2026 Subaru Forester MPG and Fuel Cost

The 2026 Subaru Forester gets up to 29 mpg combined with a gas engine and up to 35 mpg as a hybrid, across 4 EPA-tested versions.

EPA fuel economy

2026 Subaru Forester · 4 EPA-tested versions

Best gas version

29MPG combined

26 city 33 highway

$2,250 a year to fuel

Fuel economy score6/10

2.5L 4-cyl · AWD · CVT

Best hybrid version

35MPG combined

35 city 34 highway

$1,850 a year to fuel

Fuel economy score6/10

2.5L 4-cyl hybrid · AWD · CVT

Best version saves $2,250 in fuel over 5 years vs the average new vehicle (EPA)

Fuel cost: 15,000 miles a year at EPA's $4.32 a gallon (regular gas).

Data: US EPA, fueleconomy.govUpdated Sep 27, 2026

At EPA's price assumptions, fuel costs $1,850 to $2,500 a year. Ratings for the best versions are unchanged from 2025.

Every 2026 Forester version

EPA's ratings for each version it tested. Fuel cost is EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current prices.

Version	Combined	City / Hwy	Fuel / year
Hybrid
2.5L 4-cyl hybrid · AWD · CVT Best EPA listing: Forester Hybrid AWD	35 mpg	35 / 34	$1,850
Gas
2.5L 4-cyl · AWD · CVT EPA listing: Forester AWD	29 mpg	26 / 33	$2,250
2.5L 4-cyl · AWD · CVT · Sport Touring EPA listing: Forester Sport/Touring AWD	28 mpg	25 / 32	$2,300
2.5L 4-cyl · AWD · CVT · Wilderness EPA listing: Forester Wilderness AWD	26 mpg	24 / 28	$2,500

Fuel cost at your prices

EPA's annual cost uses 15,000 miles a year, 55% city driving and its current prices: $4.32 a gallon for regular gas. Change the numbers to match your driving.

Version	Per year	Per month	5 years
2.5L 4-cyl hybrid · AWD · CVT	$1,851	$154	$9,257
2.5L 4-cyl · AWD · CVT	$2,234	$186	$11,172
2.5L 4-cyl · AWD · CVT · Sport Touring	$2,314	$193	$11,571
2.5L 4-cyl · AWD · CVT · Wilderness	$2,492	$208	$12,462

At the default settings the results match EPA's annual cost before EPA rounds it to the nearest $50.

Subaru Forester MPG by model year

The best-rated version in each model year; the highlighted year is this page. Gas: 27 to 29 mpg (every year from 2016 to 2026); 29 since 2019. Hybrid: 35 mpg (2025 to 2026).

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 29 mpg · hybrid 35 mpg

Show as a table

Subaru Forester best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2016	27	–
2017	28	–
2018	28	–
2019	29	–
2020	29	–
2021	29	–
2022	29	–
2023	29	–
2024	29	–
2025	29	35
2026	29	35

How the 2026 Forester compares

2026 compact SUVs covered on this site, ranked by their best combined rating. Fuel cost is for each model's cheapest version to run, at EPA's prices.

2026 model	Best combined	Best gas	Fuel / year
Toyota RAV4 Best: hybrid	43 mpg	–	$1,500
Kia Sportage Best: hybrid	42 mpg	28 mpg	$1,550
Honda CR-V Best: hybrid	40 mpg	30 mpg	$1,600
Ford Escape Best: hybrid	39 mpg	30 mpg	$1,650
Hyundai Tucson Best: hybrid	38 mpg	28 mpg	$1,700
Jeep Cherokee Best: hybrid	37 mpg	–	$1,750
Subaru Forester This page Best: hybrid	35 mpg	29 mpg	$1,850
Nissan Rogue Best: gas	32 mpg	32 mpg	$2,050
Volkswagen Tiguan Best: gas	29 mpg	29 mpg	$2,250
Chevrolet Equinox Best: gas	27 mpg	27 mpg	$2,400
Subaru Outback Best: gas	27 mpg	27 mpg	$2,400
Ford Bronco Sport Best: gas	27 mpg	27 mpg	$2,400
Mazda CX-5 Best: gas	26 mpg	26 mpg	$2,500
Jeep Compass Best: gas	26 mpg	26 mpg	$2,500

2026 Forester recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 21 owner complaints for the 2026 Forester.What they cover, and crash test ratings

Questions

How much fuel does the 2026 Forester hybrid save?

Comparing AWD or 4WD versions at EPA's assumptions (15,000 miles a year, $4.32 a gallon), the hybrid costs $1,850 a year to fuel against $2,250 for the gas model: $400 a year, or $2,000 over five years.

Does the 2026 Subaru Forester need premium gas?

No. EPA lists every 2026 Subaru Forester version on regular gasoline.

How does the 2026 Forester's MPG compare with the 2025?

For 2026, the best gas version is rated 29 mpg, the same as the year before and the best hybrid version is rated 35 mpg, the same as the year before.

Sources and method

US EPA and Department of Energy fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Sep 18, 2026.
EPA fuel price assumptions: regular $4.32, midgrade $4.93, premium $5.32, diesel $6.29 a gallon; electricity $0.15 per kWh.
Recall and complaint counts: NHTSA recall file dated Sep 27, 2026 and complaint file dated Sep 26, 2026.

Ratings are EPA estimates. Real-world mileage depends on how, where and in what weather you drive. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.