With the move to pure electric vehicles currently facing some serious headwinds, Many automakers are tapping back into hybrids to not only provide them with sales, but also time as they prepare their EV lineups and adjust to changing trends.

Subaru and Mazda are two automakers caught in this proverbial rat race and have also been focusing on expanding their presence with hybrid vehicles. But with the CX-50 Hybrid and the venerable Subaru Forester Hybrid facing off against each other in the market, which one is the best pick?

2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid

Mazda and Subaru have existing partnerships with Toyota but both companies are choosing to go about it in different ways. In the case of Mazda, some of the hardware contributions are obvious with the Hybrid borrowing its entire hybrid system from the RAV4 Prime. Like the RAV4, the Mazda’s system consists of a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that’s paired with three electric motors to produce a combined system output of 219 hp. The CVT is also borrowed from the Toyota and the whole setup allows the SUV to get over 35 mpg with the CX-50 coming close to 40 mpg in a few categories.

Those are impressive numbers but it also comes at a price with the CX-50 Hybrid lacking some of the on-road poise and focus that we have come to expect from other Mazda models including the non-hybrid CX-50. The hybrid powertrain lacks real punch and the steering is void of the feedback that we have come to expect from the company.

Thankfully, the exterior and the interior retain the Mazda DNA with the CX-50 embodying the sporty playful character we have seen in their show cars while the interior is a balanced mixture of comfort and technology with the second-row having decent amounts of room. The material quality here is a step up above the Subaru but the infotainment system is Mazda’s older unit which uses a clunky control knob to access various functions and is non-touch operated.

2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid

With the Mazda choosing to use borrowed goods to achieve its hybrid aims, Subaru chose to go about things its own way with the Forester being powered by a 2.5-liter boxer four that’s paired with a small electric motor(traction motor in Subaru speak) located in the transmission case and a motor generator also in the same place. The end result is 194 hp and while that’s less than the Mazda’s engine, the setup here is more intricate with the motor-generator not aiding propulsion whatsoever.

Instead it’s the unseen dishwasher deep in the back of a restaurant and is responsible for more mundane things like starting the engine, siphoning off excess power to charge the battery and manage the power delivery of the engine and the traction motor. The setup allowed our tester to have punchier acceleration but don’t be fooled, the Forester is still a family hauler and is nowhere near a WRX in raw speed.

Thankfully the Forester prefers to advertise how quiet the ride is and fuel economy with the Forester Hybrid getting 35 mpg in combined driving. That’s lower than the Mazda (and its RAV4 counterpart) but this is still usable fuel economy for most buyers and it doesn’t hurt either that Subaru’s all-wheel drive system continues to be a blessing in inclement weather.

The interior of the Forester Hybrid continues to be a mixed bag. The portrait style 11.6-inch infotainment system is still worse than some of its rivals but the front seats are nicely upholstered and the view out of the Forester’s cabin is very good. Second-row room is good though buyers can also fold them down to enhance cargo space.

Which one is best?

When it comes to choosing which one is indeed the best hybrid for the money, we have to give the nod to the Subaru. It has familiarity on its side and we feel the hybrid system in that model is a better example of Subaru’s in-house engineering talent versus the Mazda which had to borrow leftovers from Toyota to achieve the same task.

It also doesn’t hurt either the Subaru is slightly less expensive to start with than the Mazda with a base Premium model starting just above $36,000. Our Sport grade example arrived with gold colored accents and a slightly higher sticker of $39,595. This is still cheaper than the Mazda with taxes and fees finally causing the price to go over $40,000.

As for the Mazda, our Premium Plus tester had a base sticker price of $40,450 and this pricing did leave us conflicted. On the one hand, it’s stylish and offers better fuel economy. However, on the other hand, you are not getting a pure Mazda experience behind the wheel and instead it feels like you made a left turn and ended up at the Toyota dealership next door.

Look for the battle between these two to only intensify over the next few years as hybrids continue to take more of the spotlight away from EVs.