Subaru was ahead of the curve when it came to selling car-based all-wheel-drive crossover vehicles. Its lifted off-road capable wagons were seen as quirky novelties back in the 1980s, but once the crossover craze struck the car-buying public Subaru was ready with decades more experience than most other car makers. Its subcompact Crosstrek crossover was redesigned for 2024, but there has been no mention of a hybrid, until now. Subaru is ditching the second-gen car’s plug-in hybrid powertrain for a traditional hybrid system that should offer increased efficiency over the gas-only model without the hassle of needing to be plugged in. Details are slim for now, but here’s what we know about the upcoming 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid.
The Crosstrek Hybrid gets a 2.5-liter Atkinson/Miller-cycle flat-4 boxer engine paired with two electric motor generators that are fed by a 1.1-kWh lithium-ion battery. Subaru says power is right around 194 horsepower, and because it’s a Subaru, that power is fed to all four wheels through a Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system that comes standard with X-Mode. A CVT is the sole transmission available for the 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, though it continues to offer six simulated gears to shift through just in case you’re feeling zesty.
On its own, the gasoline 2.5-liter flat-4 in the Crosstrek Hybrid produces 162 horsepower and 154 pound-feet of torque, so it falls between the base Crosstrek’s 2.0-liter engine and the 2.5-liter flat-4 in all other Crosstrek trims. For reference, the gas-powered 2.5-liter Crosstrek has a heartstopping 182 horsepower. The hybrid maintains the base Crosstrek’s great 8.7 inches of ground clearance and all other exterior dimensions. There are no fuel economy estimates or performance estimates available at the moment, but we will update you as soon as those become available. As with prior Crosstrek hybrids, the 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid will have two new exclusive paint colors, Sand Dune Pearl and Citron Yellow Pearl that go with the hybrid-only 18-inch dark gray wheels.
Inside, the 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid has an available 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster with Apple Maps compatibility and Subaru’s tablet-style 11.6-inch infotainment touchscreen. Subaru says the new Crosstrek Hybrid has about 18.6 cubic feet of cargo room behind the rear seats, about 1.4 cubic feet less than the gas car. All hybridized Crosstreks have Subaru EyeSight driver assistance systems, but additional active safety features like blind spot detection, reverse automatic braking, and rear cross-traffic alert remain optional.
Subaru’s first hybrid was the 2014 XV Crosstrek Hybrid, and though it was a traditional hybrid, it didn’t increase fuel efficiency much over the standard XV Crosstrek, and it was only sold for two years. The second-generation Subaru Crosstrek received a plug-in hybrid powertrain in 2021 that offered around 17 miles of EV-only driving and a significant boost in fuel economy over the standard car, but it was still only offered for two years, and weirdly only in 12 U.S. states. Now in its third generation, Subaru is going back to a traditional hybrid powertrain for the Crosstrek Hybrid, but hopefully, it offers better fuel economy gains than the original did. Expect to see 2026 Crosstrek Hybrids in showrooms this autumn.
