CD Player for 2026 Outback Legacy: File Format Compatibility & Portable options?

My mom recently upgraded her 2009 Outback to a 2026 Outback Legacy and is transitioning to the tech realities of a newer car. She likes to listen to CDs still, partly because her regular road trips take her through areas with little reception or Internet to support streaming and partly because she owns a lot of CDs from local and small bands. She is not tech-savvy enough to rip the CDs to an external thumb drive (nor is that a scalable solution if I were to do it myself for her current music library).

Her new car has no built in CD player. I want to buy her a portable player for Mother’s Day. Luckily, there seem to be multiple options to buy online. But alas, most are ghost brands with few Subaru-specific reviews.

- What audio file format can the 2026 Subaru Outback play from the USB input (also…is there even a USB option for audio input or is it only AUX and Bluetooth?) I specifically want to know if .wav files are supported or if not: .flac, .mp3, etc.

- Has anyone bought such a portable CD player and would recommend one? If so: do bumpy road make the CD skip? Can she skip or repeat a song using the controls on her steering wheel or console?