2026 Subaru Forester · Trim vs trim
2026 Subaru Forester Premium vs Premium Hybrid: what's the difference?
The Premium Hybrid costs $2,735 more. It starts at $34,730 with the 2.5L , and the Premium at $31,995 with the 2.5L BOXER. The Premium Hybrid adds a hybrid powertrain. It also changes the wheels, tires and . It gets 35 , 6 more than the Premium's 29. Subaru estimates the hybrid system at 194 , 14 more than the Premium's 180.
Our Forester data has all ten US 2026 , gas and four conventional hybrids, plus factory OP 15, 24, 25, 33 and 42; Sport Onyx Edition is Sport OP 25. It doesn't have paint and interior colors, port or retailer , finance incentives, and announced 2027 models including Wilderness Hybrid yet, so something missing from this page may still be offered.
What changes, as they come
| What | Premium | Premium Hybrid |
|---|---|---|
| Horsepower | Premium180 hp | Premium Hybrid194 hp |
| Combined mpg | Premium29 mpg | Premium Hybrid35 mpg |
| City mpg | Premium26 mpg | Premium Hybrid35 mpg |
| Highway mpg | Premium33 mpg | Premium Hybrid34 mpg |
| Tire diameter | Premium27.6″ | Premium Hybrid27.7″ |
| Wheel size | Premium17″ | Premium Hybrid18″ |
| What | Premium | Premium Hybrid |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | Premium2.5L SUBARU BOXER four-cylinder | Premium Hybrid2.5L Atkinson/Miller-cycle BOXER hybrid engine |
| Transmission | PremiumLineartronic CVT with low shift mode | Premium HybridSeries-parallel hybrid transaxle with two motor generators |
| Wheels | Premium17-inch machined alloy wheels | Premium Hybrid18-inch machined alloy wheels |
| Tires | Premium225/60R17 all-season tires | Premium Hybrid225/55R18 all-season tires |
| Gauge cluster | Premium4.2-inch instrument display | Premium Hybrid12.3-inch instrument display |
| What | Premium | Premium Hybrid |
|---|---|---|
| Blind-Spot Detection, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert and Automatic Emergency Steering | PremiumNot included | Premium HybridYes |
| Power Rear Gate | PremiumNot included | Premium HybridYes |
| Integrated navigation | PremiumNot included | Premium HybridYes |
The same on both: cargo behind the rear seats (27.5 cu ft).
More Forester answers
- Base vs Premium
- Premium vs Premium Hybrid
- Sport vs Sport Hybrid
- Premium vs Wilderness
- Limited vs Limited Hybrid
- Touring vs Touring Hybrid
- Limited Hybrid vs Touring Hybrid
- Hybrid
- Mechanical AWD
- Heated front seats
- A panoramic power moonroof
- Harman Kardon
- A heated steering wheel
- A 360-degree Surround View Monitor
- All-terrain tires
- A 12.3-inch digital instrument display
Build your own
Switch to the Premium in the trim list to see what goes away, or add packages to either and watch the drawing change.
The Premium Hybrid, as it comes
↑ The answerPremium Hybrid
$34,730
Premium Hybrid
$34,730
- MPG
- mpg
- ·
- Power
- ≈hp
- ·
- Cargo
- ft³
- ·
- Clearance
- ″
- ·
- Combined mpg
- mpg
- 35 city · 34 hwy
- Horsepower
- ≈hp
- Estimated hybrid system total
- Cargo space
- ft³
- Behind second row
- Ground clearance
- ″
- At base curb weight
- Curb weight
- lb
- Base trim · published
- Has AWD
- Has Hybrid
- No Wilderness
- Has Heated seats
- No Heated wheel
- No Harman Kardon
Choose a trim
Packages & options
What your options change
This is a stock Premium Hybrid. Pick a package and every part it swaps shows up here, and in orange on the SUV.
- Has AWD
- Has Hybrid
- No Wilderness
- Has Heated seats
- No Heated wheel
- No Harman Kardon
- Drive
- Symmetrical AWD
- Powertrain
- Hybrid transaxle
- City / hwy
- 35 / 34 mpg
- Cargo, folded
- 69.1 cu ft
- Rear legroom
- 39.4″
- Tires
- 225/55R18
- Terrain
- All-season
- Touchscreen
- 11.6″ · wireless phone mirroring
- Instruments
- 12.3″
- Seats
- Cloth
- Audio
- 6-speaker audio
- Moonroof
- Power moonroof
- Driver seat
- 10-way power
- Spare
- Repair kit · no spare
- X-MODE
- Dual-function
- Tow rating
- 1,500 lb · properly equipped