A used Subaru Impreza is worth having only with a solid body, so check the rear strut turrets and arches on any 1992 to 2007 car, and skip a 2.5 past 80,000 miles without proof of new head gaskets.
3 known faults, 2 rated high severity in our database; owners report 31.5 mpg, 88% of the official figure. Everything below is built from that data and the archived owner history, not from a press car.
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Check a Subaru Impreza advert (free) →The safer older Impreza is simply the one with a sound body, because the whole 1992 to 2007 run carries a known fault where the rear strut turrets rot. The factory seam sealer around the joint fails, water sits in the seam and the metal goes where the rear suspension mounts, so it's structural rather than cosmetic. The rear arches rot from the inside on the same cars.
Beyond the 2.5's head gasket fault, which runs to 2010, there's nothing in the fault records for the 2008 to 2012 cars, and that's an empty record rather than a clean one. Judge each car on its history, and read the engine section first if it's a boxer diesel, because the owner reports from those years are about that engine.
The 2014 to 2017 cars came with the 1.6 only, and what's on record comes from single owners: two cars with front brake discs that corroded early, one with false tyre pressure warnings and one that burned oil. The last cars, from 2018, have a five-star Euro NCAP rating and come as a CVT automatic only, with little on record about how they're holding up.
The 2.0 (EJ20) and 2.5 (EJ25) boxer petrols both run a cambelt, due every 60,000 miles or 5 years. It's an interference engine, and the tensioner, idlers and water pump should be renewed along with the belt, so ask for a receipt that lists all of them on any car near or past either mark.
If the car has the 2.5 boxer, there's a known fault on that engine between 1998 and 2010: the head gasket fails, usually between 80,000 and 120,000 miles. It shows as oil seeping out beneath the cylinder heads, a temperature gauge that climbs, or white smoke from the exhaust. Past 80,000 miles, don't take one on without proof the gaskets have already been done.
Specs differ from car to car, so find out the exact version, its power output and whether it's an independent import before you agree a price. On a 2008 to 2012 boxer diesel, one report says some cars up to 2009 needed a new dual-mass flywheel and clutch under warranty because the engine software let too much torque reach it in first and second. Revised software damps that, so ask whether it's been loaded.
The 2018 cars come with a 1.6 or 2.0 petrol and only with the CVT automatic, and there's little on record for either engine or that gearbox, so the car's history is what you're judging. On the 2014 to 2017 1.6, one owner's car was using a litre of oil every 3,000 miles at 16 months old, so check the dipstick and ask how often it's been topped up.
Open the boot and look at the rear strut tops from inside: rusty stains or flakes of rust around them, or blistering where the inner arch joins the turret, is the structural rot this car's known for. Read the old MOTs for advisories about corrosion close to a suspension mount. Then check the rear arch lips for blistered paint, rust stains below the arch trim and rippled or filled panels from a patch repair.
Get the car on a ramp if the seller will allow it. One owner found severe structural rust hidden around the engine and the front suspension subframe, which you won't spot from the kerb. Look at the underside as carefully as the arches, and don't let a clean top half talk you out of checking what's beneath the engine.
Ask for the cambelt receipt on any 2.0 or 2.5 boxer, and on a 2.5 ask for proof of any gasket work. If the car wears an importer-fitted SIGMA immobiliser, ask whether it's been swapped for the shielded version, since the original can be upset by radio signals from security services masts. On a 2006 or 2007 car, a flat battery points to short trips: the alternator waits until the engine's warm before charging, and switching the lights on makes it start.
On a 2014 to 2017 car, look at the front brake discs for rust and scoring, because one owner's needed new discs and pads at 13,000 miles and another's needed a full set by 24,000 miles. Watch for a tyre pressure warning with the tyres correctly inflated, a start/stop light that keeps flashing and any struggle getting reverse, all from one owner's car.
Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.
Buy one only after you've seen solid rear strut turrets and arches, because rot there is a known fault on every year of this generation and the turret is structural. The 2006 and 2007 cars get the same caution. One owner of a 2006 2.0R found its engine smoother, quieter and quicker off the line than the earlier model's, with the rest of the car much the same.
The rust follows a pattern. At the back, the seam sealer around the strut turret fails and water collects in the joint. The rear arches and quarter panels rot from the inside, because sound deadening inside the panel holds moisture, drain holes block and the rubber trim on the arch lip traps water, so bubbling paint on the arch lip means the rot started behind it.
If it's a 2.5, the head gasket fault covers 1998 onwards and turns up between 80,000 and 120,000 miles. Specs and import status vary on these cars, so pin down exactly which one you're looking at. Ask whether an importer-fitted SIGMA immobiliser has been replaced with the shielded type, and on a 2006 or 2007 car expect a flat battery if it's only done short runs.
Real-world economy on this generation: Subaru Impreza 29.8 mpg.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
Paste any Subaru Impreza advert and we check it against the faults, the MOT record and these figures in seconds.
Check an advert now (free) →Owners report 31.5 mpg across the Subaru Impreza engines with data, about 88% of the official figure, from 110 submissions.
Subaru Impreza Real MPG by engine →It's a car that rewards you on a twisting country road. The handling's sharp, there's plenty of grip in the bends, and it copes well in foul weather, which counts for a lot if you live somewhere rural and drive in all conditions.
It's comfortable to live with, and the boot's big enough for proper loads. One owner of a 2006 car called it enormously practical for country life and said it sticks to the road through the bends and is a real pleasure to drive.
A used Subaru Impreza is worth having only with a solid body, so check the rear strut turrets and arches on any 1992 to 2007 car, and skip a 2.5 past 80,000 miles without proof of new head gaskets. Our database holds 3 known Subaru Impreza faults, 2 rated high severity, and the sections above say which generation and engine carry them.
Open the boot and look at the rear strut tops from inside: rusty stains or flakes of rust around them, or blistering where the inner arch joins the turret, is the structural rot this car's known for. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories and ask for invoices for any work the seller mentions. Then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against every known Subaru Impreza fault before you travel.
Owners report 31.5 mpg on average, about 88% of the official figure, from 110 submissions. Belt (2.5 LITRE, EJ25, 2.0 LITRE, EJ20): 60,000 miles or 5 years, whichever comes first, so budget for it if the history does not show it done. The known faults page lists a rough repair cost against each fault. Subaru Impreza Real MPG by engine.
If you used the Honest John car-by-car reviews before the site closed in 2026, this is where the Subaru Impreza buying advice now lives. It is written from the archived owner reports and model notes (archived page, 41 items read for this model), our own known-faults database, the confirmed service intervals and the Real MPG figures. Every number on the page comes from that data, not from the text. The same data feeds our free advert check.
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The Subaru Impreza is one decision. Reading the advert, the history and the seller are the rest, and these cover them.
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