Subaru Impreza Vs. Toyota Corolla: Which Is Better?
Between the Subaru Impreza and the Toyota Corolla, it’s anybody’s game—but one has to come out on top.
Written by Macy Fouse
Reviewed by Jessica Barrett
Table of Contents
- Pricing
- Performance
- Fuel efficiency
- Technology
- Reliability
- Interior
- The final word
- How to find cheap car insurance for a Subaru Impreza
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The 2022 Toyota Corolla and Subaru Impreza are evenly matched in almost every category, but the Corolla comes out on top in terms of value, technology, and reliability.
On paper, the Corolla and the Impreza are nearly identical. Both are affordable compact cars from reliable Japanese manufacturers, both are offered in sedan and hatchback body styles, and both come with four-cylinder engines.
Spotting the differences can take a trained eye, and that’s why
Jerry
is here. As the trustworthy super app and car insurance
expert, Jerry has laid out a comprehensive side-by-side comparison of the Subaru Impreza and Toyota Corolla to help you make the most informed decision about your next big purchase. Plus we've added some helpful information on how to save big on your Toyota Corolla insurance cost
(or whatever car you drive!).Pricing
The Corolla and the Impreza are their brand’s affordable sedan offerings, though the Impreza’s starting price is marginally cheaper than the Corolla’s. That being said, the Corolla offers more trim options, and they’re cheaper than the Impreza equivalent. Both compact sedans are available in a hatchback body as well.
Check out the pricing differences between the 2022 Impreza and Corolla sedans.
Model | MSRP | Model | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|
2022 Toyota Corolla L | $21,520 | 2022 Subaru Impreza Base | $20,290 |
2022 Toyota Corolla LE | $21,970 | 2022 Subaru Impreza Premium | $23,155 |
2022 Toyota Corolla SE | $22,260 | 2022 Subaru Impreza Sport | $23,955 |
2022 Toyota Corolla XSE | $25,210 | 2022 Subaru Impreza Limited | $27,355 |
2022 Toyota Corolla XLE | $25,920 |
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If you’re trying to spend the least amount of money possible, the base Impreza trim is the cheapest option—but on the other hand, the top Corolla trim is over $1,400 cheaper than the Impreza’s best trim option, providing a much better deal.
It’s important to keep in mind that a cheaper starting price doesn't necessarily translate to cheaper car expenses. When it comes to the true cost of ownership, the Corolla comes out on top.
Let’s look at the estimated five-year ownership costs for each sedan’s most popular trim: the
Toyota Corolla LE
and the Subaru Impreza Premium
. Edmunds predicts the 2021 Corolla LE’s ownership costs to total around $27,639 over five years, including $3,273 for maintenance and the annual $3,968 for Toyota Corolla LE car insurance costs. For the 2021 Subaru Impreza Premium, Edmunds predicts a five-year ownership cost of $31,638—almost $4,000 more than the Corolla. If we take into account the $2,665 difference in the sticker price of the two 2021 models, though, the Impreza is just $1,335 more expensive to own.
MORE: Does financing a car affect insurance rates?
Performance
In terms of performance, it’s a draw between the Impreza and Corolla—because both sedans have lackluster base engines holding them back.
The 2022 Impreza’s 152-horsepower four-cylinder engine beats out the Corolla’s 1.8-liter base engine, which provides only 139 horsepower. Here’s where the Corolla gets a slight leg up, though: you can upgrade to a 169-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine for the 2022 Corolla, while there’s only one engine option for the 2022 Impreza. Even so, the most powerful Corolla engine still only makes 10 more horsepower than the Impreza’s engine.
Both sedans are equipped with standard continuously variable transmissions (CVT), but both offer alternatives as well. You can get the Corolla’s six-speed manual transmission by upgrading to the bigger 2.0-liter engine, and the Impreza’s five-speed manual transmission requires upgrading to the Sport trim. The Impreza also comes with standard all-wheel drive on every model, while the Corolla is only available in front-wheel drive.
So what does this equipment mean for performance? Quite frankly, neither of these sedans is impressive when it comes to engine capability. The Impreza’s engine lacks power, making acceleration and interstate merging feel dicey…and the Corolla isn’t much better. Its base engine also tends to lag when it comes to acceleration, but upgrading to the 2.0-liter engine will improve that a bit.
Both cars’ powertrains are known to be a bit noisy as well, thanks in part to their CVTs; however, the Corolla’s available transmissions are noticeably smoother than the Impreza’s options. Overall, both of these cars’ powertrains lend themselves to driving around town with ease, but they may struggle to keep up on bigger highways.
Fuel efficiency
Here’s where the Corolla shines. The standard powertrain earns 33 mpg combined, but the 2.0-liter engine bumps that up to 35 mpg. However, the Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE takes the cake with its combined 52 mpg.
Without the Corolla hybrid in the game, the Impreza doesn’t fall far behind when it comes to fuel economy. The table below outlines our two competitors' EPA ratings for each model and powertrain.
Model | Engine | Fuel economy (city/hwy/combined) |
|---|---|---|
2022 Toyota Corolla | 1.8L four-cylinder (base) | 30/38/33 mpg |
2022 Toyota Corolla | 2.0L four-cylinder | 31/40/34 mpg |
2022 Toyota Corolla Hybrid | 1.8L four-cylinder | 53/52/52/ mpg |
2022 Subaru Impreza | 2.0L four-cylinder (base) | 28/36/32 mpg |
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The Impreza’s fuel economy is barely less than the Corolla’s base mpg—but remember that fuel efficiency for hatchback models or manual transmissions will be lower for both vehicles.
Technology
For both safety features and infotainment suites, the Corolla provides a better value due to its plentiful standard offerings—and the Impreza struggles to keep up.
The Corolla’s standard 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system is stacked with generous features like Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, Bluetooth, two USB ports, and satellite radio. The Impreza’s 6.5-inch touchscreen suite is comparable with necessities like Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, but some Corolla basics like satellite radio require upgrades for the Subaru.
As far as safety tech goes, the Corolla comes out on top. It starts with Toyota’s Safety Sense™ driver assistance technology, which includes everything from forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, and road sign recognition to lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control. Higher trims have even more options, like adaptive headlights.
The Impreza, on the other hand, has most of those features—but it only comes with a rearview camera as standard safety tech. Everything else will require an upgrade or two, and only then can it compete with the Corolla’s offerings.
Reliability
When it comes to reliability, it’s hard to beat a Toyota, but the 2022 Impreza might give the Corolla a run for its money. After all, Subarus are known for their reliability, too. Let’s look at the numbers.
The Corolla predictably earns top scores from experts, including an 85/100 predicted reliability score from J.D. Power and a 4.5/5.0 reliability rating from RepairPal earning it the #1 spot in compact cars. Consumer Reports also gave the Corolla a 4/5 rating for the 2022 model’s predicted reliability.
The Subaru Impreza receives an average 78/100 rating from J.D Power and an average 3.5/5 from RepairPal, but the 2022 model tops the Consumer Reports’ rating with an 81/100 and a 4/5 rating for its predicted reliability.
Overall, both of these cars hover at the top of their class in terms of dependability, so you can’t really go wrong here.
Interior
Both Toyota and Subaru are known for their high-quality vehicles, and that goes for their interiors as well—even for our two affordable compact sedans.
The interior of the Impreza may not be the most stylish, but it’s certainly well-designed, intuitive, and comfortable. Drivers will benefit from simple gauges and easy-to-use controls. The Corolla’s interior is equally impressive, boasting a solid build quality and higher-end materials. In terms of interior quality, the two cars are on equal playing fields.
However, the Impreza offers a bit more cargo room than the Corolla—and the exact dimensions of both the sedan and hatchback are outlined in the table below.
Measurement | Toyota Corolla Sedan | Toyota Corolla Hatchback | Subaru Impreza Sedan | Subaru Impreza Hatchback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cargo volume | 13.1 cubic feet | 17.8 cubic feet | 12.3 cubic feet | 20.8 cubic feet |
Headroom (front seats) | 38.3 inches | 38.4 inches | 39.8 inches | 39.8 inches |
Legroom (front seats) | 42 inches | 42 inches | 43.1 inches | 43.1 inches |
Headroom (rear seats) 37.1 inches | 37.6 inches | 37.2 inches | 37.2 inches | |
Legroom (rear seats) | 34.8 inches | 29.9 inches | 36.5 inches | 36.5 inches |
The Subaru Impreza is one of the most spacious cars in the compact class, but the Corolla’s cargo space is pretty comparable, making this category another tie between the cars.
The final word
While the Subaru Impreza and Toyota Corolla cars are equally matched in nearly every category, the Corolla has a marginal advantage when taking a holistic view of the cars.
The Corolla also offers the best value-to-price ratio, even when considering the cheaper base price of the Impreza. The Corolla offers better standard features at a lower price, while the same features require upgrades on the Impreza—and the Impreza’s higher trims cost more than the Corolla’s.
MORE: How to get an accurate car insurance quote
How to find cheap car insurance for a Subaru Impreza
Subaru Impreza insurance costs
tends to be cheaper than their outdoorsy SUV siblings—but you can only score the best prices if you take all of your options into account. To save yourself some time—and to avoid overpaying for your Impreza’s coverage—just download the
Jerry
app. With over 55 top car insurance companies to source from, Jerry hunts down your best rates and sends them straight to your fingertips in a matter of 45 seconds. Plus, Jerry users save an average of over $800 a year on insurance! “After signing up withJerry, I went from $199/month to $97/month for my car insurance. My 2019 Subaru Forester now has full coverage for a great price!” —Rhonda H.
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Is a Subaru Impreza bigger than a Toyota Corolla?
Nope! The 2022 Subaru Impreza’s wheelbase measures 105.1 inches while the Corolla’s is 106.3 inches—another area where the two cars come within less than an inch of difference.
Which is better on gas, Corolla or Impreza?
Both cars get great fuel economy, but the standard Corolla gets 33 mpg combined while the Impreza earns 32 mpg.
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