Subaru Outback Maintenance Cost [Routine & Major Repairs]

If you are considering getting a Subaru Outback, one of their most popular and well-known midsize SUVs, you will definitely need to know how much it will cost to maintain it and prepare for any unexpected repairs. 

On Average, Subaru Outback costs roughly $618 Per year to maintain. However, the maintenance varies based on the number of miles driven and a host of other variables.   

If you’re wondering whether or not a Subaru Outback is a reliable choice, this average maintenance cost figure is a great indicator.

It doesn’t paint the whole picture, but considering the average maintenance and repair costs for a car are around $800 per year, the Outback is definitely below the average. 

Routine Maintenance Costs 

Routine maintenance is incredibly important to keep your car running smoothly. No matter what you drive, there are things that you’ll need to have checked and adjusted every 5,000 miles or more. 

Every car’s scheduled maintenance may differ a little, but their costs can differ a lot. For example, some cars use conventional motor oil while others require full synthetic.

This may not sound like a big deal, but full synthetic can actually cost you up to $125 for an oil change whereas conventional can cost as little as $35. 

Another important example is tires. While you won’t do this as often as getting your oil changed, this is a very important and costly form of maintenance. It is recommended that you replace your tires every 25,000-50,000 miles.

This depends on the type you buy and their recommended life. The cost of tires has a very wide range.

Depending on the type, quality, and life expectancy, people with SUVs can expect to pay as little as $50 per tire and as much as $350 per tire. This is a big difference that you’ll need to look into and explore. 

With all of this being said, you may not know the exact cost of scheduled maintenance until you know what year your Subaru Outback is, what has been used on it in the past, and how many miles it already has on it. 

However, the guide below can hopefully give you an idea. It is based on the average costs and considering the Subaru Outback is a little below average in repair and maintenance costs, this actually might be closer to what you’ll pay than a bigger SUV or a luxury vehicle. 

[table “” not found /]

Now that we’ve looked a little deeper at maintenance costs for the Subaru Outback, let’s dive into the most common repairs you might encounter if you decided to purchase this car! The list above is by no means a comprehensive list of all the regularly scheduled maintenance you need to do on your car each 5,000-10,000 miles. It’s simply a guide to give you a jumping-off point for budgeting and your research! 

Common Repair Costs

Because there are so many different variables, you’re going to find a variety of different numbers online for the average maintenance and repair costs. Some sources are going to take your location or region into consideration and some aren’t.

Some sources are going to estimate the higher end while others will speculate on the lower end. With all of this to say, you have to take all of these figures with a grain of salt.

No source is going to be 100% accurate because your Subaru Outback is going to be unique. You’ll drive it differently. You’ll treat it and service it differently. So, use these numbers as a rough estimate.

It’ll allow you to budget, but understand that your maintenance costs may be different. 

With all of this being said, we’ve found a breakdown for the maintenance and repair costs for each year that you have your vehicle. Of course, this is estimated assuming that you are getting a new Subaru Outback and driving it an average of 15,000 miles per year. 

As you can see, the older your Outback gets, the more it can cost in repairs and maintenance. One thing I noticed is that in year four, there was a huge jump in cost.

It should be noted that around year 4, you should hit about 60,000 miles which is a pretty big milestone when it comes to service recommendations. 

Around the 60,000-mile mark, you’re expected to get a pretty costly service that includes: engine oil replacement, belt inspection, transmission fluid replacement, brake system inspection, air conditioning, and heating inspection, and so much more.

With this service taking place, there’s a higher chance that you’ll need something repaired or fixed, which could account for the bigger price. 

Common Repairs

We’ve taken a look at the numbers and how much repairs and maintenance could cost for a Subaru Outback, but you may want to know what some of the most common unexpected repairs may be.

That way, you’ll know what to be on the lookout for.

It’s important to keep in mind that even though these are the “most common” unexpected repairs, they generally aren’t that common. What I mean is…the average number of repairs needed for a Subaru Outback is 1.1 every 3 years.

The average need for a repair is 1.3 times each 3 years, so the Outback is definitely below average in repair and servicing needs. 

Here are some of the most commonly reported unexpected repairs for Outacks…

Windshield Issues

There have been some reports of the newer Subaru Outback models having windshields that seem to crack very easily. This could be a costly unexpected repair to remedy. 

Cooling System Issues

Overheating is another common repair that is reported by many Outbacks spanning a number of years due to cooling system failures. 

Shuddering

Shuddering while accelerating is something that is often associated with transmission issues, but doesn’t usually happen until your car has over 100,000 miles on it.

Even though this may not be something you’d need to keep an eye out for immediately, it is important to know that this does occur quite a bit. 

Airbag Issues

There have been a number of recalls for faulty airbags over the years. If you are buying a used Outback, this is definitely something that you should look into before making a purchase.

Transmission Issues

Along with the shuddering (which indicates a transmission issue), there have been other transmission troubles that are most commonly reported. One of the biggest reasons this occurs is significant weather changes.

So, if you live in a place that has extreme temperatures, you’ll need to keep a closer watch for these kinds of issues arising. 

Outback Reliability Rating

So far, we’ve learned that Outbacks don’t generally have a lot of unexpected issues, and their maintenance costs are definitely below average.

These findings in addition to the way the cars are made definitely lead to them being very reliable vehicles. But, is the Subaru Outback truly reliable? 

With Clutch has a reliability score that they assign to the most popular cars. It takes into account all of the things listed above along with the longevity of the car, warranty offerings, and other factors.

Based on their calculations, the Subaru Outback is actually a little less than average. With the average car receiving a reliability rating of 57, the Outback received a 53. 

While they may see the Outback as less than average with reliability, Repair Pal actually scored them above average.

Their rating is based on the size and frequency of needed repairs along with the cost, and they gave the Outback a 3.5 out of 5 stars and placed it 10th out of the 26 midsize SUVs on their site. 

Since we have one source rating it a little below average and one rating it above, it only makes sense to have a tie-breaker with one more source. According to WNCT, the Subaru Outback ranks 3rd in reliable compact SUVs. It received a reliability score of 7.6 out of 10.

Just with the price estimations for maintenance and repair costs, you’re going to find some variations in reliability scores.

Depending on the criteria of the scores, the sample size being assessed, and other factors, people are going to find different results. However, it can be concluded that the Subaru Outback is, in fact, a reliable car. 

In conclusion, this car not only is relatively affordable to maintain with scheduled maintenance and unexpected repairs, there won’t be too many issues to pop up unannounced.

So, if you are considering a Subaru Outback because you want a trusty and versatile car with incredible cargo storage, then this is definitely one to consider!