Compare the2026 Ford Mustang Mach-EVS 2026 Subaru Solterra

Both the Mustang Mach-E and Solterra have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Mustang Mach-E has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Solterra’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

Both the Mustang Mach-E and the Solterra have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford Mustang Mach-E is safer than the Subaru Solterra:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Ford Mustang Mach-E is safer than the Subaru Solterra:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Mustang Mach-E, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 2.1% to 3% less likely to roll over than the Solterra, which received a four-star rating.

There are over 4 times as many Ford dealers as there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Mustang Mach-E’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Subaru With 4 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Ford higher than Subaru.

The Mustang Mach-E has more powerful engines than the Solterra:

As tested in Motor Trend the Ford Mustang Mach-E is faster than the Solterra XT:

The Mustang Mach-E can travel longer on a full charge than the Solterra on a full charge:

For better stopping power the Mustang Mach-E’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Solterra:

The Mustang Mach-E stops much shorter than the Solterra:

For better traction, the Mustang Mach-E GT’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Solterra (245/45R20 vs. 235/60R18).

The Mustang Mach-E’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Solterra Premium’s standard 60 series tires. The Mustang Mach-E GT’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Solterra Limited/Touring’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Mustang Mach-E has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Solterra Premium.

The Mustang Mach-E offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Solterra’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Mustang Mach-E Select/Premium’s wheelbase is 5.3 inches longer than on the Solterra (117.5 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

The Mustang Mach-E GT handles at .92 G’s, while the Solterra Touring pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Mustang Mach-E GT executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Solterra Touring (25.9 seconds @ .7 average G’s vs. 26.7 seconds @ .69 average G’s).

The Mustang Mach-E has 3.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Solterra (101.1 vs. 97.5).

The Mustang Mach-E has .1 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front legroom, 1 inch more front hip room, .2 inches more rear headroom, 2.8 inches more rear legroom, 8.4 inches more rear hip room and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Solterra.

The Mustang Mach-E has a much larger cargo volume than the Solterra with its rear seat up (29.7 vs. 23.8 cubic feet).

The Mustang Mach-E uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Solterra uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Mustang Mach-E’s exterior PIN entry system. The Solterra doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its STARLINK Safety and Security can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Mustang Mach-E’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Solterra’s power window (except driver window) and power lock switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Mustang Mach-E has a standard rear wiper. The Solterra doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

Consumer Reports rated the Mustang Mach-E’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Solterra’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Mustang Mach-E is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Solterra doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Ford Mustang Mach-E, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Subaru Solterra isn't recommended.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Mustang Mach-E as the 2021 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Solterra has never been chosen.

The Ford Mustang Mach-E outsold the Subaru Solterra by almost five to one during 2025.