Subaru Impreza: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Subaru Impreza: 8 model years scored from 846 NHTSA owner complaints and 30 recall campaigns. Worst year 2012, best year 2015.
Subaru Impreza: which years to avoid
Across 8 scored model years the Subaru Impreza ranges from 44/100 in 2012 to 89/100 in 2025 — a 45-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy an Impreza at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Air Bags (105 of them).
Avoid: 2012, 2013 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2024, 2025 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Read the guide
Used Subaru Outback and Forester: oil consumption, then Starlink, then a clean run — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-01.
How the Impreza changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 3 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2012–2013
Mean score 44/100, about 18 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Air Bags more than anything else (184 complaints). 8 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2014–2016
Mean score 83/100, about 8 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Air Bags more than anything else (53 complaints). The record improves by 39 points against the years before it. 4 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2024–2025
Mean score 80/100, about 10 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Service Brakes more than anything else (7 complaints). 1 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2015 (score 86). Worst: 2012 (score 44, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 89 | BUY | $2,725 | 5 | 0 |
| 2024 | 71 | BUY | $3,064 | 31 | 2 |
| 2016 | 86 | BUY | $3,932 | 75 | 1 |
| 2015 | 86 | BUY | $4,066 | 79 | 2 |
| 2014 | 78 | BUY | $4,291 | 108 | 3 |
| 2013 | 44 | AVOID | $4,624 | 249 | 4 |
| 2012 | 44 | AVOID | $4,728 | 242 | 6 |
| 2011 | 77 | BUY | $5,362 | 57 | 12 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Impreza, through the years →
Impreza sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Impreza on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Subaru Impreza
Across every Impreza model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Air Bags254 complaints across all Impreza years · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement$600–$1,700
- Engine160 complaints across all Impreza years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Electrical System123 complaints across all Impreza years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Power Train91 complaints across all Impreza years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Unknown Or Other70 complaints across all Impreza years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Service Brakes60 complaints across all Impreza years · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles$580–$1,140
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Subaru Impreza years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2012, 2013 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2012 is the weakest at 44/100, with its complaints concentrated in Air Bags.
What are the best Subaru Impreza years to buy?
2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2024, 2025 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2025 at 89/100, on 5 complaints and 0 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Subaru Impreza problem?
254 of the complaints filed against the Impreza across all its model years sit in the Air Bags group — more than any other component.
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04