2026 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid First Look

Subaru's back in the hybrid game with a more frugal version of its popular Crosstrek.

Andrew Ganz | 

Feb 10, 2025 | 3 min read

Subaru

Here's what you need to know about the 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, which is set to hit dealers in fall 2025.

Subaru

The Crosstrek Hybrid Sees a Bump in Power and Fuel-Economy

The Crosstrek Hybrid pairs a 2.5-liter flat-four engine with a 1.1-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, two electric motors, and a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). The setup is good for a combined 194 horsepower, which is a 12-hp bump over the optional 2.5-liter flat-four engine found in the nonhybrid 2025 Crosstrek.

Subaru hasn't said how fuel efficient it expects the 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid to be, though the automaker stated that the new model will best the regular Crosstrek that's estimated to return 29 mpg combined in most configurations.

Like other Crosstrek models, the Hybrid sends power to all four wheels. It also includes the automaker's X-Mode system, which tweaks the traction and stability control, as well as the all-wheel-drive, engine, and transmission settings for improved off-road ability.

Subaru

The Crosstrek Hybrid Introduces New Interior Tech

While Subaru has yet to say what the 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid will cost or what sort of trim levels may be on offer, the automaker did release a few details about its tech equipment.

The available 11.6-inch infotainment touchscreen can display wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster — a feature not available on the 2025 Crosstrek — is also optional on the new hybrid.

Subaru

The Crosstrek Hybrid comes standard with Subaru's EyeSight suite of crash-avoidance and driver-assistance tech, including automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and cyclist and pedestrian detection. Blind-spot monitoring, reverse automatic braking, and rear cross-traffic alert will be available.

Styling-wise, the 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid offers few clues as to what's powering it aside from a liftgate-mounted badge and hybrid-exclusive 18-inch alloy wheels. The hybrid is also available in two new paint colors not offered across the rest of the lineup — Sand Dune Pearl and Citron Yellow Pearl.

Subaru

The 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid Differs From Its Predecessor

The latest Crosstrek Hybrid is actually the brand's third effort at electrifying its smallest crossover. The first hybrid model, which bowed for the 2014 model year, followed a similar recipe by using a version of the standard Crosstrek's flat-four engine paired with a separate battery pack for a small horsepower bump and improved fuel economy.

In 2019, Subaru recast the Crosstrek Hybrid as a plug-in hybrid. That model featured a larger 8.8-kWh lithium-ion battery, which helped it achieve an estimated 17-mile all-electric range on a full charge. The plug-in Crosstrek was not available for the 2024 and 2025 model years.

Andrew Ganz

Andrew has been hooked on cars since his mother coaxed him into naps by driving him around in her rattly old diesel Mercedes-Benz. Perhaps it was the diesel fumes that lulled him to sleep. Either way, he has since parlayed his automotive enthusiasm into a decades-long career as a journalist writing for such well-known sites as Auto Express, Autoblog, Car and Driver, Leftlane News, Motor1, Motor Authority, and The Car Connection, not to mention numerous classic-car publications. When he's not researching cars, he's probably working on one — though he has yet to own a diesel Mercedes. Off to the classifieds he goes.