The 2022 Subaru WRX EPA Fuel Economy Sticker Is Off By Over $11,000

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If you look at the fuel economy sticker on the window of the 2022 Subaru WRX, don’t believe the EPA’s fuel economy numbers. See why it’s off by over $11,000.

If you buy a 2022 Subaru WRX and look at the window sticker, you’ll be deceived into thinking the five-year annual fuel cost for the performance car is around $3,410. But the actual 5-year fuel cost is closer to $19,430. Why is there a $11,420 difference between the sticker and reality?

A new study from Consumer Reports reveals the 2022 Subaru WRX EPA’s fuel economy sticker on the performance sports car is two years out of date. When the EPA gave Subaru the estimates, the cost of gas was $3.00, while today, the average price for a gallon of gas is $4.89, according to AAA.

The 2022 Subaru WRX is designed to run on premium fuel which is even higher today at $5.61 per gallon. The stickers use regular gas prices, even when a model calls for more expensive premium fuel. That’s about a sixty percent difference. Check out the difference in the 2022 WRX window sticker vs. reality.

2022 Subaru WRX EPA fuel economy window sticker

EPA’s combined fuel economy: 22 mpg on premium
EPA’s estimated annual fuel cost: $1,600
EPA’s estimated five-year fuel cost: $3,410
Estimated annual cost at $5.70/gal: $8,010
Estimated five-year cost at $5.70/gal: $19,430.
The five-year difference in window sticker vs. reality: $11,420

Consumer Reports says it’s not Subaru’s fault. The printed window sticker estimates “are out of whack” because fuel costs used in the calculations are provided two years in advance to automakers by the Environmental Protection Agency.

How do you get accurate information for the 2022 WRX fuel mileage?

Consumer Reports says, “To get the most accurate information at the dealership, car buyers need to use their smartphone to access a QR code printed on each window sticker; it provides direct digital access to more accurate market information.”

Photographing the code opens fueleconomy.gov, the official government source for fuel-economy information run by the EPA and Department of Energy. The site provides near-current fuel pricing, updated weekly, and an interactive calculator that can predict future costs based on a gas price and the WRX’s MPG.

What is the 2022 WRX fuel mileage?

The EPA’s 2022 Subaru WRX fuel mileage estimates with the 6-speed manual get 19/26 city/highway and 22 combined mpg, a drop of one mpg over the 2021 model. The 2021 WRX 2.0-liter engine had 20/27 city/highway and 23 combined mpg.

The 2022 Subaru WRX with the Subaru Performance Transmission (CVT automatic) improves one mpg city/highway. The 2022 WRX CVT gets 19/25 city/highway and 21 combined mpg. The 2021 WRX 2.0-liter engine with the CVT had 18/24 city/highway and 21 combined mpg.

The EPA tested the 2022 WRX using 91 octane premium unleaded gasoline. If you look at the fuel economy sticker on the window of the 2022 Subaru WRX, don’t believe the EPA’s fuel economy numbers. They are two years out of date.

You Might Also Like: RedBook Says Subaru WRX Won’t Lose You Money Like Many New Sports Cars

Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Photo credit: Subaru USA

Submitted by Catherine Mundia (not verified) on June 28, 2022 - 12:08PM

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The Subaru is best suited for the African terrain unfortunately it's not included in the WRC rally circuit. It would be be something of a spectacular show.

The reason Subaru can't be in the WRC is because those cars must have a 1.6L inline 4 cylinder engine, but Subaru doesn't make one. And they definitely don't have the cash to develop one just for racing in that series.

Submitted by Daniel Friedrichs (not verified) on June 28, 2022 - 12:15PM

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Your numbers don't make sense.

Original annual estimate of $1600 @ $3/gal is about 533 gallons per year. @22mpg, that's a little less that 12000 miles a year.

Reasonable so far.

533 gallons @$5.7 per gal is $3040/year.
The 5 year total is $15200.

The original $1600 for 5 years is $8000.
That's a difference of $7200. Still a huge difference.

But what really caught my attention was this sentence.
"...the five-year annual fuel cost for the performance car is around $3,410. But the actual 5-year fuel cost is closer to $19,430. Why is there a $11,420 difference ...?"

What?

May be because the math genius wasn't using 6th grade math but rather highschool junior/senior math where he/she took fuel price inflation into account? Fuel price went from $3 to $5.7 in 2 years. No one can predict the future but there's a chance that it won't be $5.7 5 years from now. It can be less or more. But for the intented purpose of this article, the picked the "more" to dramatize the situation.

Submitted by Jim Jones (not verified) on June 29, 2022 - 5:08PM

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Page 463 of the owners manual says 91 octane but 87 octane can be used. Investigative journalism is dead. Do yourself a favor and delete this garbage.

Submitted by D grand (not verified) on June 29, 2022 - 10:02PM

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I think you to need to either recheck your math or the numbers in the article. Somewhere along the way things got mess up. But appreciate the info

Submitted by Ken Frieders (not verified) on June 30, 2022 - 11:03AM

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Please stop being so irresponsible in your reporting, and go back to a time when journalist checked their facts before posting an article. Your math, which should be quite simple for any 6th grader, is ALL wrong and just as misleading as the EPA!

Submitted by Glen (not verified) on July 1, 2022 - 4:03PM

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Of course people are walking into a Subaru dealership and saying

Oh that looks pretty and look the gas mileage is good

Ill have the one please lol