Subaru sold 57,748 vehicles in May 2026, up 10.4 percent from the year-ago period, with hybrid and electric models accounting for nearly 25 percent of the total. That electrified share is the highest the company has reported.
The Forester remained Subaru’s volume leader for the fifth consecutive month at 19,577 units, up 26.8 percent year-over-year. Crosstrek posted its best May on record at 17,409 units, up 10.2 percent. Outback moved 11,258 units, essentially flat at 0.4 percent growth.
The electrified portion of the story is where the month’s momentum sits. Subaru hybrid models set a combined monthly sales record in May. The Uncharted, the electric crossover that entered the lineup in April, sold 1,270 units in its second month of availability. Trailseeker, the larger EV, moved 1,074 units. Solterra, the Toyota bZ4X sibling that predates both, sold 750 units.
WRX sales jumped 147.9 percent to 1,195 units, though the comparison is against a supply-constrained May 2025. Ascent dropped 7.2 percent to 3,293 units. Impreza fell 35.8 percent to 1,577 units. Legacy, which Subaru is phasing out, sold 90 units.
Subaru’s May performance runs counter to the company’s recent trend. In April, sales were down 5.9 percent to 52,733 units. Through five months, Subaru has sold 252,431 vehicles, down 8.3 percent year-to-date.
The industry context for May is cautiously upbeat. S&P Global Mobility projects the month’s sales pace at 15.8 million units on a seasonally adjusted annual rate, the first time in seven months that the SAAR has exceeded the year-ago result. For the full year, S&P Global Mobility projects US auto sales to reach 15.8 million units, a decline of more than 3 percent from the 16.38 million units sold in 2025.
What Subaru is doing with the 25 percent electrified share is a signal worth watching. The company entered the hybrid game later than Toyota and Honda and the EV game later than almost everyone. Two months of data on Uncharted is not a trend, but 1,270 units in month two suggests the model is finding traction. Whether that traction holds when incentives shift or inventory normalizes is the next question.
Source: Subaru. Images courtesy of Subaru.
