Apple lists 12 Subaru models as CarPlay-compatible on its official list of available models (checked September 15, 2026). The earliest is the 2017 Subaru Impreza; the list runs to 2026. The table below is the whole Subaru section of that list, by model and model-year range. What the list leaves out, for every make: whether CarPlay is standard or optional on a given trim, and whether it is wired or wireless. The complete list for every make is on one searchable page.
Subaru models on Apple's CarPlay list
| Model | Model years on Apple's list |
|---|---|
| Subaru Impreza | 2017 to 2025 |
| Subaru BRZ | 2018 to 2025 |
| Subaru Crosstrek | 2018 to 2025 |
| Subaru Legacy | 2018 to 2025 |
| Subaru Outback | 2018 to 2025 |
| Subaru Ascent | 2019 to 2025 |
| Subaru Forester | 2019 to 2025 |
| Subaru WRX | 2019 to 2025 |
| Subaru WRX STI | 2019 to 2022 |
| Subaru Solterra | 2023 to 2025 |
| Subaru Trailseeker | 2026 |
| Subaru Uncharted | 2026 |
A Subaru model that is not in this table is not on Apple's list as of September 15, 2026. That is not the same as "cannot have CarPlay": a dealer software update or an aftermarket head unit can add it, and Apple's list would not show that.
Subaru and Android Auto
Google keeps its own compatibility page for Android Auto, and it works by brand rather than by model: it lists Subaru as "Models from 2017+" (checked September 21, 2026). That is coarser than Apple’s list, so treat it as a floor: a Subaru older than 2017 is not on Google’s list, and a newer one may or may not have Android Auto depending on trim. The one-minute check is the same with an Android phone and a cable; if Android Auto launches, the port is a data port.
When did Subaru get CarPlay? The models by first year
If you are asking when Subaru got CarPlay as a brand, the answer is 2017, the first model year Apple lists for any Subaru. If you are asking about your car, the answer is the year its own model first appears, and those are spread from 2017 through 2026. Here is the same list arranged that way.
- 2017: Subaru Impreza
- 2018: Subaru BRZ, Subaru Crosstrek, Subaru Legacy, Subaru Outback
- 2019: Subaru Ascent, Subaru Forester, Subaru WRX, Subaru WRX STI
- 2023: Subaru Solterra
- 2026: Subaru Trailseeker, Subaru Uncharted
A model under 2020 means Apple lists CarPlay as available on it from the 2020 model year onward, not that every 2020 car has it; trim still decides. Anything earlier than a model's first year is not on Apple's list.
How to read the year ranges
Apple lists each model by the model years it has CarPlay available. A Subaru from a year before its range is not on the list; a car inside the range may still have been sold without CarPlay in a base trim, because Apple's own footnote says CarPlay "is either standard or available as an option," and "some models may support CarPlay or car keys only in certain configurations."
The one-minute check for any Subaru
Plug an iPhone into the car's USB port with a cable. If CarPlay appears on the screen, the car has wired CarPlay and that port is the data port. If the phone connects without a cable and no port launches CarPlay when plugged in, the car has wireless-only CarPlay. If nothing appears either way, that particular car does not have CarPlay, whatever the list says about the model.
Why wired or wireless matters
Accessories that plug into CarPlay, such as a wireless CarPlay adapter, an AI Box that adds Android apps to the screen, or a back-seat camera that shows on the screen, all use the wired CarPlay port. A Subaru with wired CarPlay can take them; one with wireless-only CarPlay cannot. The 5-point compatibility checklist covers the rest of what to check before buying one, and an adapter or an AI Box comes down to how often you sit parked with the screen on.
Not sure about your exact car?
Send us the year, model and trim and we will tell you what Apple's list says and what to check on the car itself, before you buy anything. Email hello@cabinory.com or message us on Messenger. A person replies, usually within a few hours.
Questions we get
Do all Subarus have Apple CarPlay?
Not all of them. Apple lists 12 Subaru models, each for a range of model years starting no earlier than 2017, and within a range it can depend on trim. Find your model and year in the table, then run the plug test on the car itself.
When did Subaru get Apple CarPlay?
2017, for the Subaru Impreza, which is the earliest Subaru on Apple's list. Other models arrive in later years; the year-by-year list above shows when each one first appears.
Does Subaru have Android Auto?
Google lists Subaru as "Models from 2017+" for Android Auto (checked September 21, 2026), by brand rather than by model; year and trim decide the specific car.
Does Subaru have wireless CarPlay?
Apple's list does not distinguish wired from wireless for any make. The plug test on the specific car is the only reliable answer: if a cable launches CarPlay it has wired; if the phone connects with no cable and no port launches it, it is wireless-only. Some cars have both.
Sources
- Apple, CarPlay available models (checked September 15, 2026), Subaru section and the footnote on standard or optional availability and configurations.
- Google, Android Auto compatible vehicles (checked September 21, 2026), brand card for Subaru.