Subaru announced its prices for the 2023 Solterra last week, revealing that the electric SUV will start at $44,995 before factoring in a $1,225 destination charge and a $7,500 federal tax credit.
Since Toyota offers an entry-level front-wheel drive bZ4X and all of Subaru’s versions are all-wheel drive, the Toyota lineup naturally has a lower starting price, but matched model-for-model, a 2023 Solterra costs $925 more than a bZ4X XLE AWD.
But something going on behind the scenes means that’s not the whole picture, and we’re not talking about the Subaru’s extra standard equipment. The base front-drive bZ4X doesn’t qualify for the U.S. government’s $7,500 federal tax credit, but the same car in all-wheel drive guise does, along with the Solterra.
Toyota’s problem, according to a report in Automotive News, is that it has almost exhausted its supply of tax credits. Tesla and GM have already blown past their 200,000-unit allocation, meaning buyers of those companies’ EVs no longer qualify for the $7,500 credit. And it looks like Toyota’s name is about to be added to that list.
Driven: The 2023 Toyota bZ4X Is A Quirky, But Comfortable EV With Up To 252 Miles Of Range
A Toyota executive estimated that the firm will run out of credits during the second quarter of 2022. Although the bZ4X and its Lexus RZ 450e cousin haven’t arrived in the U.S. yet, Toyota’s credit allocation has been gobbled up by cars likes PHEV versions of the Prius and RAV4.
The IRS won’t suddenly turn off the credit tap. It will announce a phasing-out period that is likely to reduce credits available to customers to $3,750 in the second half of this year, to $1,875 in the first half of 2023, and zero dollars thereafter. BZ4X deliveries are scheduled to start this spring, so the first cars might still qualify for the full $7,500 grant.
Subaru, on the other hand, has so far produced almost no cars eligible for the subsidy. Its only electric offering has been the Crosstrek PHEV, which sold in small numbers, meaning Subaru has an estimated 95 percent of its credits still available. The Solterra arrives this summer, slightly behind the Toyota, but with a guaranteed $7,500 saving on the table, many EV buyers might think it’s worth the wait.
