Soul vs. Seltos: Which Is the Better Affordable Kia Crossover?

Cheap can also mean cheerful, as these Kia crossovers ably prove

It won’t be much longer before buying a new car under $20,000 won’t be possible in the United States. The Nissan Versa is one of the last cars in this price category, but for just a little more, you can get behind the wheel of Kia’s cheapest car.

We’re referring to the trusty Soul, an extremely affordable yet charismatic crossover that retails for just over $20,000. Kia is now a serious player all the way up to the EV9 three-row electric SUV, but models like the Soul remind us of the company’s affordable roots. 

If you’re in need of a cheap new car, we’re taking a closer look at the Soul here, while comparing it to the Seltos, a slightly more expensive Kia crossover.

Pricing And Positioning

Kia

Kia

Both the Soul and Seltos are subcompact crossovers, but the Soul has an even more budget-friendly price and is more basic in its overall execution.

Here’s a look at the pricing and trims of the 2025 Kia Soul and 2026 Kia Seltos (the 2026 Soul isn’t on sale just yet):

Both crossovers have four trims, but the Soul’s GT-Line is replaced by the SX in the case of the Seltos. It costs $3,200 more to buy a base Seltos than a base Soul, but there’s quite a lot of overlap in the pricing between the two models.

Design: Boxy Soul Meets Curvier Seltos

Kia

Kia

Kia

For two crossovers from the same brand—and which are pitched at a similar price point—the Soul and Seltos look quite different from each other. The cheapest new Kia, the Soul, has a taller, narrower, and much boxier stance, whereas the Seltos looks wider and more substantial.

This impression is somewhat of an optical illusion, as the two crossovers are identical in width (70.9 inches) and the Seltos is actually marginally taller. The major difference is in body length, with the Seltos being 172.6 inches and the smaller Soul coming in at 165.2 inches.

You get a few more standard exterior features in the Seltos. It gets 17-inch alloys instead of the Soul’s 16-inch steel wheels with covers, for instance. All Seltos trims have a LED high-mounted stop lamp, whereas the Soul gets a non-LED item, and only the Seltos gets an acoustic laminated windshield.

Soul Vs. Seltos Powertrains

Kia

Every Kia Soul has a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque. Front-wheel drive is standard and no all-wheel drive is available on Kia’s lowest-priced car, while all versions share a continuously variable transmission. This setup results in a 0-60 mph time in the low-eight-second range; the Soul isn’t the quickest car in its class, but neither is it the slowest.

The lower three Seltos trims have the same 147-hp engine, but the difference is that they can all be optioned with AWD. In the Seltos SX, you get a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 190 hp and 195 lb-ft. AWD is standard here, as is an eight-speed automatic. Thanks to the more potent engine, this version of the Seltos can accelerate from zero to 60 in about seven seconds.

These cheap Kia crossovers have comparable efficiency. Both vehicles are capable of 31 mpg combined with the 2.0L engine, but this drops to 25 mpg in the case of the turbocharged Seltos.

Overall, there’s no difference in base models, but the Seltos’ available AWD and optional turbo engine give it the edge.

Interior And Features

Kia

Kia

Kia

Kia

In the Soul, you get a bright and airy cabin, and although build quality is solid, it has the finishes expected of a budget car. Even though it’s a smaller car, the Soul holds its own with more rear legroom and headroom than in the Seltos. Cargo space in the second row of the Seltos (26.6 cubic feet) is slightly more than in the Soul (24.2 cubic feet).

Standard features in the cheapest Kia model include a six-way manual driver’s seat, cloth upholstery, air conditioning, an eight-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a six-speaker sound system, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and lane-keep assist. Unlike in affordable Kia cars of the past, even the Soul can be equipped with impressive features like a sunroof, partial leather trim, and a Harman Kardon sound system.

The Seltos has a more upmarket cabin with a similar eight-inch touchscreen. In terms of options, the Seltos can be equipped with ventilated front seats, a 10-way power driver’s seat, SynTex imitation leather upholstery, and lane-following assist, which aren’t offered on the Soul. Upper Seltos trims have a dual screen layout that’s more modern-looking than the separate gauge cluster/touchscreen in the Soul.

Final Thoughts

These are both solid budget crossovers. In the case of the Soul, the least expensive Kia, you get one of the cheapest crossovers that are available in the USA, without needing to sacrifice on space. It also offers most of the tech and safety features found in the Seltos.

The Seltos looks and feels like the more expensive product it is. It comes with AWD if you need it, has a peppy turbocharged engine in the SX, and is the slightly more refined vehicle here. 

Both cars demonstrate Kia’s continued commitment to offer buyers at the lower end of the price spectrum competitive options, no matter how far upmarket the brand’s bigger models go.

FAQs

What is the cheapest Kia?

The Kia Soul is the most affordable model from the brand, starting at $20,490.

What should I buy: The Soul or the Seltos?

Get the Soul if you have a limited budget. If you need AWD or more power, the Seltos is the better vehicle.

About the author

Karl Furlong

Senior Editor, Autoblog

Karl Furlong is a senior editor at Autoblog covering industry news, luxury cars, in-car technology, sales trends and model comparisons with more than nine years of experience as an automotive writer.