Used Subaru Solterra 1st Gen (2023-2025): Buyer's Guide

Subaru told dealers not to deliver the first Solterras off the boat because wheel hub bolts could loosen enough for a wheel to separate. Then, five months later, Subaru recalled some of those same cars again because the contractors who fixed them the first time didn't torque the bolts correctly. That is the opening chapter of the Solterra's ownership story, and it is followed by a second, less dramatic but more common problem: a 12V battery that can go flat if the car sits without being fully powered on. Add in charging speeds that rarely hit their advertised peak, and you get a used EV that has already shed more than half its sticker price in three years. This guide covers what that discount is actually buying.

This Generation at a Glance

The Solterra is Subaru's first mass-market EV, built on Toyota's e-TNGA platform, the same underpinnings shared with the Toyota bZ4X and Lexus RZ 450e. It launched for the 2023 model year and ran through 2025 with no mid-cycle redesign: same body, same 215-hp dual-motor AWD powertrain, same 72.8 kWh battery across all three years. A heavily revised second generation arrived for 2026 with a NACS charge port, more power, and a bigger battery, effectively closing out this generation. Unlike the Toyota bZ4X, which offers a longer-range front-wheel-drive version, Subaru sells the Solterra as AWD-only across every trim, reflecting the brand's identity around standard all-wheel drive.

Current pricing and inventory: Subaru Solterra market data, with per-year pages for 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Powertrain & Trim Breakdown

AWD Dual-Motor Electric (All Trims, 2023-2025)

Every Solterra uses the same 215-hp, 248-lb-ft dual-motor setup and 72.8 kWh battery, with Subaru's estimated 0-60 time around 6.5 seconds. Owners consistently praise the quiet cabin, the planted, Outback-like ride, and standard dual-function X-Mode with Grip Control, which adds real capability on snow, dirt, deep snow, and mud settings that most compact EV crossovers don't offer at all. Real-world range in mixed driving lands close to the EPA number, with owners reporting 230 to 250 miles in mild weather.

The powertrain itself has not generated a wave of failure reports. The problems that define this generation sit elsewhere: the wheels, the 12V system, the charging hardware, and, more recently, the HVAC software.

The wheel-hub recalls. Before the first Solterra reached a customer, Subaru held back delivery on 403 early-production 2023 models built between March and June 2022. The hub bolts securing the wheels could loosen with low-mileage use, and Subaru's own instruction was not to drive the cars at all until dealers replaced the bolts with a redesigned version and added washers. Toyota issued a parallel recall for the mechanically identical bZ4X around the same time, since both vehicles share the same wheel and hub design. Then, in February 2023, Subaru went back to some of those same cars: two port locations had a contractor team that didn't complete the original bolt replacement correctly, leaving 1,182 vehicles with significantly under-torqued bolts. That second action is documented as NHTSA campaign 23V064000, component WHEELS:HUB, and it is confirmed in CarScout's own NHTSA-sourced data for the 2023 model year. Any 2023 Solterra you're considering should have its full wheel-hub recall history checked by VIN, not just the most recent campaign.

The 12V battery. This is the complaint that shows up most often across Subaru Solterra Forum threads, independent of model year. The 12V auxiliary battery is small and only charges properly when the car is fully powered on ("Ready"), not just unlocked or in accessory mode. Owners who sit in a parked Solterra running the stereo or climate control without the car fully on have reported a dead 12V battery in as little as two days. Dealer lots saw the same problem at scale: early 2023 units that sat unsold for months arrived at their first owner with a discharged 12V battery, and some owners describe a multi-month back-and-forth with their dealer to get a replacement covered under warranty. A weak 12V battery can make the entire car appear dead even when the high-voltage traction battery is fully charged, which is an alarming and confusing failure mode for a first-time EV owner to encounter.

DC fast charging. Subaru advertises a 10-to-80% DC fast-charge time of about 56 minutes at up to 100 kW. In practice, that peak is rarely sustained. Owner reports and independent testing both describe real-world sessions closer to 30 to 60 kW, tapering hard once the battery passes 50 to 60% state of charge, and dropping further in cold or very hot weather. The 6.6 kW onboard Level 2 charger is unchanged across all three model years and takes roughly 10 hours for a full charge at home, which is fine for overnight charging but slow compared to newer competitors with 11 kW onboard chargers.

HVAC defroster software (2023-2025, all trims). In late 2025, Toyota and Subaru jointly recalled roughly 95,000 e-TNGA-platform vehicles, including the Solterra, bZ4X, and Lexus RZ, because a software fault in the HVAC control module could disable the defroster and defogger during certain system faults, such as an electrical air-conditioning compressor failure. That is campaign 25V577, and the fix is a free HVAC control unit software update plus an inspection (and replacement if needed) of the electrical compressor. Owner notification letters went out in October 2025. This one is corroborated through NHTSA's own recall filing documents rather than CarScout's per-year database, which had not yet indexed it for the Solterra specifically at publication time, so verify it directly by VIN before assuming it's been completed.

Infotainment. Slower-than-expected startup times and intermittent Bluetooth or smartphone-app connectivity glitches are a recurring, lower-stakes complaint. Annoying, not dangerous, and usually resolved with a software update at a dealer visit.

Battery Health, Winter Range, and Charging Behavior

The 72.8 kWh pack has not shown a broad pattern of premature degradation in owner reports through this generation's first few years on the road, and Subaru backs it with an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty guaranteeing at least 70% capacity retention over that period. That's a firm number, not a marketing target, which matters when you're negotiating a used price based on assumed battery health.

Cold weather is the bigger day-to-day factor than age or mileage. Like every EV on the e-TNGA platform, the Solterra loses meaningful range in sustained freezing temperatures, and DC fast-charging speed drops further still when the pack is cold. There's no driver-selectable battery preconditioning tied to a navigation destination in this generation, so a Solterra that's been sitting outside overnight in winter will charge slower on arrival at a DC fast charger than one that's just come off a highway run and arrives with a warm pack. If you live somewhere with real winters and plan to rely on public fast charging rather than home Level 2 charging, factor that into your expectations before you buy, not after.

A dealer battery health printout is worth asking for on any used Solterra, particularly a higher-mileage 2023. Ask the technician to also check for stored high-voltage, charger, and thermal-system fault codes, and to inspect the battery's underbody shield for impact damage. None of this is unique to the Solterra, but it's a more meaningful check on a three-year-old EV than it would be on a comparable gas crossover.

How the Solterra Compares to Its Toyota bZ4X Twin

Buyers cross-shopping this generation should know the Solterra and Toyota's bZ4X share their platform, motors, and most of their recall history, but they aren't identical used-car propositions. Toyota sells the bZ4X with a longer-range front-wheel-drive option (up to 252 miles EPA) alongside AWD; Subaru sells Solterra as AWD-only, trading some range for standard all-weather traction and X-Mode. That makes the Solterra the better pick for buyers who actually drive in snow and want Subaru's off-road-oriented traction modes, and the bZ4X FWD the better pick for buyers who want maximum range and don't need AWD. Recall-wise, both vehicles were subject to the original wheel-hub campaign and the 2025 HVAC defroster campaign, filed separately under each brand's own campaign numbers. Don't assume a completed bZ4X recall says anything about a specific Solterra's status, or vice versa; verify each VIN independently.

2024 model year changes. Subaru didn't touch the powertrain, but added the DriverFocus distraction-mitigation system (an infrared camera that monitors driver eye and head position), made Front Cross-Traffic Alert standard across all trims, added a traffic-jam-assist feature enabling hands-free driving up to 25 mph, and redesigned the steering wheel with a heated option on Limited and Touring. These carried forward unchanged into 2025.

Trim Levels

All three trims were available every year of this generation, so trim availability isn't a reason to prefer one model year over another. The real trade-off is wheels: Premium's 18-inch wheels are the only ones rated for the full 228-mile EPA range. Limited and Touring both drop to 222 miles on their larger 20-inch wheels. If maximizing range matters more than the touchscreen and camera upgrades, Premium is the trim to target. If you want the bigger screen and don't drive to the edge of your range regularly, Limited is the sweet spot; it picks up nearly everything the Touring offers without paying for a moonroof and mirror upgrade that don't affect capability.

Subaru has never published a towing rating for the Solterra, and a hitch is a dealer-installed accessory rather than a factory-rated tow package. Don't shop this generation expecting to tow anything meaningful. Cargo space runs about 30 cubic feet behind the rear seats across all trims, competitive for the segment but not a strength.

Original equipment matters more on an EV than on a comparable gas crossover, because replacing missing pieces can erase part of an apparent discount. Confirm the vehicle comes with both key fobs, the portable Level 1/2 charging cable if the original owner didn't discard it, the cargo cover, and the owner's manual. A NACS adapter is not included on this generation since the Solterra retains a CCS1 port; if a seller mentions Tesla Supercharger access, ask specifically how, since that requires an approved third-party or manufacturer adapter, not a factory-included part. Use the original window sticker, if the seller has it, to verify the actual trim and confirm the seller isn't describing a dealer-installed accessory as factory-standard equipment.

Which Model Years to Target Within This Gen

Note that the HVAC/defroster campaign (25V577) applies across 2023-2025 per NHTSA's own filing but is not yet reflected in CarScout's per-year recall counts above; check it by VIN regardless of model year.

2023 carries the most complicated recall history and the steepest depreciation, with CarScout market data showing asking prices as low as $16,260. NHTSA complaint data shows 25 complaints filed against the 2023 model year, more than any other year in this generation. If both wheel-hub campaigns and the HVAC campaign are confirmed complete, the discount can be worth the extra homework.

2024 is the sweet spot. It adds real safety and convenience features (DriverFocus, standard front cross-traffic alert, hands-free traffic-jam assist) without a price premium anywhere close to what a 2025 commands, and NHTSA complaint volume for the 2024 model year (13 complaints) is roughly half the 2023 count.

2025 is functionally identical to 2024 and carries the least depreciation of the three years, with a mere 4 NHTSA complaints on record. Buy 2025 only if minimizing mileage and maximizing remaining battery warranty matters more to you than the discount available on a 2024.

Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

• Run the VIN through NHTSA's recall system before anything else. Check for campaign 23V064000 (wheel-hub retorque, 2023) and 25V577 (HVAC defroster software, 2023-2025). If the car is an early 2023 build, also ask the dealer's service department to confirm the original wheel-hub bolt replacement was completed, since that predates 23V064000 in NHTSA's records.
• Do not test drive a car with an open wheel-hub recall. If a seller can't produce proof of completion, walk away until it's fixed. This is not a cosmetic item.
• Check the 12V battery with a load test, not a dashboard reading. Ask when it was last replaced. If the car has been sitting on a lot or in storage, budget for a fresh 12V battery regardless of what the dash shows.
• Test both AC and DC fast charging if possible. Confirm the car initializes a session cleanly and doesn't throw charging faults. A session that never exceeds 30-40 kW on a known-good 150 kW+ charger isn't necessarily a defect, since that matches typical real-world Solterra behavior, but a charging error or repeated failure to initialize needs a dealer diagnosis.
• Run the defroster and AC through a full cycle. Confirm the defogger clears the windshield normally. This is the exact function the HVAC recall addresses.
• Ask for a battery state-of-health printout from a Subaru dealer. The high-voltage pack is covered for 8 years or 100,000 miles with a guaranteed 70% capacity retention over that period, a firmer commitment than some competitors offer, but confirming actual health before purchase still matters.
• Inspect wheels and tires for uneven wear or vibration above 50 mph, which can indicate an improperly completed hub-bolt repair or unrelated alignment issues from a prior wheel event.
• Confirm the infotainment system boots normally and pairs a phone without repeated failures. Not dangerous, but a known annoyance worth ruling out before you own it.

Round out the EV-specific checks with a normal used-car review: brake rotors on an EV see light use and can develop surface corrosion from sitting, so check them along with pad thickness. Inspect all four tires for date codes and matched tread depth, since mismatched tires are a bigger deal on an AWD vehicle than a front-drive one. Confirm every driver-assistance camera and sensor calibrates and functions, especially if the windshield has ever been replaced. Then bring your actual daily routine to the test drive: pair your phone, run navigation, load whatever cargo or child seat you'd normally carry, and drive a realistic mixed route rather than a five-minute loop around the block.

Run every VIN through CarScout's recall lookup tool as your starting point, then follow up any open campaign with the selling dealer before finalizing a deal.

Running Costs

There's no oil, spark plugs, or transmission service to budget for, and the traction battery and drive motors carry the segment-standard 8-year/100,000-mile warranty with a 70% capacity-retention guarantee. The 12V battery is the one recurring cost this generation is more likely to hit than most; treat a load test as a normal part of ownership, not just a pre-purchase step.

Depreciation is the other running cost worth planning around, even though it isn't a line item. CarScout's own market data shows 2023 Solterras already trading between $16,260 and roughly $35,000, well below their original sticker price when new. That's bad news if you bought new three years ago and good news if you're shopping used today: someone else already absorbed the steepest part of the depreciation curve. Insurance costs run in line with other compact electric crossovers in this price range, though EV-specific parts and battery coverage can push comprehensive premiums slightly above a comparable gas Forester or Crosstrek. Get a quote on the specific VIN before you commit, since insurers price EVs inconsistently by model and trim.

FAQ

Is the 2023-2025 Subaru Solterra reliable? The high-voltage battery and dual-motor powertrain haven't shown a pattern of major failures. The generation's real weak points are the wheel-hub recall history on early 2023 builds, a well-documented 12V battery drain issue, and slower-than-advertised DC fast charging. None of those are dealbreakers if you verify recall completion and budget for a 12V battery check.

Which year Solterra should I avoid? Not avoid, but go in with eyes open on 2023: it carries the most recall history (both wheel-hub campaigns trace back to early 2023 builds) and the highest NHTSA complaint count of the three years. A 2023 with all campaigns verified complete is fine; an unverified one is not worth the risk.

Was the Subaru Solterra wheel recall actually dangerous? Yes. Subaru's own guidance told owners of affected pre-delivery units not to drive them because a wheel could detach from loosened hub bolts. A follow-up campaign in 2023 caught additional vehicles where a contractor's repair wasn't done correctly. Confirm full completion by VIN, not just that "a recall" was addressed.

How far does a used Solterra actually go on a charge? EPA rates it at 228 miles on Premium's 18-inch wheels and 222 miles on Limited and Touring's 20-inch wheels. Real-world mixed driving in mild weather tracks close to that number, per owner reports, though cold weather and heavy highway use will pull it down like any EV.

Is the Subaru Solterra good for road trips? Only if you're patient. Advertised DC fast charging tops out around 100 kW, but real-world sessions commonly run 30 to 60 kW and taper further past 50-60% charge. It's a strong home-charging commuter vehicle; it's a mediocre choice for frequent long highway trips.

The Bottom Line

Check every VIN for campaigns 23V064000 and 25V577 through CarScout's recall lookup tool before you even schedule a test drive, and don't drive a car with an unresolved wheel-hub recall. Once that's clear, a 2024 Limited is the strongest buy in this generation: the DriverFocus and hands-free traffic-jam-assist additions, a meaningfully lower NHTSA complaint count than 2023, and pricing well below a 2025 for essentially the same car. Budget for a 12V battery load test regardless of year. CarScout members can track price drops on specific Solterra trims and years as this generation ages out of the used market's steepest depreciation curve.

Sources: NHTSA recall filings for campaigns 22V444, 23V064000, and 25V577 (static.nhtsa.gov); Subaru of America press materials and press releases; CarScout's NHTSA-sourced per-year recall and complaint data; EPA fuel economy data; Subaru Solterra Forum owner threads on wheel-hub repairs and 12V battery drain; CarComplaints.com and Recharged.com reliability summaries; Edmunds and Kelley Blue Book consumer reviews; InsideEVs and U.S. News specification reporting.