Best Subaru Years to Buy by Model
The best Subaru years to buy: the 2008 Forester, 2020 WRX, 2013 Crosstrek, 2025 Outback, 2025 Legacy and 2025 Ascent — the cleanest federal complaint records for each model. Years to skip include the 2019 Forester and 2019 Crosstrek. Based on 8,511 NHTSA owner complaints across 7 Subaru models, rated model year by model year.
Source: NHTSA owner complaints, recall campaigns & service bulletins · Updated 2026-11-07 · By CarWhere Research · How we rate model years
Best Subaru years, model by model
| Model | Best years | Years to skip | Years on record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subaru Outback | 20242025 | 201520162020 | 12 (2015–2026) |
| Subaru Legacy | 20242025 | 201520162020 | 12 (2014–2025) |
| Subaru Forester | 2008 | 2014201520162017201820192020 | 18 (2008–2025) |
| Subaru Impreza | No standout year yet | 200820122013201720182019 | 18 (2008–2025) |
| Subaru WRX | 2020 | 2008 | 18 (2008–2025) |
| Subaru Crosstrek | 20132022 | 2018201920212024 | 14 (2012–2025) |
| Subaru Ascent | 20242025 | 201920202021 | 8 (2019–2026) |
Verdicts are each model’s own, rated against that model’s history; counts behind them are raw federal filings, not adjusted for sales volume.
The cleanest year for each Subaru model
2008 Subaru Forester: 50 NHTSA owner complaints on record · Best Forester years →
2020 Subaru WRX: 17 NHTSA owner complaints on record · Best WRX years →
2013 Subaru Crosstrek: 25 NHTSA owner complaints on record · all best-rated years: 2013 and 2022 · Best Crosstrek years →
2025 Subaru Outback: 0 NHTSA owner complaints on record · all best-rated years: 2024 and 2025 · Best Outback years →
2025 Subaru Legacy: 0 NHTSA owner complaints on record · all best-rated years: 2024 and 2025 · Best Legacy years →
2025 Subaru Ascent: 0 NHTSA owner complaints on record · all best-rated years: 2024 and 2025 · Best Ascent years →
Years to skip, in detail
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Subaru years to buy?
By model: Forester 2008; WRX 2020; Crosstrek 2013 and 2022; Outback 2024 and 2025; Legacy 2024 and 2025; Ascent 2024 and 2025. Each matches that model's own best-years page, built from NHTSA owner-complaint and recall records.
Which Subaru years should I skip?
By model: Outback 2015, 2016 and 2020; Legacy 2015, 2016 and 2020; Forester 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020; Impreza 2008, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018 and 2019; WRX 2008; Crosstrek 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2024; Ascent 2019, 2020 and 2021. The full breakdown is on the Subaru years-to-avoid page.
How are the best Subaru years chosen?
Each model year's NHTSA owner complaints are weighted for severity, converted to a rate per year on the road and compared with the rest of that model's own history; the lowest rates among years with enough road time earn "best". Models not yet scored that way are ranked by combined NHTSA complaint and manufacturer service-bulletin volume. Full method at /research/years-to-avoid/methodology.