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Hertz Is Fire-selling Its Subaru Solterra and We Just Bought One With 7,000 Miles at Soft Pricing

One of my readers recently seized a unique opportunity and purchased a Subaru Solterra from Hertz at a deep discount. I'll delve into why the Solterra pricing is so attractive at Hertz and if you should consider doing the same thing.

How low can you go?

In my recent report, "The Party Is Over For Subaru", I received several comments from readers. One of the more interesting comments came from a reader who said he recently purchased a 2023 Subaru Solterra from Hertz at a deep discount. Here are his comments, and then I'll explain more about Subaru's future in the market with new EVs coming.

The Hertz EV firesale is on. 

A report from CNN says, "Hertz, which has made a big push into electric vehicles in recent years, has decided it's time to cut back. The company will sell off a third of its electric fleet, totaling roughly 20,000 vehicles, and use the money they bring to purchase more gasoline-powered vehicles."

Why are EV prices so soft at Hertz? 

"Collision and damage repairs on an EV can often run about twice that associated with a comparable combustion engine vehicle," Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr said in a recent analyst call.

Rick Goddard, a faithful reader of my reports, purchased one of the Hertz sales vehicles.

He says, "We just bought a 2023 Solterra with 7000 miles on it. It was a Hertz vehicle, and they are unloading all of their EVs at deep discounts (ours was $27,000), which could explain the soft pricing." 

The Solterra price when it was new for the mid-level Limited trim was $49,720, which included destination and delivery fees ($1,225). I'm guessing the trim level Hertz sold to Rick was a Solterra Limited. I found a few on the Hertz website for sale at the $27,000 price. 

With only 7,000 miles on the Solterra, that's a significant discount of nearly $23,000. This is not just a good deal, it's a smart financial move for EV shoppers, offering substantial savings on a high-quality vehicle. 

As a Subaru owner, Rick Goddard is optimistic about the future. He says, "It's a great car, but any EV will suffer high depreciation for a while as new EVs with longer range and better charge times come on the market. As far as other Subarus go, interest rates will recede, their reliability and quality will be in demand, and pricing will hold. Not worried about Subaru's future at all."

His positive outlook should reassure potential buyers about the value of their investment.

What is Subaru's hybrid and EV future?

Subaru will develop and sell four new hybrid models and three new battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) by the end of 2028. 

The Forester is the first Subaru hybrid coming next year, followed by the Crosstrek, Hybrid, Outback Hybrid, and possibly the Ascent Hybrid. Subaru may drop the Ascent, turn it into an EV, or redesign it in a new hybrid trim level. Read my Subaru Hybrid report here for more information.

Subaru will offer three new BEVs in North America.

  • An "Ascent-sized" 3-Row EV built in Kentucky in collaboration with Toyota is coming for U.S. customers in late 2025. 
  • A Forester-sized compact SUV BEV developed in-house on the e-Subaru platform is set to debut in 2027. Subaru has yet to release any details.
  • An Outback-sized electric wagon developed in-house on the e-Subaru platform will debut in 2028.

The new Subaru Wagon EV will likely be developed in-house on the e-Subaru Global Platform and manufactured in Gunma, Japan, alongside the new 2-Row electric compact SUV. Both will be available for North American customers. More details are coming. Check out my report here for more information. 

In the meantime, if you are looking for a new Subaru Solterra, Hertz rentals is having a fire sale going on now. Check them out here for more details. 

Have you purchased a Subaru Solterra or another car from Hertz? What kind of a deal did you get? If so, click the red Add New Comment link below and let us know.

I am Denis Flierl, a Senior Torque News Writer since 2012. I’ve invested over 13 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role, working with every major car brand. I am an experienced Rocky Mountain Automotive Press member. You'll find my expert Subaru analysis here. Follow me on my X SubaruReportAll SubaruWRXSTI@DenisFlierlFacebook, and Instagram.

Photo credit: Adventure Subaru

Comments

Allan Caplan (not verified)    September 27, 2024 - 8:32PM

I Leased a 2024 Subaru Soltara.
I could not be happier.
At 27m just but one from Hertz (their lose) its a magnificent machine.

Aaron (not verified)    September 28, 2024 - 12:58AM

Purchased a 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV from Hertz this summer for $18,000, including taxes, tags and all fees. 11,000 miles, in excellent condition. Great value, happy with my purchase.

Doug Adkins (not verified)    September 28, 2024 - 2:09PM

Earlier this summer, I purchased a 2023 Kia EV6 Wind for $25k which was basically half of what it was originally. Only had a little over 12k miles. I drive it every day. The EV6 has 300-330 mile range versus many of the others with much less range. Great deal.

David Cross (not verified)    September 28, 2024 - 7:10PM

Bought 2023 Solterra Premium with 8320 miles for 25K. Got both recall software updates and got the reverse chime shut off. Costs about ten bucks for a full charge on level 2 at home. With gasoline selling at 5 bucks a gallon here in Cali, its pretty nice. Just hope it holds up. Right now its wonderful to drive.

Diana (not verified)    September 30, 2024 - 11:42AM

I scored one of these deals yesterday thanks to your article! 2023 Solterra Limited with 25,000 miles for $24k. Car is in great condition. I’m super happy with it! Thank you!

Anji G (not verified)    October 2, 2024 - 7:17AM

I did not purchase one, I rented one from Hertz. I would never drive one of these again. I spent more time charging it, than I did driving it. This was during moderate fall weather, it took two hours to get to seventy two percent from the thirteen percent it was at when they rented it to me. The charger I was at kicked me off at the two hour mark. And no, the charger was just fine, it had two available sides to charge on, and while I sat, and sat, and sat, and sat, the Tesla finished, another Tesla charged and was replaced by a Polestar, then another Tesla. All but the last finished on the same charger, and I'm sure the last Tesla was on my heels leaving the parking lot. Based on my week with this turkey, I would not get one of these if you plan to drive any significant distance. The interior is somewhat cramped, and the power was not impressive. All the wonderful things that you hear about in EVs are lacking in the Solterra. I will stick with my hybrid.

Tom (not verified)    October 14, 2024 - 7:05PM

Hertz only has them in the West but you can also find these Solterras on the Carvana website, and they ship east for $1-2k. We've had our former-Hertz Limited Solterra for a week, and it's awesome!

We're a 2-car household and we'll use our other car when we go on a road trip. But the Solterra is a very fun car for essentially every other purpose.

Sean Holland (not verified)    November 27, 2024 - 4:13AM

In reply to by Tom (not verified)

I purchased a 2023 Solterra Limited last week from my local Toyota/Subaru dealership with 1,900 miles on it for $30K. It was a fleet car that they were selling as a certified pre-owned. They clearly wanted it off their lot but I'm super happy with it. It's a gorgeous, fun car, and fits our lifestyle as we have an Ascent Onyx edition for road trips, towing, family hauling, etc. This is a perfect second vehicle for in-town and medium distance use. I can't wait to drive it next summer and see what the full range is like at warmer temperatures.