It’s almost 2026, and everything’s getting pricier. Especially cars! The Subaru BRZ, which has historically been one of the only cheap paths to a rear-wheel-drive sports car, started at under $29,000 when the second-gen coupe hit the scene for the 2022 model year. Going forward, it’ll start at $37,055. No, really.
Now, this isn’t merely a story of rising prices or even tariffs. What Subaru has done here is axe the BRZ’s base trim, which, frustratingly, was called “Premium.” For 2025, a BRZ Premium started at $34,380. The other two trims—the Limited (which is higher than Premium, yes), and tS, started at $37,055 and $39,555, respectively. Those prices are not increasing, outside of what appears to be a $25 higher destination and delivery charge. Hey, gotta keep up with inflation, right?
Reading Subaru’s press release, the justification for deleting the entry-level trim isn’t explicitly made, but it is hinted at. Subaru says that only one of every 10 BRZ buyers opted for the Premium this past year; that translates to around 210 of the 2,107 BRZs sold through August 2025.
So, sure—the BRZ that most people tend to buy is sticking around and not going up in price. That’s nice, for now. Still, the rising cost of entry is tough to swallow for what used to be a cheap ticket to fun. Now, the least expensive BRZ you can buy has suede seats. That’s nice and all, but there are probably some BRZ fans out there that just want a no-frills rear-drive sports car with a six-speed. The only features they care about are mechanical.
As for the BRZ’s cousin, the Toyota 86, we don’t know how much it’ll cost for the coming model year, nor if Toyota will axe any trims as Subaru has done. In 2025, though, the 86 started at $31,595, while the upper-grade Premium (yeah, in Toyota speak, that word actually means what you think it does) ran $34,195. Now, if those numbers stay the same, then Toyota’s got a clear value advantage heading into 2026. Which would be nice, particularly as the GR Corolla’s price is firmly in the $40K range now.
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