Subaru loves quirky additions to its cars, and if you’ve driven a newer Subaru, chances are that you’ve seen a mysterious button labeled “AVH” near the gear selector. Maybe you even pressed it by accident and thought you broke something when the car refused to creep forward at a stoplight. Worry not. AVH stands for Auto Vehicle Hold, and it’s one of those features that sounds boring but actually makes daily driving a little easier. Unless it doesn’t, in which case you might want to shut it off.
AVH is Subaru’s take on the automatic brake hold function. When it’s active, the system holds the brakes for you after you come to a complete stop. You can take your foot off the brake pedal, and the car stays put. Tap the gas, and it releases. It’s a simple idea aimed at easing stop-and-go traffic, hill starts, and long stoplights without wearing out your ankle. It uses the cars Vehicle Dynamics Control and electronic parking brake to operate and is different from the traditional Hill Hold Assist, which only holds the car stationary for a couple of seconds so that it doesn’t roll back on a hill start or incline.
Love it or hate it, AVH resets every time
AVH is a win in traffic situations or on steep hills where you’re tired of doing the brake-gas dance and can have your foot off the brake even with the transmission in Drive. Once you hit that button, it remains engaged and holds the vehicle once you come to a complete halt. However, to the dislike of some users, it resets every time you restart the car unless you re-engage it manually to use the feature again. Some drivers want it to remain on, especially in urban commutes. Others still love the feature and find it useful in stop-go traffic.
The feature is more common across newer Subarus like the 2025 Crosstrek, one of the SUVs with the best resale value, and the 2025 Outback. In many models, it activates once you push the physical AVH button usually located on the center console, and you’ll see an indicator light on the dash to know it’s on. Other models have it integrated in the central touch screen. It’s a simple system that engages the electronic parking brake when the vehicle comes to a stop and disengages it when the accelerator pedal is pressed.
How to turn it off (and keep it off)
Disabling AVH works a little differently depending on your particular Subaru model and year. In some models, you can activate or deactivate it by pressing the button near the shifter. If the AVH light on the dash turns off, you’re good.
Some newer models let you disable AVH permanently through the vehicle’s settings menu on the center touch screen. For older models, you’re stuck manually engaging and disabling it every time, and yeah, it can be a pain. The good part is that, if it is active, all you need to do to disengage it is step on the gas and it’s gone. It’ll only reactivate when you come to a complete stop again.
If AVH has been throwing you off, don’t sweat it — it’s designed to help, not hassle. Subaru’s Auto Vehicle Hold is a handy little feature that keeps your car from creeping at red lights or rolling back, letting you take a break from constantly riding the brake pedal. This does reduce driver fatigue, but if it’s not your vibe? No big deal. You can easily disengage it with a tap of the AVH button, deactivate it from the settings menu, or just press the gas and drive away.