A Subaru catalytic converter is worth about $40 to $250 as scrap for one original unit. Forester and Outback units run $60 to $225, Impreza units $50 to $200, and the small up-pipe cat $30 to $125. If yours was stolen, that is roughly what the thief received — against a replacement bill that commonly runs $1,000 to $3,000.
The gap between those two numbers is the hardest part of this to accept, and it is worth seeing plainly before anything else.
If it just happened
Work through these in order. None of it is urgent enough to do badly.
Report it to the police and get a report number, even where you expect little to come of it. Insurers ask for it, and theft counts are how the problem gets tracked.
Call your insurer before you call a workshop. Comprehensive cover usually pays for converter theft less the deductible, and the average claim runs near $2,900 — well above most deductibles. If you carry liability only, the cost is yours.
Photograph the cut ends of the exhaust before anything is touched. Thieves often nick fuel or brake lines on the way through, and a photographic record helps both the claim and the repair estimate.
Do not drive it further than you must. The noise is the obvious symptom, but exhaust gases now vent under the floor rather than behind the car.
What your stolen unit was actually worth
A standard converter earns a thief somewhere between $50 and $300 at the point of sale. Hybrid units run far higher, but Subaru does not build the kind of hybrid converter that reaches those numbers.
So the arithmetic on a stolen Forester or Outback unit is roughly $60 to $225 for the person who took it, against $1,000 to $3,000 for you to make the car legal again, and out-of-pocket totals past $3,500 once labour and any collateral damage are counted. New original Subaru converters are listed around $3,500, which is why most repairs use aftermarket or salvaged units instead.
That asymmetry is the whole economics of converter theft. It is not a fair trade in any sense, and understanding it does not make it better — but it does explain why insurers, not scrap prices, are the relevant lever for most victims.
Subaru catalytic converter scrap prices by model
Model Years Notes Indicative range (USD) Measurement Model years covered What sets the unit apart Buyer quotes for one complete unit, honeycomb intact Tribeca 2006 to 2014 Six-cylinder, the largest Subaru unit $75 to $250 Outback and Legacy 2005 to 2019 Main unit; most cars also carry an up-pipe cat $60 to $225 Forester 2003 to 2019 Main unit; priced close to the Outback $60 to $225 WRX and STI 2002 to 2019 Turbo boxer, main unit $60 to $225 Crosstrek 2013 to 2020 Newer small crossover $60 to $200 Baja 2003 to 2006 Shares Outback-era hardware $60 to $200 Impreza 2002 to 2019 The volume Subaru unit $50 to $200 Legacy and Impreza (older) 1995 to 2004 Lighter loadings, worth it only if original $40 to $150 Up-pipe or pre-cat (boxer models) Various Small second unit close to the engine, easy to overlook $30 to $125 Aftermarket replacement, any model All years Universal unit, trace metal $5 to $50
Ranges are compiled from published core-buyer code lists, catalyst exchange transaction data and current scrap guides; they are not a live per-code feed. Figures are for one complete unit. Most boxer-engined Subarus carry a main converter plus a smaller up-pipe unit closer to the engine, so a whole car holds more than the headline figure.
Are Subarus actually targeted?
Partly, and the honest answer is more useful than the alarming one.
Subarus appear on most lists of commonly targeted vehicles, for a practical reason rather than a valuable one: ground clearance. A Forester or Outback sits high enough that someone can get underneath without a jack, and the theft takes under two minutes with a battery-powered saw. Trucks and SUVs dominate theft lists for the same reason.
But no Subaru model ranks near the top nationally. The Ford F-150 leads US theft data, and in western states the Toyota Prius leads on converter value rather than access. Subaru sits in the middle of the pack — targeted opportunistically, not hunted.
One more thing worth saying clearly, because it circulates widely: the PZEV badge does not mean a richer converter. Some thieves believe partial-zero-emission Subarus carry more precious metal. On the affected engines the converter part numbers are the same whether the car is PZEV-badged or not. Owners who remove the badge are responding to a myth — though given that thieves act on the myth, the removal is not entirely irrational.
The theft wave is turning back up
Converter theft peaked in 2022, with roughly 153,000 units stolen and more than 64,000 insurance claims in the US, then fell around 68 percent by 2024. That decline tracked metal prices rather than policing: rhodium collapsed from near $29,800 an ounce in early 2021 to under $5,000, and the profit went out of each theft.
The direction has changed. Rhodium is back above $8,000, platinum has gained more than half its value in a year, and local figures have followed — St. Paul, Minnesota recorded a 193 percent jump in thefts during 2025. Prevention that felt unnecessary in 2024 is worth reconsidering now.
Subaru prices around the world
The metal inside a Subaru unit is worth the same everywhere, since platinum, palladium and rhodium settle in US dollars. The currency and the local buyer pool differ. The table converts the Subaru span into each market's money at today's rate.
Market Currency Unit Equivalent range United States USD per unit $40.00 to 250.00 United Kingdom GBP per unit £29.59 to 184.93 Canada CAD per unit C$55.32 to 345.77 Australia AUD per unit A$55.51 to 346.92 Germany EUR per unit €34.44 to 215.27 India INR per unit ₹3,782 to 23,637 Bangladesh BDT per unit ৳4,917 to 30,732 United Arab Emirates AED per unit AED146.90 to 918.13 Saudi Arabia SAR per unit SAR150.00 to 937.50 Turkey TRY per unit ₺1,938 to 12,115 South Africa ZAR per unit R638.30 to 3,989 China CNY per unit CN¥268.78 to 1,680
These conversions are the metal-value anchor rather than a local quote, and they are also a useful reality check: wherever you are, the figure a thief receives is a small fraction of what the repair costs you.
Prevention that holds up
A steel shield or cage bolted over the converter is the only measure that reliably adds time, and time is what a thief will not spend. Expect a few hundred dollars fitted, against a $1,000 to $3,000 replacement.
Etching the vehicle registration into the shell helps at the resale end rather than the cutting end: marked units are harder to move through legitimate buyers, and etching programmes exist through many police forces.
Parking changes the odds more than most owners expect. A garage is best, a well-lit and overlooked space next, and reversing against a wall or kerb makes underbody access awkward.
Motion-sensitive lighting and a tilt-sensitive alarm are worth having but are deterrents rather than barriers.
Common mistakes after a theft
- Driving the car for days because it still moves; the exhaust now vents under the floor.
- Calling a workshop before the insurer, which can complicate the claim.
- Accepting the first repair quote without asking about aftermarket versus salvaged original units.
- Skipping the police report because recovery seems unlikely.
- Assuming liability-only cover includes theft; it does not.
- Fitting a replacement without a shield, in the same parking spot, and being hit again.
Questions people actually ask
Does insurance cover Subaru catalytic converter theft?
Comprehensive cover usually does, less your deductible. With average claims near $2,900 and most deductibles far below that, claiming is normally worth it — though a claim may affect renewal pricing. Liability-only policies do not cover it.
Can I just drive without a catalytic converter?
It will run, but it is illegal in most jurisdictions, it will fail emissions testing, and exhaust gases vent under the vehicle rather than behind it. The replacement cost breakdown covers the repair options.
Is my Subaru converter worth more than a Honda or Toyota one?
Broadly comparable in the middle of the range. A Forester unit sits close to a Honda CR-V unit, and below a Toyota Prius unit, which is the hybrid outlier that leads theft counts in several regions.
Figures on this page are indicative buyer ranges for complete, uncut original units and are not offers to buy. Reporting rules after a theft are covered in the theft and reporting guide, and converter types and codes on the main catalytic converter price page.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a Subaru catalytic converter worth as scrap?
Between roughly $40 and $250 for one original unit. Forester, Outback and WRX units run $60 to $225, Impreza units $50 to $200, Tribeca units $75 to $250, and the smaller up-pipe cat $30 to $125. Aftermarket replacements bring $5 to $50.
What did the thief get for my stolen Subaru converter?
Typically $50 to $300, in line with the $60 to $225 range for most Subaru units. Against that, replacement commonly costs $1,000 to $3,000, with out-of-pocket totals past $3,500 once labour and collateral damage are counted.
Are Subarus a top target for catalytic converter theft?
They appear on most targeted-vehicle lists because their ground clearance makes access quick, but no Subaru model ranks near the top nationally. US theft data puts the Ford F-150 first, with the Toyota Prius leading in western states on converter value rather than access.
Does a PZEV Subaru have a more valuable catalytic converter?
No. On the affected engines the converter part numbers are the same whether the car carries a PZEV badge or not. The belief that PZEV cars hold more precious metal is a myth, though it does appear to influence which cars thieves choose.
Does insurance cover Subaru catalytic converter theft?
Comprehensive cover usually pays, less the deductible. The average converter theft claim runs near $2,900, which is well above most deductibles. Liability-only cover does not include theft, so the full repair cost falls to the owner.
How many catalytic converters does a Subaru have?
Most boxer-engined Subarus carry two: a main converter under the floor and a smaller up-pipe or pre-cat unit closer to the engine. The up-pipe unit is easy to overlook when selling and is worth $30 to $125 on its own.