Subaru Outback Depreciation & Resale Value

The 2021 Outback is our best all-around pick in the current dataset. Its median asking price is $23,098, about $1,535 more than the 2020, and it carries the full sixth-generation package: the Subaru Global Platform, standard Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, and standard EyeSight driver assistance. It sits well past the steepest early depreciation, which is what puts it in the value pocket of the modern generation. That does not make every 2021 better than every 2020 or 2022: trim, whether it carries the turbocharged XT engine, mileage, condition, and local price should decide between two specific cars. Compare at least three configuration-matched examples and negotiate from the cleanest one, not the national median.

Start with a 2017 Outback 2.5i Premium. Its current median ask is $14,709, about $1,810 more than the 2016, and it gives you the fifth-generation naturally aspirated BOXER and Subaru's standard Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive without near-new pricing. The tradeoff is mileage: these listings average 111,774 miles. At this age, buy the best-documented car rather than the cheapest one. Confirm maintenance history, inspect tires and brakes, check that all four tires match for the all-wheel-drive system, and pay for an independent pre-purchase inspection. Keep part of the budget for age-related service instead of spending every dollar on the purchase itself.

It can be, but they answer different questions. The 2023 is a late-cycle sixth-generation Outback with the standard platform and driver-assistance content already included, and in this snapshot a 2024 costs about $1,967 more than it, so the 2023 is often the cheaper way into a nearly new wagon. An older sixth-generation car saves more money up front, while a 2024 or newer gives you a longer remaining warranty. If you want maximum content per dollar, the 2023 is a strong middle ground. Compare exact trims, mileage, warranty start dates, financing, and out-the-door totals; a discounted new Outback can occasionally beat an overpriced used one even when its sticker looks higher.

In our fitted five-year curves, the Outback gives up more value than both peers here, which is worth knowing before you buy. The RAV4 holds up better, losing about 20.1 percentage points less than the Outback over five years. The Forester, the Outback's smaller sibling, also holds up better, losing about 8.6 points less. Weaker retention is not automatically a reason to avoid the Outback: it can make a used one cheaper to enter, and its extra wagon space and standard all-wheel drive may matter more to you than a few points of resale. Match configuration, mileage, and condition, then let the price you negotiate drive the decision.

26.2% of Outbacks in our listing sample already have more than 100,000 miles, and about 5.9% have crossed 150,000, with high-mileage examples asking a median around $11,485. That active high-mileage market shows the wagon stays in service, but it is not a guarantee that any individual example has remaining life. A high-mileage Outback can make sense when the service history is complete, wear items are priced into the deal, the all-wheel-drive system and tires are sound, and an independent inspection is clean. Ask the inspector to separate normal wear from deferred repairs and to price each near-term item, because deferred maintenance can erase the purchase-price savings quickly.

Our mileage-adjusted fitted curve estimates that a Subaru Outback loses about 36.9% of its original value after five years, retaining roughly 63.1%. That is based on 2,927 listings across multiple model years, with asking prices adjusted toward an estimated sale price. It is a nameplate-level trajectory, not a quote for a specific VIN. Your purchase price, trim, whether it carries the turbocharged XT engine, mileage, condition, and the new-vehicle market at resale can move the result materially. As the peer comparison shows, the Outback is not the retention leader in its segment, so for a real purchase calculate the dollar loss from the price you negotiate, not from an abstract national MSRP.

Use the count as a prompt to investigate, not as an automatic rejection. NHTSA complaint totals are not failure rates: older years have had more time to accumulate reports, popular years put more vehicles on the road, and one issue can generate many similar complaints. Open the model-year page, read the complaint categories, check open recalls by VIN, and ask whether documented repairs were completed. Separate a safety recall with a defined remedy from an unverified owner complaint, because they carry different evidence and next steps. The specific car's inspection and history matter more than a raw count without a sales or exposure denominator behind it.