The New Subaru Solterra EV After One Year, Did It Exceed Expectations, Or Was It A Bust?

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How well did the new 2023 Subaru Solterra perform in its first year? Here are the year-end results. Did it exceed expectations, or was it a bust?

How did Subaru's first-ever all-electric model, the 2023 Subaru Solterra compact SUV, do in its first year? I cover all Subaru models, and the Solterra is somewhat of an enigma. Before I tell you why, here are the numbers for the Solterra's finish in 2023.

The Solterra EV is catching on.

The Solterra EV completed its first full year with 8,872 vehicle sales. Not great, but not bad. 

photo credit: Competition Subaru

The Solterra EV is catching on with Subaru customers in North America. Subaru of America delivered 956 compact electric SUVs to EV customers in December compared with 825 in December 2022. The Solterra was up 15.9 percent. SOA sold 8,872 models to EV customers for the entire year in 2023. That's impressive, as the EV was expected to have about 6,000 model sales in its first year. 

SOA report says the Solterra was up 865.4 percent compared with sales in 2022. However, the percentage of increase for the entire year is misleading because Solterra only had two months of sales in 2022, so we can disregard that.

photo credit: Competition Subaru

Why is the Solterra somewhat of an enigma and hard to figure out?

The Solterra is a joint venture with Toyota, and Subaru relies on Toyota to manufacture the compact electric SUV for them in the Toyota factory. Subaru has no control over how many they can manufacture and are dependent on their partner.  

Even though Subaru engineers were involved in the design of the Solterra, it's still a product of the collaboration. The Solterra and the bZ4X have had some problems that I have covered extensively. The problems started with a wheel issue in the first month of manufacturing.

Other issues for the Solterra are the need for more range and the fact that it's the most expensive model in Subaru's all-wheel-drive lineup. Those are issues that take work to fix. Subaru Corporation and Toyota may need to re-engineer the two EVs soon.

Subaru of America points out ten good things about the Solterra. I will cover these in detail in a future report. 

  1. Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive 
  2. Dual-Function X-Mode
  3. Ground Clearance
  4. Safety Features
  5. Advanced Safety Technology
  6. Proven Subaru Longevity
  7. Protecting Our Parks
  8. Lowest Cost of Ownership 
  9. 89% Owner Satisfaction Rate
  10. Easy to Charge

Did the new 2023 Subaru Solterra exceed expectations, or was it a bust? 

My take is that the Solterra was a viable first EV for Subaru. It is a good model, but it could be better. The small Japanese automaker wanted to test the waters before fully committing to offering more electric vehicles and building new dedicated factories for its hybrid and electric cars. Toyota was the way to wade into the water, but not too deep.

The 2023 Subaru Solterra EV was not a bust, but it failed in its range and needs to be more value-priced for Subaru customers. There could be a significant re-engineering of the Solterra coming soon. Stay tuned. 

Your turn

Did you buy a new Solterra? Please tell us what you think of the new EV.

Thanks for reading, everyone. I hope you enjoyed the Subaru Solterra story. See you tomorrow for my latest Subaru Report.

For additional articles related to new Subaru models, here are a few of my top stories you may enjoy. 

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Watch the 2023 Subaru Solterra review // Any different from Toyota?

I am Denis Flierl, a 12-year Torque News senior writer with 20+ years of Subaru and automotive journalism experience. I enjoy bringing you, the Subaru fans and customers, the most up-to-date Subaru news, reviews, and new model information. You'll find the latest Subaru stories on the Subaru page. Follow me on my The Dirty Subaru website, Dirty Subaru blog, SubaruReport, All Subaru, WRXSTI, @DenisFlierl, Facebook, and Instagram.

I’ve got you covered! - I cover all Subaru all the time - It’s called the “Subaru Report.” Check back daily for my expert Subaru analysis!

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photo credit: Competition Subaru

Submitted by Russ Rayburn (not verified) on January 11, 2024 - 7:16PM

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Full charge on my Solterra is always above 260 miles. Yes is it a slow charging car, but works well with my home charger. But that aside, it is an excellent driving car, quick, quiet, precise steering and excellent flat cornering. Very well made, and a pleasure to drive. It takes off like a small business jet on the runway and all you hear is the wind rushing past the car body. Now I laugh at the noisy ICE cars and the constant changing of gears and rpms. So maybe people should talk more about how good an overall car it is and not constantly harp about the charging speed. I bought it to be a daily driver not a long distance road tripper. The lower maintenance of an EV versus an ICE was my main reason for purchase. If more people would drop the political talking points about EVs and drive one, they would probably change their minds.

Russ Rayburn, thank you for including actual information in your post, such as your miles-per-charge. I wish you had been the writer of this story. Then it might not have been such a waste of time

Submitted by J. D. Richards (not verified) on January 21, 2024 - 9:40AM

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The Solterra I test drove was a higher trim, but felt so Spartan. The interior reminded me of a Honda Fit. No glovebox, no spare tire, so so range, extremely heavy feeling trunk, etc. At $50k+ this beast was way way too much car and at the same time not enough car. Time will tell if somehow the Toyota engineers managed to keep this Subaru EV from leaking oil too /s. It was a hard pass from me. I'll stick with my Outback, thanks.