The 2026 Subaru Uncharted Can Be Fun Or Frugal, But Not Both

It's amazing what teamwork can do. By working together, Subaru and Toyota are doing something neither could do on its own: build a lineup of EVs. If that seems like a straightforward task, the experiences of Ford, Honda, and Nissan show how easy it is to go astray. The partnership admittedly got off to a slow start with the underwhelming Subaru Solterra and Toyota bZ4X (now the bZ), but it's now picking up speed and heading in the right direction.

The 2026 Subaru Uncharted is one of two new EVs the automaker is debuting this year, along with the wagon-like Trailseeker. Together with the refreshed Solterra, they give Subaru a three-pronged electric lineup, with the Uncharted serving as the most affordable option. Co-developed with the Toyota C-HR, it's smaller than the Solterra and starts at well under $40,000—perfect for a market starved of cheaper vehicles.

Toyota took the lead on the development of the C-HR/Uncharted twins, and it shows. The roiling body-side surfacing and reclining back window are big contrasts to the boxy fenders and upright rooflines that normally define small Subarus, while the hidden rear door handle is a carryover feature from the previous-generation C-HR. Still, it's an appealing design that can be a lot of things to a lot of people.

Like the Nissan Leaf, the Uncharted has the compact proportions of a hatchback, but is tall enough to justify its crossover marketing. Its 8.2 inches of ground clearance helps with that, and should come in handy on dirt roads. Subaru also did a good job of integrating its own styling cues, including headlights with six elements (representing the six stars in the Subaru logo) and a blanked-off grille. That grille is really the only indication this is an EV; designers just made an interesting-looking car (especially with the optional Habanero Orange Metallic paint) without getting caught up on trying to telegraph the powertrain type.

It might not be appropriate given this EV's name, but the Uncharted also dials back Subaru's typical body cladding for a cleaner, sportier look. That being said, there's quite a lot of shiny black plastic trim on the lower surfaces. And while GT models have distinctive 20-inch wheels, the 18-inch wheels on Premium and Sport models are hidden behind boring plastic aero covers.

In addition to sheetmetal, the Uncharted shares a 74.7-kilowatt-hour battery pack with the C-HR. But unusually for a brand that built its reputation on all-wheel drive, the Uncharted is available in single-motor front-wheel drive form while the C-HR is not. The first front-wheel drive Subaru sold in the United States since the early 1990s, the base Uncharted Premium is rated at 221 horsepower. That's 20 hp more than a Kia Niro EV and a smidge more than you get in a Leaf.

The dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain used in the Sport and GT models is rated at 338 hp—the same as the C-HR and more than the entry-level all-wheel drive versions of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6. Interestingly, Subaru claims its car is 0.2 second quicker than the Toyota from zero to 60 mph, at 4.7 seconds. And if that doesn't sound remarkable in the current era of ultra-quick EVs, remember that the 2002 Subaru WRX sold in the U.S. was considered a seismic moment for affordable performance because it could reach 60 mph in 5.4 seconds.

Subaru is more focused on light off-roading these days, so the Uncharted gets the same X-Mode system as the automaker's gasoline cars. Premium models have Snow mode only, while Sport and GT models have Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud modes, plus hill descent control and Grip Control, which maintains a set (low) speed over rough terrain.

What it lacks in power and all-weather capability, the single-motor Uncharted Premium makes up for in range. Subaru estimates 308 miles (official EPA ratings weren't available at press time), while the dual-motor Sport and GT are expected to return 287 miles and 273 miles, respectively. The GT loses additional range because of its 20-inch wheels and added weight.

The first front-wheel drive Subaru of the new century is also the first Subaru EV to surpass 300 miles of range, and thus making it more competitive with other mainstream EVs. The Nissan Leaf is rated at 305 miles in its longest-range form, and the Uncharted isn't far behind the 315-mile Chevrolet Equinox EV or 318-mile Hyundai Ioniq 5. It also surpasses other entry-level models like the Kia Niro EV and the upcoming 2027 Chevy Bolt EV. That's great for Subaru customers, but doesn't really change the equation for the segment.

Subaru switches to Tesla-style NACS DC fast-charging for the 2026 model year, giving Uncharted owners access to the vast Supercharger network. A 10-80% charge takes 28 minutes in ideal conditions, according to Subaru, but battery preconditioning should help get timing as close to that when temperatures fluctuate. A Level 2 AC charge is estimated to take seven hours, making overnight home charging a nonissue. Again, this is all within segment norms.

Lots of torque, a low center of gravity, and a short wheelbase give the average small EV an advantage over a gasoline econobox. With the Uncharted, Subaru took those ingredients and added a little sweetener.

At the first-drive event at which Subaru hosted SlashGear to test the new model, and on roads that would've been well suited to a WRX, the Uncharted GT felt agile and fun. The suspension is a common arrangement of front MacPherson struts and rear double wishbones, but it was perfectly tuned, cancelling out body roll without inflicting a punishing ride, even on the GT's larger wheels. The steering was not only responsive, calling out changes in direction with even small turns of the wheel, but well-weighted. It was heavy enough to provide some feedback, but not artificially so, as is often the case with electric power-steering systems tuned for a sporty feel.

The planted feel of the chassis was a refreshing change from wobbly nature of many other electric crossovers. And the nimbleness enabled by that well-tuned steering made it hard to believe that the Uncharted has a 108.3-inch wheelbase—longer than that of a Nissan Leaf or Volvo EX30.

Subaru also set up a small off-road course, which just showed that the Uncharted name is a bit presumptuous. We didn't get stuck, but the constant clicking of electronics indicated that the traction control and stability control were working pretty hard to avoid that. You'll need greater suspension articulation to really get into uncharted territory.

The dashboard layout is similar to that of the Solterra and Trailseeker, giving it a quirky look that's appropriate for the automaker that gave us the SVX and XT. The square steering wheel and low, angular dashboard are like nothing else outside the Subaru/Toyota EV family. Nothing is the shape you'd expect it to be, and the surfaces seem misaligned by design. Plastic is the dominant material, but Subaru has never been known for fancy interior trim, and the orange stripe running across the dash is a nice touch.

The standard 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster is still positioned very far away from the driver, but it's at least doesn't require shorter drivers to put the steering wheel in their laps to see, as in the Solterra. A standard 14.0-inch touchscreen inelegantly plopped on the dashboard handles infotainment functions, and there are two prominently-placed wireless device chargers to keep phones topped up while using the standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The interface is Toyota-derived, so customers coming from other Subaru models will have to get reoriented. There's nothing especially bad about it, but nothing especially good either. The screen in our test car also took a while to boot up after starting the vehicle, although once it was running it responded to inputs snappily.

As the smallest and cheapest Subaru EV, the Uncharted plays a similar role to the Crosstrek. It's 1.4 inches longer than that gasoline hatchback, 1.5 inches wider, and 0.8 inch taller, but with a 3.2-inch longer wheelbase. That translates into an extra three cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats up and 4.6 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, despite the Uncharted's more dramatic rear roofline. That comes at the expense of some rear-seat legroom however, and front-seat occupants will find about the same amount of space as they would in the Uncharted's gasoline-powered counterpart.

The Uncharted also has comparable cargo space to a Nissan Leaf, with a few more cubic feet if you fold the back seats down. It's also pretty close to the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Hyundai Ioniq 5 in that configuration, but the shape of the roof limits cargo space with the rear seats in place when compared to those and other similar-size electric crossovers. The Uncharted does offer similar headroom in both rows, and good first-row legroom, but second-row legroom is comparatively tight. This is acceptable for a small hatchback, but the Uncharted is marketed as a crossover—and stretching that definition in the process.

Also stretching that definition is the driving position. It's too low to be SUV-worthy, but savvy buyers will note the excellent forward visibility afforded by the low dashboard and hood.

For all its good points, the Uncharted forces customers to make some big choices. The base front-wheel drive Uncharted Premium starts at $36,445. That's $3,500 less than the Solterra, and means you might actually be able to drive one off the dealership lot for less than $40,000. However, a Nissan Leaf S+ with comparable range is nearly $5,000 less.

All-wheel drive Sport and GT models start at $41,245 and $45,245, respectively. This pricing is comparable to other all-wheel drive EVs and overlaps with the Solterra that's ostensibly positioned above the Uncharted. The Solterra also has about the same amount of range (it has the same-size battery pack) but the Uncharted is more fun to drive, which makes up for any differences in interior space, in our estimation. But the nearly identical Toyota C-HR—with the same dual-motor powertrain—starts at $38,450.

So Subaru customers can have an affordable EV with good range that's missing the thing most people buy a Subaru for, or a 338-hp all-wheel drive version that's only competitively priced against another Subaru. It's definitely uncharted territory, but maybe not the kind that's worth exploring. Hopefully a strange pricing strategy won't distract new-car shoppers from what is a fundamentally good EV.