If you’re thinking about buying a new Subaru WRX, wait until your local Subie store has 2026 models on the lot. Or, print this article out and show your salesman before you start negotiating. Not only is the base model back for 2026, dropping the entry price from $37,750 to $32,495, but the Premium, Limited, GT, and even tS models are also now listing for less money than they did in 2025.
It seems that Subaru is eager to stoke WRX sales out of their slump, and this just might do the trick.
Destination and delivery is $1,195 for WRX; slightly higher in Alaska, and “may vary” in nine other states (CT, HI, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI, and VT) according to Subaru. For simplicity, let’s just compare MSRPs between 2025 and 2026 model-year WRXs:
| WRX Trim | MY2025 | MY2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Base (6MT) | N/A | $32,495 |
| Premium (6MT) | $37,750 | $33,995 |
| Limited (6MT) | $42,130 | $38,995 |
| GT (CVT) | $47,705 | $44,995 |
| tS (6MT) | $47,705 | $44,995 |
| Series.Yellow | N/A | $45,995 |
The 2026 WRX still has basically the same look and 271-horsepower boxer engine it was introduced with as new-for-2022. It’s still built at the same factory in Gunma, Japan. The new prices above are the big news for model year 2026 so far, but some options and equipment loadouts have changed slightly as well. There’s also a new Series.Yellow model, which is a tS in a special color (guess what color) (it’s yellow), limited to 350 units.
All 2026 WRXs have that huge (11.6-inch) portrait-oriented center screen, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility, and EyeSight driver assistance.
“The base trim level offers 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels and Keyless Access with Push-Button Start, which were previously unavailable on the base model. It also includes 245/40 summer performance tires, a sport-tuned suspension, and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System with individual tire display and automatic individual wheel ID registration,” Subaru shared in a press release.
The Premium trim adds heated front seats, heated exterior mirrors, and a windshield wiper deicer, LED fog lights, premium cloth upholstery with red contrast stitching, dual rear USB-A and USB-C charge ports, and a trunk lid body-color rear spoiler. For another $1,865, you can get a Harmon Kardon stereo and sunroof.
Limited gets the stereo and sunroof by default, plus LED steering-responsive headlights, red seat bolsters, power-adjustable front seat, and some other niceties.
As with previous years, the GT is automatic-only but has nice Recaro performance seats, a digital gauge cluster, and electronically adjustable ride control. The tS is the same setup but with Brembo brakes and a manual transmission. The Series.Yellow model is really just a special color plus special 19-inch wheels. Looks awesome, though. I love that shade—not quite school bus or construction-equipment yellow, but looks more serious than obnoxious.
I’m still holding out hope for a factory option to paint the fenders. But by all accounts, it looks like the 2026 model-year WRX is a much better buy than the 2025 model. From where I’m sitting, Premium is still the one to get—heated seats are important in places where Subarus tend to be popular.
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