What Are Subaru Badges Of Ownership For & Are They Free?

Some automotive brands boast a really active and enthusiastic fan base, and Subaru definitely falls into that camp, with fans taking pride in calling themselves Subaru owners. Rather than simply accepting that fact and taking it for granted, Subaru has decided to celebrate it, by introducing Subaru badges of ownership. After all, keeping existing owners happy and loyal is nearly always cheaper than trying to attract new customers. While the badges are only available to those in the U.S., they are entirely free, although you will need to have some details on hand to order one, such as your model, model year, and full VIN.

These badges of ownership allow Subaru to celebrate its customers, and they are excellent ways for owners to show off their love for their Subarus. In short, a Subaru badge of ownership is a gel badge that displays the number of Subarus owned by the customer, along with up to five lifestyle icons. Lifestyle icons relate to a person's hobbies or interests, with examples including a paw print for pet lovers or a bicycle for keen cyclists. The badges are mainly  black and silver in color and look just at home on the back of the most powerful Subaru models as they would on an old Forester or Legacy.

Badges of ownership are a nice gesture from Subaru, especially with the automaker requiring no payment at all from owners, but are people actually ordering them? The quick answer is yes. Online sites such as Reddit have numerous users showing off their badges of ownership, and some have even taken the time to film YouTube videos showing other Subaru owners what to expect and how to install the badges.

Owners on Reddit give a wide variety of reasons as to why they were happy to order a badge for themselves, with some stating they are proud Subaru owners and love to show it off. Another comment made was that the stickers would look great on a tool box, which could be a creative way of marking your tools or toolbox for identification purposes. Some think it's also a brilliant way to reveal little bits of info about themselves, by hinting at particular hobbies and interests using the lifestyle icons. Others felt that the choice of lifestyle icons was quite limited, although Subaru does provide an option for interested parties to email with lifestyle icon ideas, though. And while some non-Subaru owners online might lightly ridicule the badges, they may just be jealous that their automakers aren't offering a free gift like this one.