Corolla Costs $5,543 Less Than Crosstrek Over Five Years

Our calculator puts the 2027 Toyota Corolla at $30,952 to own over five years. The 2026 Subaru Crosstrek lands at $36,495. That is $5,543 more for the Subaru, or $92 more every month.

The Corolla is the cheaper car to own, and it is not close. It wins on every category except registration, where the two tie. If you are shopping at 60,000 to 90,000 miles, where the warranty runway is shrinking and repair bills start to matter, the gap gets harder to argue with.

The gap is mostly fuel and depreciation, not one big thing

The Crosstrek does not lose because of one ugly line item. It loses because it is a little worse on everything, and the small gaps stack up.

Fuel is the largest piece. Over five years the Crosstrek costs $10,735 to fuel against $8,458 for the Corolla. That is $2,277 more. Depreciation is next: $9,730 for the Subaru against $8,052 for the Toyota, a $1,678 difference. Those two lines alone explain $3,955 of the $5,543.

Repairs add $950 more for the Crosstrek. Insurance adds $377. Maintenance adds $261. Registration is $255 for both.

The Subaru starts at a higher assumed purchase price too: $27,800 against $24,400 for the Corolla. That is our estimate for each model year, and it matters because a pricier car has more value to lose and more value to insure.

So the story is simple. You pay more to buy the Crosstrek, more to feed it, and more to fix it. Nothing in the numbers pushes back the other way.

Year by year: the Corolla leads from day one and never gives it back

Here are the yearly totals from our calculator.

Corolla: $6,807, $6,084, $6,822, $5,733, $5,506.

Crosstrek: $8,080, $7,180, $7,937, $6,754, $6,544.

The Crosstrek is more expensive in every single year. There is no crossover point where it catches up. The gap is $1,273 in year one, then narrows a bit and holds near $1,000 to $1,100 in the later years.

Year one is the harshest for the Subaru because depreciation is front-loaded. It loses $3,352 in value in year one, against $2,744 for the Corolla. Both cars shed value more slowly after that. By year five the Crosstrek is losing $1,087 and the Corolla $913.

Both cars show a bump in year three. The Corolla goes from $6,084 to $6,822. The Crosstrek goes from $7,180 to $7,937. The cause is maintenance. Our calculator has the Corolla at $1,515 in year three and the Crosstrek at $1,636. That is the big scheduled service interval, the kind where things like fluids, belts, and brakes come due together. At 60,000 to 90,000 miles, a car is often right in that window, so expect a bill like this soon after you buy.

The Crosstrek's bill is higher, but only by $121. Maintenance is not where these cars separate. Total maintenance over five years is $3,260 for the Corolla and $3,521 for the Crosstrek.

Repairs: the Crosstrek's bill grows faster

Repairs are where the picture gets less comfortable for the Subaru.

Our calculator has Corolla repairs rising from $265 in year one to $750 in year five, for a total of $2,382. The Crosstrek starts at $370 and climbs to $1,049 in year five, for a total of $3,332. That is $950 more.

Both curves rise, which is normal. Parts wear out, and a car with high miles has less margin. But the Crosstrek's line is steeper. By year five you are budgeting about $300 more for repairs on the Subaru than on the Toyota in that single year.

For outside context, check RepairPal. It publishes reliability ratings and average annual repair costs by model, and it also tracks how often owners face unscheduled shop visits and how severe those visits tend to be. Look up both cars there and compare the frequency of unplanned repairs, not just the average cost. Our own repair estimates point the same way: the Corolla is the safer bet against a surprise.

I would not call the Crosstrek a disaster. A $3,332 repair total over five years is not scary. But the Corolla is the car more likely to leave you alone, and when you buy at higher mileage, that is the quality you are really paying for.

Fuel: $38 a month adds up fast

Our calculator puts the Corolla's fuel at $141 a month on a five-year average. The Crosstrek is $179. That is $38 more every month, and it never stops.

In year one the Corolla costs $1,625 to fuel and the Crosstrek $2,063. By year five it is $1,759 against $2,233. Fuel prices drift up in our model, so the dollar gap widens slightly over time.

If you want the official MPG ratings, they are on fueleconomy.gov: see the Toyota Corolla page and the Subaru Crosstrek page. Pick the exact year and trim you are looking at. We stick to dollars here because that is what leaves your account.

The Crosstrek's all-wheel drive is the usual reason it uses more fuel, and for some buyers that is a fair trade. Just know what the trade costs: $2,277 over five years.

Insurance: the Subaru costs more, but treat these as estimates

Our insurance figures come from each car's value and class. They are not quotes. Your own rate depends on your age, your zip code, your driving record, and the insurer, so your numbers will differ.

With that said, the direction is clear. We estimate $8,545 over five years for the Corolla and $8,922 for the Crosstrek, a $377 gap. Year one is $1,832 against $1,934. A more expensive car generally costs more to cover, and that is what we see here.

Get real quotes on both before you decide. Insurance is the one line where a personal quote could shift the result, though it would take a large swing to erase a $5,543 lead.

Who should buy which

Buy the Corolla if you want the lowest bill and the fewest surprises. That covers most people. If you commute, drive a lot of miles, or keep cars until they are very old, the Toyota saves you about $92 a month. It is also the better pick if you are buying a car with 60,000 to 90,000 miles on it and cannot afford a repair shock. The Corolla's lower repair line, lower fuel bill, and slower depreciation all point the same way.

Buy the Crosstrek only if you truly need what it offers. If you live somewhere with snow, drive on dirt or unplowed roads, or need the extra ground clearance and all-wheel drive on a regular basis, the Subaru earns its premium. That premium is $5,543 over five years in our calculator. Be honest with yourself about how often you will use those features. If the answer is a few days a year, you are paying a lot for a feature you will rarely use.

For everyone else, the Crosstrek is the overpriced choice here. The Corolla is cheaper to buy, cheaper to run, and cheaper to repair. Pick it unless the weather or the terrain makes you pick otherwise.