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The Subaru Forester is more than just a versatile, outdoorsy crossover. It also has one of the cheapest cost-of-ownership ratings of any compact SUV. According to one source, the Subaru Forester will likely be the most affordable model in the segment to own over five years. 

What’s the 5-year cost of ownership for a 2023 Subaru Forester?

A 2023 Subaru Forester sits in a snowy forest. The Forester has one of the lowest projected cost of ownership ratings of any compact SUV.
2023 Subaru Forester | Subaru

The Subaru Forester is rated to cost about $3,635 to own over the first five years. 

Kelley Blue Book recently released its top cost of ownership vehicles by body style and segment. The publication compiled data from maintenance, fuel consumption, depreciation, and more to project the likely cost of ownership for dozens of models. The 2023 Forester came out on top of the compact SUV segment. 

Here are the winning 2023 SUVs for the cheapest cost of ownership: 

  • Subcompact SUV: Hyundai Venue 
  • Compact SUV: Subaru Forester 
  • Two-Row Midsize SUV: Subaru Outback
  • 3-Row Midsize SUV: Subaru Ascent 
  • Full-Size SUV: Chevrolet Tahoe 
  • Off-Road SUV: Ford Bronco 
  • Subcompact Luxury SUV: Lexus UX
  • Compact Luxury SUV: Lexus NX 
  • Two-Row Midsize Luxury SUV: Lexus RX
  • Three-Row Midsize Luxury SUV: Acura MDX
  • Full-Size Luxury SUV: Mercedes-Benz GLS

What makes the Subaru Forester a good compact SUV?

Along with its affordable cost of ownership, the Subaru Forester offers benefits like versatile capability and robust safety. 

The Forester benefits from Subaru’s unique Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system. This full-time all-wheel drive setup effectively delivers power to the wheels with the best traction to help pull you out of snow or keep you stable through a corner. 

It also offers a comprehensive group of safety technologies: 

  • Adaptive Cruise Control 
  • Lane Keep Assist
  • Pre-Collision Braking
  • Pre-Collision Throttle Management 
  • DriverFocus Distraction Mitigation 
  • Blind Spot Detection
  • Rear Cross Traffic Alert 
  • Etc…

Is the Subaru Forester a good value?

The Subaru Forester starts at $26,495 – that’s a pretty great value when you count up all of the standard features in the compact SUV. Plus, it’s rated as the best compact crossover of 2023 for its five-year cost of ownership.  

What does cost of ownership mean?

Cost of ownership refers to all the built-in costs associated with a vehicle. These can vary from maintenance and repairs to fuel costs, insurance, and depreciation. 

All these factors can make a vehicle much more expensive to own than its price implies. For example, a given SUV might have a low MSRP. But if it’s pretty unreliable, its true cost of ownership may make it more expensive over time than a different model with a higher MSRP. 

It’s always important to consider the cost of ownership before pulling the trigger on a vehicle purchase. It can make a big difference in the satisfaction of one’s experience. 

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Staff Writer, Producer - SUVs

Scott Prewitt

Scott Prewitt joined the MotorBiscuit team in 2023 as a Staff Writer for the SUV section. During college, he began his career in journalism as Editor in Chief of The Creightonian. After graduating from Creighton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, News and Public Relations, Scott spent time in a local newsroom. He soon found his way to the world of automotive journalism and has been writing about cars since 2017.

A passion for all things automotive began at a young age. Playing Gran Turismo racing games in the early 2000s sparked an interest in cars and Scott began devouring Car and Driver stories when he was in the fourth grade. Since then, Scott’s enthusiasm for autos has grown to become the focal point of his career as a journalist.

By combining the skills that earned him the News Graduate of the Year 2016 and the Omaha Press Club Recognition & Academic Scholarship with a craving for knowledge of automotive industry, Scott covers a wide range of content from breaking news about the latest SUV models to designated off-road and overlanding rigs. His reporting is informed by personal experiences like road trips, intriguing automotive history, and time spent poring over various outlets and YouTube channels. Scott is drawn to car culture because, in his own words,  “these vehicles are a combination of purpose-built engineering and emotive, expressive design.”

The personal aspects of the autos world are of particular interest to Scott, and he is fascinated by the relationship between humans and cars. Years of writing for dealerships across the country and time in the corporate communications world lend to his expertise as a writer here at MotorBiscuit.