Kia Seltos vs Soul Reliability: One Used SUV Is Easier To Trust

Subcompact Crossovers and SUVs are a great alternative to small hatchbacks and sedans thanks to their (generally) more stylish designs and higher driving positions. There is no shortage of competitors in this segment, and Kia has always had at least one subcompact offering to tempt customers away from rivals. For many years the Kia Soul was the smallest SUV in the lineup, offering great value with its own funky design that helped it stand out from the crowd.

The Seltos joined the Kia range in 2021, it catered to potential customers who wanted something slightly larger than the Soul, but still at the affordable end of the market. With its slightly larger dimensions, the Seltos is perfect for longer trips while being compact enough to thread through tight city streets. With the Soul being discontinued in 2025, the Seltos became the smallest SUV in Kia's stable, and it too is being discontinued this year, to be replaced with a completely redesigned model for 2027.

With both the Seltos and Soul having been on the market for several years, it is the perfect time to assess their long-term reliability and see which has proven to be the more durable. We used Consumer Reports for the reliability data as it is not affiliated with any manufacturers, buys every car it tests, and uses real-world feedback from actual vehicle owners for its durability statistics.

Kia Soul

• Base MSRP: $20,290 (2025)
• Model Years: 2020 – 2025
• Rivals:Nissan Kicks, Chevrolet Trax, Hyundai Venue

When it arrived in 2010, the Kia Soul was an unexpected hit in the subcompact SUV market. Its funky, boxy lines, decent interior space and very competitive pricing helped keep the momentum going for the second and third generation models which also did well on the sales charts.

By 2025 the competition was far stiffer, and while the Soul was still a fun and quirky offering, rivals had evolved into ever more capable offerings, leaving the front-wheel drive Soul with its relatively basic 2.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-four, and CVT transmission in their technological dust. Kia decided to discontinue the Soul that year with no direct replacement on the cards.

But simplicity and tried-and-trusted technology are just what you want for solid reliability, especially when you are buying used, and this should help the Soul's durability scores and make it a low-fuss and low-maintenance option. We will see if existing owner's experiences bear this out.

Kia Seltos

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• Base MSRP: $24,590 (2026)
• Model Years: 2021 – 2026
• Rivals:Mazda CX-30, Hyundai Kona, Honda HR-V

The Seltos arrived a year after the third-generation Soul. It was noticeably larger, with more ‘big-car' features, like a dual-level cargo floor, available AWD as well as more powerful engine options.

While the new Seltos is just around the corner, the current model is still a great offering in its class, with base models offering plenty of kit for the money, while top-spec trims offering a 190-hp turbocharged engine, AWD and in-car tech you would need to pay extra for on several rivals. On average, the Seltos cost $3,000 to $5,000 more than the Soul, and this has translated into the used car market, too.

The Seltos is a more grown-up and complex offering than the Soul, but the basic platform has been around since 2021, and many components are shared with other Kia models, so it too should offer low-maintenance motoring. Let's see how both models have fared over their respective production runs:

Seltos vs. Soul: Reliability

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Both the Seltos and Soul were subject to the first production year gremlins that often plague new model ranges, but the soon improved their scores, with both only dipping noticeably around their respective mid-life facelifts. The Seltos posted its worst reliability scores in 2024, just when it was given a comprehensive update, but then soon recovered to deliver the best result of its production run the following year.

The Soul, meanwhile, was not as badly affected by the updates carried out in 2023, and while it never quite matched the Seltos's impressive 94/100 score, it was more consistent overall and ended its production run with a commendable 68/100 reliability score. As an aside, it was also far more reliable overall than the second-generation Soul, which never scored above the mid-thirties throughout its production run.

The Seltos's results were less predictable overall. You'd expect a slow but steady improvement in reliability as the platform matured and the manufacturer addressed issues via recalls and updates, but in-car electronics and some build quality issues have plagued some model years. As it stands, you need to be more careful with the year you choose when buying a used Seltos, with the 2023, 2025 and 2026 vehicles offering the best chance of a solid and reliable ownership experience.

When compared to the subcompact segment as a whole, both the Soul and Seltos fall into the middle of the pack, scoring better than vehicles like the Hyundai Kona and Volkswagen Taos but outclassed by the Toyota Corolla Cross and Subaru Crosstrek which both scored in the high 70s. This doesn't mean the Seltos or Soul will be problematic to own, but the chances of issues cropping up over the years may be higher.

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As all of these Kia models will still be covered by the 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, they still represent a great used buy in the subcompact crossover/SUV segment, continuing to offer the same attractive price/spec ratio that made them so popular when new.

Data Sources:

• All vehicle data, pricing figures, and technical specifications were sourced from the official manufacturer websites.
• Pricing figures represent the base manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) and exclude destination charges, and taxes.
• Reliability data was sourced from Consumer Reports

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 12:33 PM.