First Drive: The 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Delivers Pricey Improvements

The new-for-2026 model is Subaru’s second attempt at giving the Crosstrek a hybrid powertrain. The first try was a plug-in hybrid that was discontinued in 2023. That old model had a short all-electric range, negligible fuel economy benefits over the gas-only version, and a small trunk due to its added hardware. The latest Crosstrek has a more conventional non-plug-in setup, combining Subaru’s 2.5-liter flat-four engine with a 1.1-kilowatt-hour battery pack, an electronic continuously variable transmission (eCVT), and a mechanically coupled all-wheel-drive system that, Subaru says, is superior to the systems in other hybrids that only work at low speeds.

This new technology comes with a significant price premium over the standard nonhybrid Crosstrek, which starts at $26,995, promises 29 mpg, and comes with a 180-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine as standard equipment—an improvement over last year’s 152-hp 2.0-liter four. With that context in mind, everyone who has seen the $37,378 window sticker of the 2026 Crosstrek Sport Hybrid we bought from a local Subaru dealership has had the same reaction: “That’s a lot of money for a Crosstrek.”

To be fair, the Hybrid is also a lot of Crosstrek. While the base-model nonhybrid lacks both basic comfort features and key safety technology, the least-expensive Crosstrek Hybrid—which starts at the Sport trim level—comes standard with blind spot warning (BSW), rear cross traffic warning (RCTW), power seats, a moonroof, a digital instrument cluster, upgraded upholstery, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel—features that add thousands to the price of a standard Crosstrek, if they’re available at all. Ours came with nearly $2,000 worth of options and dealer-added accessories, too.

The EPA rating for the hybrid powertrain is 36 mpg combined, a claim that we’ll put to the test in our own fuel economy evaluations. Its combined 194-hp output is also more powerful and smoother than the nonhybrid.

Still, buyers with $37,000 to spend on a new car have a lot of choices, and many of them are larger and more efficient than the Crosstrek Hybrid. Even if you’ve also been eagerly waiting for the arrival of a partially electrified subcompact Subaru, we recommend you check out our ratings of other top-performing small SUVs before you make a purchase.

If you’re a CR member, you can read our first impressions of the 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid below. These are our preliminary findings, before we put it through more than 50 tests, including acceleration, braking, handling, fuel economy, cargo space, and usability. ​​Once we’re done testing it, we’ll publish our final verdict and Overall Score. If you sign up for the Cars Newsletter, you’ll be among the first to know the results.