Is the Subaru Crosstrek high maintenance?
By CarWhere Research · Updated
Not especially. The Subaru Crosstrek is about average to maintain. On AAA's 2025 subcompact SUV benchmark, it costs about $1,619 a year to maintain and repair at 15,000 miles a year, tires included — about the same as the $1,656 all-vehicle average. NHTSA holds 1,109 owner complaints for the Crosstrek, with 4 model years flagged in our years-to-avoid analysis; we don't have the sales data to turn that into a per-1,000 rate.
Verdict
About average
about average to maintain
Per year
$1,619
AAA 2025 benchmark
5 years
$8,095
75,000 miles
NHTSA complaints
1,109
total on file
Crosstrek maintenance cost: 5 and 10 years
| Period | Miles | Estimate | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per year | 15,000 | $1,619 | AAA subcompact SUV, 10.79¢/mile |
| 5 years | 75,000 | $8,095 | AAA's own 5-year window |
| 10 years (floor) | 150,000 | $16,190+ | AAA's 5-year per-mile rate, extended in a straight line |
Method: AAA 2025 subcompact SUV benchmark: 10.79¢ a mile × 15,000 miles a year. Covers scheduled maintenance, wear-item repairs, one set of tires and an extended warranty over 5 years. A category average, not a Crosstrek-specific quote. The 10-year figure is a floor: it doesn't add the larger age-related repairs (and later scheduled items such as spark plugs or coolant) that come after year 5.
How the verdict is set: Two inputs. Cost: the estimate against AAA's $1,656 all-vehicle average (more than 3% under counts in the car's favor, more than 3% over against it). Complaints: NHTSA owner complaints per 1,000 sold against the median of every model in our study (0.48); well under the median helps, well over hurts, roughly double or more hurts twice as much. Both low = "No"; both high = "Yes". Models without a dollar estimate get no verdict.
Crosstrek service schedule highlights
From Subaru's documents for the Crosstrek:
- Covered by the 2025 all-vehicle schedule (CVT); MT items apply only to manual models
Oil changes
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.
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 factory schedule
| 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) |
Common Crosstrek problems (NHTSA data)
NHTSA holds 1,109 owner complaints for the Crosstrek, with 4 model years flagged in our years-to-avoid analysis; we don't have the sales data to turn that into a per-1,000 rate.
- 1,109 owner complaints on file with NHTSA across all Crosstrek model years.
- Most-reported systems: electrical system (2,072), engine (402).
- Model years flagged in our years-to-avoid analysis: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024.
- Best-rated years: 2013, 2022.
Complaints measure problems owners reported to the government, not repair bills: a high count signals more unscheduled repairs, which AAA's category benchmark doesn't adjust for. Crosstrek years to avoid →
Frequently asked questions
Is the Crosstrek high maintenance?
Not especially. The Subaru Crosstrek is about average to maintain. On AAA's 2025 subcompact SUV benchmark, it costs about $1,619 a year to maintain and repair at 15,000 miles a year, tires included — about the same as the $1,656 all-vehicle average. NHTSA holds 1,109 owner complaints for the Crosstrek, with 4 model years flagged in our years-to-avoid analysis; we don't have the sales data to turn that into a per-1,000 rate.
Is the Crosstrek expensive to maintain?
Plan on about $1,619 a year, $8,095 over 5 years. AAA 2025 subcompact SUV benchmark: 10.79¢ a mile × 15,000 miles a year. Covers scheduled maintenance, wear-item repairs, one set of tires and an extended warranty over 5 years. A category average, not a Crosstrek-specific quote.
How much does a Crosstrek cost to maintain over 10 years?
About $16,190 at 15,000 miles a year (150,000 miles), extending the AAA 5-year per-mile rate in a straight line. Treat it as a floor: AAA's rate is measured on a car's first 5 years, and older cars need larger repairs.
How often does the Crosstrek need an oil change?
Subaru's published oil-change interval: 6,000 miles or 6 months. Check your owner's manual for your engine; severe-service intervals are shorter.
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).
What Crosstrek years should I avoid?
Our NHTSA years-to-avoid analysis flags 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024. NHTSA holds 1,109 owner complaints for the Crosstrek, with 4 model years flagged in our years-to-avoid analysis; we don't have the sales data to turn that into a per-1,000 rate.
Related
Sources and method
Dollar figures: AAA's 2025 Your Driving Costs category benchmark (retail parts and labor for routine maintenance specified by the vehicle manufacturer, a comprehensive extended warranty, repairs to wear-and-tear items that need service during 5 years of operation, and one set of replacement tires). Schedule, oil interval and included maintenance: Subaru's own documents, linked by row. Complaints: NHTSA's public complaint database, divided by 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)