Subaru Maintenance Schedule & Costs
By CarWhere Research · Updated
Subaru maintenance costs about $1,619–$1,769 a year across the 4 models we price (AAA's 2025 per-mile benchmarks for each model's vehicle category, 15,000 miles a year), against a $1,656 all-vehicle average. No complimentary scheduled maintenance program was confirmed on Subaru's U.S. site. Subaru's published oil-change interval: 6,000 miles or 6 months.
Est. per year
$1,619–$1,769
vs $1,656 average
Brand rank
#8 of 25
cost, then complaints
Free maintenance
None confirmed
Models covered
4
4 priced
Subaru maintenance schedule
Intervals and items from Subaru's own maintenance guides and owner's manuals, linked row by row. Your engine and driving conditions can change them; the manual for your car wins.
| Interval | Service items | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Every 6,000 miles or 6 months |
| 2025 Subaru Warranty & Maintenance Booklet — 2025 MY All Vehicles, Federal/California (techinfo.subaru.com) |
| Every 12,000 miles or 12 months |
| 2025 Subaru Warranty & Maintenance Booklet — 2025 MY All Vehicles, Federal/California (techinfo.subaru.com) |
| Every 30,000 miles or 30 months |
| 2025 Subaru Warranty & Maintenance Booklet — 2025 MY All Vehicles, Federal/California (techinfo.subaru.com) |
| 36,000 miles, then every 30,000 (66k, 96k, 126k) |
| 2025 Subaru Warranty & Maintenance Booklet — 2025 MY All Vehicles, Federal/California (techinfo.subaru.com) |
| Every 60,000 miles or 60 months |
| 2025 Subaru Warranty & Maintenance Booklet — 2025 MY All Vehicles, Federal/California (techinfo.subaru.com) |
| 72,000 miles or 72 months |
| 2025 Subaru Warranty & Maintenance Booklet — 2025 MY All Vehicles, Federal/California (techinfo.subaru.com) |
| 137,500 miles or 11 years (first) |
| 2025 Subaru Warranty & Maintenance Booklet — 2025 MY All Vehicles, Federal/California (techinfo.subaru.com) |
| Severe-condition notes |
| 2025 Subaru Warranty & Maintenance Booklet — 2025 MY All Vehicles, Federal/California (techinfo.subaru.com) |
Oil-change interval
Normal service: 6,000 miles or 6 months
Severe or special conditions: 3,000 miles or 3 months (repeated short trips, extremely cold weather, repeated towing)
One schedule covers all 2025 Subaru models. It repeats after 120,000 miles/120 months.
Free / included maintenance
No complimentary scheduled maintenance confirmed for new Subaru vehicles. The 2025 booklet describes no complimentary maintenance program. It only mentions Added Security, Subaru's paid extended service agreement.
Subaru maintenance cost by model
Per-year figures use AAA's 2025 benchmark for each model's vehicle category at 15,000 miles a year; they include repairs and tires. Models in the same category share a benchmark, so compare complaint rates too.
Which Subaru has the least problems?
NHTSA owner complaints per 1,000 vehicles sold (2015–2022 U.S. sales), graded against every model in the same segment. Lower is better.
Subaru vs other brands
Subaru ranks #8 of 25. Priced brands are ordered by the average of their models' estimates; brands that don't publish service prices follow, ordered by complaint rate.
| # | Brand | Est. per year | Median complaints / 1,000 | Included maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tesla | $1,511 | — | None confirmed |
| 2 | Toyota | $1,463–$1,769 | 0.182 (5 models) | ToyotaCare: 2 years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first, for model years 2026 and earlier |
| 3 | Mazda | $1,535–$1,746 | 0.317 (4 models) | None confirmed |
| 4 | Volkswagen | $1,535–$1,769 | 0.337 (2 models) | Carefree Maintenance (part of Carefree Coverage): 2 years — covers the 10,000- and 20,000-mile scheduled services, or scheduled services for two years, whichever occurs first |
| 5 | GMC | $1,704 | 0.867 (2 models) | GMC First Service Visit: First scheduled service visit for new GMC owners |
| 6 | Ram | $1,704 | 0.968 (1 model) | None confirmed |
| 7 | Hyundai | $1,535–$1,769 | 0.759 (4 models) | Hyundai Complimentary Maintenance (HCM): 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first |
| 8 | Subaru | $1,619–$1,769 | 0.405 (2 models) | None confirmed |
| 9 | Honda | $1,535–$1,787 | 0.497 (5 models) | Honda Maintenance Program: 1 year / 12,000 miles on 2026 models |
| 10 | Chevrolet | $1,704–$1,769 | 0.517 (3 models) | Chevrolet Complete Care — covered first maintenance visit: One visit within the first 12 months of ownership |
| 11 | Ford | $1,704–$1,769 | 0.672 (2 models) | None confirmed |
| 12 | Kia | $1,746–$1,769 | 0.756 (4 models) | None confirmed |
| 13 | Jeep | $1,746–$1,769 | 1.19 (4 models) | None confirmed |
| 14 | Nissan | $1,746–$1,787 | 0.355 (6 models) | Nissan Maintenance Care: Up to 3 oil changes within 2 years or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first |
| 15 | Porsche | $1,824–$2,168 | — | Included First Service: First scheduled service at 1 year/10,000 miles on new internal-combustion Porsches |
| 16 | Lexus | Not priced | 0.202 (1 model) | LexusCare complimentary maintenance: First two scheduled services: 6 months/5,000 miles and 12 months/10,000 miles, whichever comes first |
| 17 | Acura | Not priced | 0.874 (2 models) | Acura Maintenance Program: 1 year / 12,000 miles |
| 18 | Audi | Not priced | — | Audi Signature Care Scheduled Maintenance: Included with every new model-year 2026 Audi: scheduled services in the first 3 years/30,000 miles, whichever occurs first |
| 19 | BMW | Not priced | — | BMW Ultimate Care Scheduled Maintenance: 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever first, from original in-service date |
| 20 | Cadillac | Not priced | — | Cadillac First Maintenance Visit: First service visit at a participating dealer within the first year of vehicle delivery |
| 21 | Genesis | Not priced | — | Genesis Complimentary Scheduled Maintenance (with Service Valet): 3 years / 36,000 miles, whichever comes first |
| 22 | Land Rover | Not priced | — | None confirmed |
| 23 | Lincoln | Not priced | — | Lincoln complimentary scheduled maintenance: 4 years / 50,000 miles |
| 24 | Mercedes-Benz | Not priced | — | None confirmed |
| 25 | Volvo | Not priced | — | Volvo Complimentary Factory Scheduled Maintenance: MY2026 gas mild-hybrid/plug-in hybrid: first two scheduled services |
Frequently asked questions
Is Subaru expensive to maintain?
Subaru maintenance costs about $1,619–$1,769 a year across the 4 models we price (AAA's 2025 per-mile benchmarks for each model's vehicle category, 15,000 miles a year), against a $1,656 all-vehicle average. No complimentary scheduled maintenance program was confirmed on Subaru's U.S. site. Subaru's published oil-change interval: 6,000 miles or 6 months.
What is the cheapest Subaru to maintain?
Of the 4 Subaru models we cover, the Crosstrek has the lowest estimated maintenance cost: about $1,619 a year (AAA 2025 subcompact SUV benchmark).
Which Subaru has the least problems?
The Subaru Impreza has the fewest problems of the 2 Subaru models in our NHTSA study: 0.286 owner complaints per 1,000 sold (2015–2022 sales), against Forester 0.525. Lower is better.
Is Subaru a reliable brand?
On owner complaints, Subaru is stronger than most: of the 2 Subaru models in our sales-adjusted NHTSA study, 1 grades above average for its segment and 0 below. Fewest complaints: the Impreza (0.286 per 1,000 sold).
How often does a Subaru need an oil change?
Subaru's published oil-change interval: 6,000 miles or 6 months.
Does Subaru include free maintenance?
Not as standard. The 2025 booklet describes no complimentary maintenance program.
Related
Sources and method
Schedules, oil intervals and included maintenance come from Subaru's own documents. Dollar estimates are AAA category benchmarks (or, for Porsche, Porsche's plan prices), never invented per-model prices. Complaint rates: NHTSA complaints ÷ published U.S. sales (CarWhere analysis).
- Your Driving Costs 2025 (brochure: cost per mile by vehicle category) — AAA (maintenance cents per mile by category)
- Your Driving Costs 2025 fact sheet (methodology) — AAA (what the maintenance line includes)
- NHTSA vehicle owner complaints database — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (complaints per 1,000 sold is a CarWhere calculation)
- 2025 Subaru Warranty & Maintenance Booklet — 2025 MY All Vehicles, Federal/California (techinfo.subaru.com) — Subaru (opened 2026-11-06)