The Subaru WRX just got a whole lot cheaper. After a miserable year, Subaru has decided that maybe it shouldn’t have gotten rid of the base model of all of its vehicles.
So the entry-spec WRX is back, bringing the price down by more than $5,000. It’s even cheaper than it was in 2024, and it comes with more standard stuff.
2025 Sales Were Brutal — This Could Fix It
Yes, some of Subaru’s drop from 18,587 WRX sedan sales to 10,930 between 2024 and 2025 was due to production changes, but probably not all of it. This change should remedy that, and AWD rally-inspired sports sedan fans should love what Subaru has done with the car for 2026.
The entry-spec 2026 Subaru WRX starts from $32,495. Last year, the entry model was the WRX Premium for $35,750, but mid-year Subaru added another $2,000 to all of its WRX models. So, this is actually $3,255 cheaper. Compared with 2024, when the cheapest one was the $32,735 base, it’s still less expensive.
Less Cash, More Stuff
Pricing of the WRX has been remarkably inflation-resistant for decades, with this change bringing it back to almost the level of 2021. Subaru says this latest model costs nearly the same as it did when the car showed up here in 2002. Adjusted for that inflation, that is.
For 2026, Subaru is giving the base model 18-inch alloys, up from last year’s 17s. It also has keyless entry and push-button start, two other features you couldn’t get last time.
The next step up is the WRX Premium, which starts from $33,995 this year — $3,755 less than it did last year.
If you want an automatic WRX, though, you will need to pay more than before. It’s now only offered on Limited (and standard on GT), where it adds $1,000 to the price of the manual. Once again, the Limited is cheaper than last year. It was $42,130, and now it is $38,995.
At the top of the line are the GT, with its electronic shocks, and the tS, with its STI-tuned suspension. The GT is automatic-only for $44,995, and the tS is stick-shift only for the same price. Both are $2,710 less than last year.
The one new model this year is the Series.Yellow. It takes the tS model and then adds yellow — yellow stitching for the Ultrasuede seats and the Sunrise Yellow paint used on the first-generation Crosstrek and two special STI models sold only in Japan.
2026 Subaru WRX Prices Leave Its Competitors in the Dust
To see how solid a value Subaru is offering this year, look at the competition. A 228-horsepower Volkswagen Jetta GLI starts from $33,745, and the Golf GTI is $34,590. Honda’s Civic Si starts slightly lower at $31,495, but it has just 200 horsepower and, like the VWs, drives the front wheels. A Hyundai Elantra N makes 5 horsepower more at 276 versus 271, but it is front-drive, and the price starts from $35,100.
The only real competitors to the WRX are the Volkswagen Golf R and the Toyota GR Corolla. The former is automatic-only and has a price starting just under $50,000, while the latter starts where the WRX prices stop at $40K. Subaru says the 2026 WRX will start arriving at dealers in the spring.
Read the full article here
