USASubaru’s expanded US electric lineup is selling, but the incentives needed to move it are cutting deep into the company’s margins. Average incentive spending per vehicle runs $9,650 for the Solterra, $9,155 for the Uncharted and $8,982 for the Trailseeker, Electrek reports. The gasoline Outback, by comparison, carries $3,036 in average incentives.
Subaru sold 11,638 EVs in the US over the first seven months of 2026. The Solterra, the brand’s only electric model until this year, fell 34 percent to 5,275 units as buyers shifted toward the two new arrivals: the compact Uncharted found 2,850 buyers and the midsize Trailseeker 3,513, both since going on sale in early 2026.
The discounting shows up in Subaru’s financial results. Sales-incentive costs cut ¥24.9 billion ($155 million) from profit in the first quarter, and operating profit fell 44 percent to ¥42.6 billion ($270 million). Average marketing spending per vehicle across Subaru’s US lineup rose 40 percent to $2,698, compared with a 4.4 percent increase industry-wide.
The pattern reflects a broader problem for EV-only nameplates competing against a market still dominated by gasoline and hybrid crossovers: without the incentives, Subaru’s electric models would sell in far smaller numbers than the discounted price implies. All three EVs share a 74.7 kWh battery and NACS charging, but the Uncharted’s front-wheel-drive base trim, starting at $34,995, is the cheapest way into a new Subaru EV.
