2026 Subaru Trailseeker

Subaru’s second entry in the EV market looks to be better aligned with the brand’s ethos than its first. The 2026 Subaru Trailseeker is set to join the existing Subaru EV, the Solterra, which was just a rebadged Toyota bZ4X until its recent refresh. The Solterra allowed Subaru earlier entry into the EV market even if its blandness did nothing to define Subaru’s place there.

But the Trailseeker looks to be different. A long-roof body gives it a profile more like the Outback, which it nearly matches dimensionally, and its new powertrain may help it be, well, a Subaru.

Dual-motor powertrain

Unsurprisingly, the Trailseeker comes standard with all-wheel drive. Two electric motors, one driving each axle, combine to produce about 375 horsepower, according to Subaru. And — sorry, WRX — a touted 0-60 mph time of 4.3 seconds should easily make the Trailseeker the quickest-accelerating Subaru you can buy. There are multiple drive modes, including a downhill assist control, designed to bring more authority to the driver in off-road scenarios.

But the biggest test of every EV is range. Subaru says the Trailseeker is good for 260 miles from its 74.7-kWh battery. That’s an improvement over the Solterra, which actually exceeded its EPA-estimated range in our Edmunds EV Range Test. But it still falls short of the segment’s leaders, many of which are capable of more than 300 miles on a full charge. A NACS charge port will allow the Trailseeker to recharge on Tesla’s supercharger network. Subaru says the battery will make it capable of charging at up to 150 kW, but it doesn’t offer any charge-time estimate. However, in ideal conditions, the math says that this battery system should allow a charge from 20% to 80% in about 20 minutes.

Admittedly, some of Subaru’s design priorities are at odds with range, which is compromised by high ground clearance and bigger, more aggressive all-terrain tires. Both 18-inch and 20-inch wheels will be available on the Trailseeker, but Subaru doesn’t specify which wheels it used to estimate the 260-mile range.

Sizing up the Solterra

The Trailseeker is bigger than the Solterra, both in length and height, which gives it more interior room and more cargo space than its Toyobaru EV sibling. In fact, the Trailseeker is more than 6 inches longer than the Solterra and almost an inch taller, making it almost identical in size to the current Outback.

How's the tech?

In the arms race for the biggest infotainment screen, the Trailseeker won’t win any awards. Its 14-inch touchscreen is about average these days, but it does offer wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Plus, there are two wireless phone chargers, two USB-C charging ports, and an optional 120-volt household-style outlet in the cargo area.

Every Trailseeker will come with a handful of driver assistance features packaged into Subaru’s EyeSight suite. These include automatic emergency braking, front cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, a surround-view camera system, adaptive cruise control and more. Though pricing hasn’t been announced yet, we’d peg the Trailseeker as starting in the mid-$40,000s, which will buy you a well-outfitted Outback or Solterra. Look for it at Subaru dealers in the early part of 2026.