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Should I keep my Subaru Outback?
Keeping an 8-year-old (2018) Subaru Outback at typical mileage costs about $5,148 a year: $972 in value it loses, $1,150 insurance, $1,584 fuel, $1,342 maintenance and repairs and $100 registration. A new one costs about $8,521 a year to own, mostly because new cars lose value faster.
By model year
What a Subaru Outback costs to keep, by year
Next 12 months for a paid-off car at 12,000 miles a year, average insurance costs, $3.30 gas. Click a year to run your own numbers in Keep or Switch.
| Year | Value today | Cost to keep next year | Value lost | Maintenance and repairs | Efficiency | Repair complaints |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $25,560 | $6,177 | $2,406 | $714 | 25 MPG | About average |
| 2024 | $22,459 | $5,793 | $2,042 | $736 | 25 MPG | Fewer than average |
| 2023 | $19,805 | $5,530 | $1,698 | $856 | 25 MPG | Fewer than average |
| 2022 | $17,564 | $5,136 | $1,372 | $881 | 26 MPG | Fewer than average |
| 2021 | $15,706 | $5,208 | $1,331 | $1,108 | 28 MPG | About average |
| 2020 | $13,944 | $4,964 | $1,033 | $1,190 | 28 MPG | About average |
| 2019 | $12,524 | $5,135 | $1,002 | $1,274 | 25 MPG | About average |
| 2018 | $11,176 | $5,148 | $972 | $1,342 | 25 MPG | About average |
Should you keep it?
Keeping vs replacing your Subaru Outback
- Cheapest year to keep: 2020, at about $4,964 a year.
- Fewest repair-heavy complaints: 2022.
- Older isn't always cheaper: value lost shrinks as a car ages, but maintenance and repairs grow, from $714 a year for a 2025 to $1,342 for a 2018.
A paid-off car is usually the cheapest car you can drive, even with repairs: a replacement starts losing value the day you buy it and comes with tax, fees and often a loan. Switching tends to pay only when repairs get large and frequent, or a much more efficient car cuts fuel costs enough. Keep or Switch compares your Subaru Outback against any replacement, including the costs of switching.
Questions
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a Subaru Outback per year?
For a 2018 model at typical mileage, about $5,148 a year in value lost, insurance, fuel, maintenance, repairs and registration, not counting any loan. Years in the table range from $4,964 to $6,177.
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