Subaru has never been afraid to do things differently, but few changes have sparked as much debate as the latest evolution of one of its most iconic nameplates. Longtime fans questioned whether the brand had abandoned what made the model special, and early sales figures suggested those concerns might have been justified.

Fast forward a few months, however, and the picture looks very different. Buyers appear to be warming to the redesign, sales momentum is building, and a strong performance across the wider lineup suggests that the Japanese automaker may have weathered one of its most turbulent periods. The comeback story that once seemed unlikely is finally beginning to take shape.

After a shaky start, the Outback is starting to gain some traction

Its controversial new styling isn’t holding it back any longer

When the new Outback was revealed, there was quite a large outcry from brand loyalists. Subaru has effectively pulled it away from its station wagon roots and made it look more like an SUV than anything else. Existing buyers were upset that the Japanese automaker had strayed from its roots, and its sales suffered in its first couple of months on dealership floors. After some struggles, though, things have started to turn around.

Subaru Outback sales Q2 2026

As the first quarter of the year has come to a close, we now have a pretty good overview of how well the new Outback has performed over the last couple of months. You’ll notice that, compared to quarter 2 of 2025, Outback sales have decreased by 14.1 percent, which equates to a difference of around 10,000, which is certainly nothing to scoff at. However, things have slowly but surely begun to turn around.

For the first couple months of the year, sales of the Outback sat quite far behind the sales figures for 2025. As the year went on, this gap slowly started to shrink. This is the first month this year that there have been some serious gains. Compared to June of last year, Subaru has sold four thousand more units in June 2026. It could be a sign that buyers are starting to come around to the new styling, and that the controversy has died down. In any case, we imagine the folks at Subaru must be breathing a sigh of relief.

Subaru’s Forester has more than exceeded expectations this year

It has consistently grown month-on-month all year

With the sales of a lot of other vehicles in the Subaru lineup slipping over the last little while, one model has emerged as a hero for the brand, existing as a silver lining even when things looked quite grim. It has taken its place as the best-selling Subaru of 2026 so far, with strong and consistent growth being shown over the last couple of months.

Subaru Forester sales Q2 2026

At the end of 2025, the Forester managed to post some pretty strong sales figures. Despite this, it sat as the second best-selling vehicle in the brand’s lineup. Usually, compact SUVs like the Forester dominate, with smaller or larger SUVs getting lower numbers. However, thanks to an incredibly strong start to the year, likely underlined by the decrease in buyers opting for the Outback, the Forester has now established itself as the best-selling model in Subaru’s lineup.

In June 2026, Subaru managed to increase sales by over 40 percent compared to June last year, which is the equivalent of around 5,000 units. While, overall, the growth for quarter two is a little smaller than that, it still represents strong growth for an SUV that already makes up quite a massive portion of Subaru’s sales. This is the sixth month in a row that the Forester has set new sales records.

Overall, June was a fantastic month for Subaru and the future is looking brighter

After some struggles to get going, the ship seems to be on the right path

Credit: Subaru

The first six months of the year were pretty abysmal for Subaru, with sales continuously tanking more and more as time went on. To be fair to the Japanese automaker, there have been a ton of external factors that have been working against them, from increasing fuel prices, to massive tariffs. The automotive segment as a whole has been in shambles. However, with strong postings this month, things could definitely be looking up.

Subaru overall sales Q2 2026

If you look at Subaru’s overall sales for Q2, you may come to the conclusion that things aren’t looking so great. However, it doesn’t quite show just how much improvement there has been. At the end of Q1 2026, Subaru’s sales had declined by 14.9 percent compared to 2025. In three short months, the Japanese automaker has managed to bridge that gap by quite a bit.

June’s sales figures obviously had a huge impact. With an increase of over 18 percent, Subaru managed to sell almost 11,000 more units compared to the same period last year. If they continue along this trajectory, it is very likely that they could post an overall sales increase by the end of the year.

Things have been rough for Subaru, but the future looks bright

Subaru is one of the few brands that publishes their sales figures monthly, and unfortunately, that means we’ve gotten a pretty solid idea of their struggles in the first couple of months of 2026. The Outback in particular saw a brutal decline in sales, with a lot of blame being put on its new drastic styling. However, the Outback has made a pretty heroic comeback over the last month or two, with it finally starting to see some strong growth.

This story is mirrored in Subaru’s overall sales. While they are still behind their numbers from last year, Subaru is definitely beginning to catch up. A few more months like this, and things could finally be looking up for the brand.