Best Cold Air Intakes for the 2022–2026 WRX: 5 Top Picks Compared

The best intake for a 2022–2026 WRX depends on how far your build is going: the ETS Intake System ($359–$459) is the all-round pick with a stock-size MAF housing that needs no retune, the COBB Intake Tube + High Flow Filter Package ($236) is the mildest, airbox-retaining route, and the ETS Titanium Intake ($495–$595) is the premium version of the same idea. Below are five verified options we sell for the VB WRX, plus a carbon fiber snorkel from JDMuscle that feeds whichever intake you choose.

An intake is usually the first power-adjacent mod on a VB WRX because it is the one you can hear: more turbo spool, more induction noise, and a freer-breathing path to the turbo. It is also the mod where the tune question matters most. The FA24 is sensitive to MAF scaling, so the honest way to shop this list is by how each system handles that — no-tune, stock-tune-safe, or tune-supported — and that is how we have organized the picks.

1. ETS [22-26 WRX] Intake System — $359–$459

The ETS Intake System is the benchmark VB intake. Per its listing, it uses a stock-size MAF housing that does not require retuning, a custom billet 5-inch velocity stack, and a large K&N filter positioned to work with the factory air feed. That combination — bolt it on, no tune appointment, real hardware — is why it leads this list for most owners. One honest note from the same listing: this intake cannot be shipped directly to California due to CARB restrictions.

2. Mishimoto [22-26 WRX] Performance Air Intake — $444.95

The Mishimoto Performance Air Intake ($444.95, micro-wrinkle black with an oiled filter) is the data-forward pick. Mishimoto publishes dyno figures for it — gains of up to 13.3 hp and 16.6 lb-ft on the stock tune — and states it was dyno-tested for safe air/fuel ratios without tuning. Treat those numbers as the manufacturer's own test results, but the approach is the right one: a no-tune intake that shows its work.

3. Perrin [22-26 WRX] Cold Air Intake — $378.25 (Black)

The Perrin Cold Air Intake ($378.25 in black) is the true cold-air layout on this list, designed to draw cooler outside air rather than engine-bay air, in a vehicle-specific fit for the 2022–2026 WRX. Perrin also sells the same intake in red, neon yellow and hyper pink if the engine bay is part of the build's look, plus a matching heatshield sold separately. If intake air temperature is your priority, this is your pick.

4. COBB [22-26 WRX 6MT] Intake Tube + High Flow Filter Package — $236

The COBB Intake Tube + High Flow Filter Package ($236) is the conservative route: a 3-inch mandrel-bent aluminum intake tube and a high-flow filter that keep the factory airbox and its required emissions components in place, and stay compatible with the stock tune or COBB's OTS tunes. Two limits to know before you buy: this package is for the six-speed manual car only, and it is an airflow improvement, not a full intake system — which is exactly why it is also the cheapest and easiest to live with on this list.

5. BMS 22-25 WRX Performance Intake — $399

The BMS Performance Intake ($399) is the loud-and-proud pick: 3-inch mandrel-bent powder-coated piping, a large inverted-cone filter with an integrated velocity stack, and a heat shield designed to bias cold air through the factory inlet. Burger Motorsports claims up to 30+ horsepower at the wheels — that is the manufacturer's claim, not a number we have verified on our own dyno, so weigh it accordingly. Note the fitment on this listing is 2022–2025 WRX, one year narrower than the rest of this list.

The premium route: ETS [22-26 WRX] Titanium Intake — $495–$595

Same idea as pick #1, executed in Grade 2 titanium: the ETS Titanium Intake ($495–$595) uses a 5.0-inch MAF adapter and an oversized 5.0-inch filter, with titanium's strength-to-weight ratio as the selling point. It carries the same California shipping note as the standard ETS intake. Buy it because you want the best version of the ETS design under your hood — and because titanium looks like nothing else at a meet.

Feed it better: JDMuscle [22-26 WRX] Carbon Fiber Intake Snorkel — $319

Whichever intake you pick still breathes through the factory snorkel — unless you change that too. Our JDMuscle Carbon Fiber Intake Snorkel ($319) is a vacuum-fused carbon fiber direct replacement for the stock piece, and per its listing it works with the stock intake and with aftermarket intakes that use the stock snorkel, including the ETS system above. It is the finishing piece that makes the whole intake path — not just the filter end — look intentional.

Quick comparison

How to choose — and what to do next

Decide the tune question first. Not tuning? Stay with the ETS, Mishimoto or COBB package, all listed as stock-tune compatible. Already on an Accessport or planning a protune? Any system here works — pick on sound, materials and budget.

Check your state rules. The ETS listings flag California shipping restrictions; if you are in California, confirm your choice is orderable and legal for your use before you buy.

An intake pairs naturally with the rest of the VB breathing path: see our guides to the best top-mount intercoolers for the 2022–2026 WRX and, once the car is breathing, the best coilovers for the 2022–2026 WRX to make it corner as well as it sounds. Bottom line: start with the ETS Intake System if you want one-and-done, the COBB package if you want mild and reversible, and add the JDMuscle carbon snorkel either way.