The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- High-personality shape
- Practical cabin
- Quality infotainment
- Reasonable pricing
Dislikes
- Just one somewhat weak powertrain
- Cabin can be dreary in base trims
- So-so crash-test results
- No EV or turbo
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2025 Kia Soul is a high-personality, low-price commuter.
What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Kia Soul? What does it compare to?
The 2025 Kia Soul is a high-riding compact hatchback. Shop it against the Hyundai Venue and Kia’s own Seltos, plus the Nissan Kicks and Honda HR-V.
Is the 2025 Kia Soul a good car?
Whether you consider it a tall car or a basic SUV, the 2025 Kia Soul delivers lots of character and a strong value, albeit with limited power and no all-wheel-drive option. It’s a 5.8 on the TCC scale. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2025 Kia Soul?
The 2025 Kia Soul lineup is mostly unchanged from the LX, S, EX, and GT-Line trim levels, but Kia adds a new $1,000 Soulmate package on the EX trim that adds heated front seats, Harman Kardon audio, and a few other niceties.
Kia’s high-riding hatchback has a distinctive boxy shape with a somewhat long front end and an abruptly cut-off roofline at the rear. It looks like it could be an EV, but, sadly, it’s not.
Inside, it’s pretty spacious, if built to a price. Base versions look somewhat drab, though Kia peppers in nicer materials and a sharper, bigger, and better-integrated 10.3-inch touchscreen if you step above the least-costly Soul LX trim level.
Kia puts a 147-hp 2.0-liter inline-4 in the Soul, which nets merely acceptable acceleration and decent, but not astounding, fuel economy. The Soul is estimated at 30 or 31 mpg combined, depending on the trim level.
This little crossover-like hatchback has a good ride, though, and its steering is fairly meaty. It leans into corners as much as its soft suspension and tall ride height suggest, though. Even the GT-Line is just somewhat sporty; the days of a zippy Soul turbo are long gone.
Kia’s little Soul is one of the smallest new cars on the market, but its cabin can accommodate four adults in a pinch and the cargo area grows from a decent 24.2 cubic feet to more than 62 cubes with the rear seat backs folded down. Comfy front seats add to the appeal, even if base versions look and feel like they were built down to a particularly affordable price point.
The Soul has a mixed crash-test record. Good results so far from the IIHS are offset by a four-star overall rating from the NHTSA. Kia includes automatic emergency braking and active lane control, while blind-spot monitors are an inexpensive extra. The top version can be fitted with adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and an especially good lane-centering system.
How much does the 2025 Kia Soul cost?
The 2025 Kia Soul lineup kicks off at around $22,000, climbing to about $28,000 with every option selected. No trim is a bad buy, but we’d spend somewhere in the middle to swap out the base 8.0-inch touchscreen for a crisper 10.3-inch unit, plus we like the available heated front seats and power-adjustable driver’s seat. Top-end models can be fitted with adaptive cruise control with the lane-centering system.
Where is the 2025 Kia Soul made?
In South Korea.
2025 Kia Soul Styling
The 2025 Kia Soul offers show car-grade looks at bargain-basement prices.
Is the Kia Soul a good-looking car?
It’s really fun, even though Kia has been tweaking this basic box-on-wheels theme for more than a decade and a half now. The Soul has a distinct profile with terrific exterior detail, plus a decent cabin. It’s a 7 here.
The Soul looks ready for an EV future with the way it buries its functional grille below the headlights connected via a bar containing a big Kia badge. It has an underbite, which contributes to its boxer dog-like aesthetic. From the side, it’s not quite as upright as it once was, but the Soul still looks like nothing else on the road. Versions with two-tone paint wear their extra hue especially well. From the rear, tall taillights connected below the window give off strong city car vibes.
The Soul is less exciting inside, though good detailing elevates it above our sub-$30,000 expectations. The bulbous dash looks far better with the optional 10.3-inch touchscreen than it does with the base 8.0-inch unit. The smaller display is simply lost in the curvy dash. Most Souls have dark hues inside, but Kia does a decent job of peppering in some brightwork and offering two-tone upholstery to liven things up.
2025 Kia Soul Performance
The 2025 Kia Soul is pleasant to drive but not sporty.
The 2025 Kia Soul will keep up fine with traffic, and its ride quality is a bit better than a typical inexpensive car. It’s a solid 5 out of 10 here.
Is the Kia Soul 4WD?
Nope. For that, you’ll need to look at Kia’s own Seltos.
How fast is the Kia Soul?
The Soul offers mediocre grunt from its 2.0-liter inline-4, which puts 147 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels through a CVT. This setup is acceptable around town, though there’s little in reserve for highway passing. Still, the CVT mostly fades into the background.
The Soul has a comfortable, calm ride, even with the available 18-inch alloy wheels that fill every bit of its big wheel wells. Its steering has surprising heft, but little in the way of feel. Coupled with considerable body lean in corners, the Soul reminds drivers that it’s more of an in-town runabout than a winding-road cruiser. Even the GT-Line version offers mere hints of sportiness rather than a well-rounded, performance-oriented package.
Instead, the Soul excels for its trim turning radius and sharp maneuverability. It’ll sneak its way into tiny parking spots or down clogged urban roads with no drama.
Good, progressive brakes with decent pedal feel are Soul assets, though.
2025 Kia Soul Comfort & Quality
The 2025 Kia Soul boasts a functional, clever cabin.
The 2025 Kia Soul has a well-proportioned cabin, especially considering it stretches a mere 165.2 inches between its front and rear bumpers. Those proportions make the Soul among the smallest cars available today.
The Soul’s interior is fitted with seat belts for five, but it’s best for four. The front seats are decently supportive, with available power adjustments opening up a wider number of positions for the driver. The rear seats are comfortable enough and are accessed via big-for-the-class doors. Headroom reigns supreme all around.
Behind row two, you’ll find an impressive 24.2 cubic feet of cargo space, which grows to a hefty 62.1 cubes with the seat backs down. The big cargo area and adjustable shelf make the space particularly configurable, too. Kia also scatters about plenty of small-items storage spots.
Base Soul LX models are decidedly simple inside, though materials improve as you work your way up the trim ladder.
Overall, the 2025 Soul is a 6 here, with a point above average for the generous cargo area.
2025 Kia Soul Safety
The 2025 Kia Soul has so-so crash-test ratings.
How safe is the Kia Soul?
For all its personality and value, the Soul simply comes up short in the safety category. It’s a mere 5 here. The four-star rating it earns from the NHTSA is canceled out by standard automatic emergency braking and active lane control across the range.
The IIHS has only evaluated the latest Soul in three of its tests. It earned top “Good” marks across the board, but the IIHS still has more testing to do.
Available features include blind-spot monitors, a good adaptive cruise control system with lane-centering and stop-and-go, and LED exterior lighting.
Note that our score here is based on the 2024 model.
2025 Kia Soul Features
The 2025 Kia Soul is a good value, even when loaded up with options.
The 2025 Kia Soul is pretty well equipped from the start at $21,665. That money buys an 8.0-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android auto, cloth seats, and basic crash-avoidance tech. Another $500 buys 16-inch alloy wheels and blind-spot monitors.
All Soul models have a 5-year/60,000-mile warranty. These cars earn a 8 for features thanks to a good infotainment system, a great warranty, and overall value.
Which Kia Soul should I buy?
The mid-level Soul S adds a 10.3-inch touchscreen, keyless start, power adjustment for the driver’s seat, blind-spot monitors, and 17-inch alloy wheels, making it our choice. Figure about $24,000 for one.
The step-up Soul EX’s $1,800 upcharge nets a sunroof, automatic climate control, and a host of small changes, plus access to a new-for-2025 Soulmate, which for $1,000 adds 18-inch alloy wheels, two-tone exterior paint, brown synthetic leather and cloth trim, and Harman Kardon audio.
How much is a fully loaded Kia Soul?
Figure just north of $28,000 for a loaded-up Soul GT-Line, which includes heated front seats, Harman Kardon audio, adaptive cruise control, and LED external lights. It’s quite well-equipped for what it is.
2025 Kia Soul Fuel Economy
For a vehicle with boxy proportions, the 2025 Kia Soul is fairly fuel efficient.
Is the Kia Soul good on gas?
It’s pretty good, especially considering it’s shaped like the box it came in. The 2025 Kia Soul is rated at a 4 on our scale thanks to last year’s estimates of 28 mpg city, 33 highway, 30 combined for most trims. Versions with 16-inch wheels are a bit better at 29/35/31 mpg, though in reality you’re likely to see similar results regardless.
Given there’s no Soul hybrid or Soul EV for 2025, a 4 on the TCC scale is a decent rating.
