This Is The Most Popular Subaru Model In The USA

It's hard not to find a Subaru Outback or Forester in a grocery store parking lot or school pickup line. Yet, despite the popularity of these models, neither of these nameplates is the Japanese brand's best-seller. That honor belongs to the Subaru Crosstrek, which overtook the Forester last year as the company's chart-topper. The seeds for this success were sown for the 2013 model year, when Subaru gave its subcompact Impreza hatchback the lifted treatment and some body cladding to create the XV Crosstrek — a trick the automaker had already used when it created the Outback from the Legacy lineup. Subaru dropped the XV prefix beginning with the 2016 model year. In 2024, Subaru introduced the Crosstrek Wilderness.

The rise of the Crosstrek in the U.S. wasn't hard to predict. A recent study from S&P Global showed that subcompact utility vehicles grew from 2.1% of the market a decade ago to 9.2% today. Equally significant, just four vehicles out of 16 in this category—the Subaru Crosstrek, Chevrolet Trax, Honda HR-V, and Ford Bronco Sport—represented 52% of sales in May 2025.

Although the subcompact crossover arena was still in its infancy a decade ago, the XV Crosstrek represented Subaru's third most-popular model in August 2015, selling nearly 60,000 units. The Forester did nearly twice as well, with over 114,000 examples leaving dealer showrooms. The Outback split the difference with more than 93,000 units sold.

A look at Subaru sales for all of 2024 shows that these three nameplates continue to dominate the company's U.S. sales, but with popularity shifting. For all of last year, Subaru sold just shy of 182,000 Crosstreks, compared to about 175,500 Foresters. The Outback wasn't that far behind at almost 169,000 units. For all of 2024, these three models accounted for nearly 79% of Subaru's sales in the 50 states. None of the automaker's other nameplates even came close to cracking the hundred-thousand mark. Here's a look at the differences between the Subaru Crosstrek and Outback.

Fast-forward to August 2025, and the Crosstrek shows no signs of slowing down. During that month alone, the company moved more than 20,400 examples. However, the Outback took second place, with almost 15,800 units sold. The Forester slid into third with a monthly sales total exceeding 14,200.

Besides riding a well-timed wave of growing demand for smaller vehicles, several reasons could account for the Crosstrek's success. Under the banner of a rising tide lifts all boats, Subaru is on a sales tear. At the end of 2014, the automaker sold over 513,000 vehicles in the U.S., a notable 21% improvement over the previous year. A decade later, Subaru's yearly sales increased to almost 668,000 units.

Sticker prices may also be related to popularity. For the 2025 model year, the Crosstrek has a starting MSRP of $27,980 (including destination charges). That's almost $3,500 less than a base edition Forester or Outback. Meanwhile, the step up to a Crosstrek from a similarly sized Impreza only adds another $1,300, bringing a more rugged-looking exterior and an extra 3.6 inches of ground clearance.

Furthermore, the Subaru Crosstrek gets a double thumbs up from Consumer Reports (CR). The organization recently ranked the Subaru brand number one for new car reliability, dethroning Toyota. In addition, every Crosstrek model year since 2020 has earned CR's "Recommended" status.