2026 Subaru Solterra undercuts Tesla Model Y Long Range with up to $7000 price slash. Range and power added as well

November 11, 2025November 10, 2025 John Mahoney 12304 Views 0 Comments

Subaru Australia has announced pricing for its facelifted 2026 Subaru Solterra and the good news is along with more power and range the mid-size all-wheel drive electric SUV is now up to $7000 cheaper.

Now priced from $63,990 before on-road costs, the price tag of the entry Subaru Solterra has also fallen by a substantial $6000, while the flagship Solterra AWD Touring costs $69,990, netting the maximum $7000 saving.

Following the price drop the Solterra AWD undercuts the $68,900 charged for the Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD that still dominates sales, although the Subaru’s US rival goes further on a charge – up to 600km on the WLTP test cycle.

Featuring a redesigned snout and revised rear styling that includes a new bumper, the Solterra rides on fresh 18- or 20-inch alloy wheels depending on model, while SUBARU lettering is used on the rear boot lid.

Beneath the skin the Solterra is now powered by a 74.7kWh battery sourced from CATL that replaces the old car’s slightly smaller 71.4kWh.

Despite only a modest boost in size the driving range increases considerably to 566km, a big improvement over the old car’s less impressive 414km.

Charging speeds are capped at 150kW.

Both the base all-wheel drive and Touring version receive a healthy power-up, with the dual-motor Solterra kicking out 252kW, a healthy bump up on the old car’s 160kW.

Inside, the Subaru Solterra AWD, which is a twin for the Toyota bZ4X, gets a larger 14-inch touchscreen, dual wireless smartphone chargers, acoustic glass, new 64-colour ambient lighting and a standard driver’s knee airbag, raising the total airbag count to eight.

The base model comes with a heated steering wheel, while the AWD Touring adds ventilated seats and a vehicle-to-load capability that allows owners to power devices.

The more expensive Subaru EV boasts a panoramic roof, 20-inch alloy wheels, a 10-speaker premium Harman Kardon sound system and a hands-free park assist.

While Cosmic White remains a no-cost paint option, Smoke Carbon, Harbour Mist Grey, Elemental Red and Dark Blue hues all cost an extra $660.

Other welcome improvements introduced as part of the mid-life upgrades include a better 1500kg towing capacity (up from 750kg) and faster 22kW AC home charging speeds (up from 11kW).

The AWD Touring also offers a new $1500 option pack that adds blue/black leather and a two-tone black roof.

Standard driver assist tech includes lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise, traffic sign recognition, blind spot detection, rear-cross traffic alert, driver monitoring system and exit warning.

The bad news is Subaru Australia has switched out the previous standard five-years-worth of roadside assistance and replaced it with the same less impressive 12 months of cover already offered on its combustion and hybrid models.

Buyers get the choice of either a year’s worth of recovery or five free services

On sale now, it’s thought the first batch of upgraded Subaru Solterra SUVs should touch down before the end of this year.

Still unconfirmed is whether Australian buyers will get the choice of the larger Solterra-based Trailseeker, or e-Outback as it’s known in some markets that has been developed alongside the larger Toyota bZ4X Touring that has been locked in for a Down Under debut.