Subaru Solterra 1

The Solterra is Subaru's first fully electric SUV — technically a twin of the Toyota bZ4X, with permanent all-wheel drive and Subaru's usual off-road lean. And here honesty is required: as a first-generation EV, the Solterra is weak. Modest usable battery, mediocre cold-weather efficiency, slow fast charging — the short real-world range is the defining trait of ownership. If you want an EV for short trips with home charging and you pocket the soft used price, fine; as a long-distance car it doesn't cut it.

Tech: 71.4 kWh gross, around 64 kWh usable, 400-volt architecture. Two motors deliver 160 kW (218 hp) and about 337 Nm. DC charging up to roughly 147 kW on paper — in practice the car charges far slower than that peak, especially in the cold, because there was no real battery preconditioning at launch. Subaru and Toyota issued software campaigns to address it.

The range truth: WLTP quotes around 466 km. Real-world in mild conditions is about 365 km, and in the cold it drops hard — roughly 270 km combined, with winter highway figures as low as 225 km. That's a 25 to 40 percent hit versus the spec sheet.

The most important weakness is a serious wheel-bolt recall: under hard braking or on rough roads the hub bolts could lose torque, allowing a wheel to come off — Subaru issued a do-not-drive stop with free towing, and there was a second round over further loose bolts. Add the HVAC recall WRD-25 (heater/defroster can fail, a winter visibility hazard), software campaigns for fast charging and battery management, plus owner-reported 12-volt discharge, regen dropping out in the cold, and infotainment reboots.

Repair costs: the recalls above are dealer-fixed free of charge. The biggest financial exposure isn't mechanical — it's steep depreciation.

2026 market price: in Germany, used-only listings run roughly 27,900 to 52,500 euros, with a floor around 28,990 euros. A 2023 car with 22,000 km was offered around 33,300 euros.

Test-drive red flags: confirm every recall — especially the wheel bolts (both rounds) and WRD-25 — was completed, test charging speed and preconditioning on a fast charger, check the heater and defroster, inspect the 12-volt battery, and hold the range estimate against the WLTP figure in the cold. Insider pick: a late-build car with all software updates and both wheel-bolt rounds done — only sensible if the depressed price offsets the short winter range.