual sales are only down by 3.7% at this point, so Subaru has a good chance of at least breaking even or seeing a slight increase by the end of the year.
