Compare the2022 Nissan KicksVS 2022 Kia Soul

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Nissan Kicks has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Soul doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Kicks has standard Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Soul doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Kicks’ standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Soul and is only available on Soul X-Line/S/EX/GT-Line/Turbo.

The Kicks SR has a standard Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Soul only offers a rear monitor.

The Kicks has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Soul’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Kicks has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Soul.

Compared to metal, the Kicks’ plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Kia Soul has a metal gas tank.

Both the Kicks and the Soul have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras, available daytime running lights and driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Kicks is safer than the Kia Soul:

	Kicks	Soul
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	139	142
Chest Movement	.9 inches	1 inches
Abdominal Force	172 lbs.	259 lbs.
Hip Force	347 lbs.	490 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	318	422
Spine Acceleration	47 G’s	73 G’s
Hip Force	517 lbs.	611 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches
HIC	218	322
Spine Acceleration	30 G’s	46 G’s
Hip Force	535 lbs.	1090 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The Kicks’ 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Soul runs out after 100,000 miles.

There are over 40 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Kicks’ warranty.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Kicks’ reliability 22 points higher than the Soul.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan fifth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked 6th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 2 places higher in reliability than Kia.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Kicks higher (7 out of 10) than the Kia Soul (5 to 7). This means the Kicks produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Soul every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Kicks SV/SR’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Soul are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

The Kicks has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Soul doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Kicks has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Soul doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For better maneuverability, the Kicks’ turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Soul’s (34.1 feet vs. 34.8 feet).

Passenger Space

The Kicks has 1 inch more front headroom and 2.6 inches more front legroom than the Soul.

The front step up height for the Kicks is .7 inches lower than the Soul (15.5” vs. 16.2”). The Kicks’ rear step up height is 1.5 inches lower than the Soul’s (15.9” vs. 17.4”).

Cargo Capacity

The Kicks has a much larger cargo volume than the Soul with its rear seat up (25.3 vs. 24.2 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Kicks easier. The Kicks’ cargo hatch lift-over height is 27.6 inches, while the Soul’s liftover is 29.8 inches.

The Kicks’ cargo area is larger than the Soul’s in almost every dimension:

	Kicks	Soul
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	36”/64”	26”/59”
Max Width	49.7”	45.6”
Min Width	39”	41.5”
Height	38.6”	33”

Ergonomics

The Kicks’ front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Soul’s power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

Consumer Reports rated the Kicks’ headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Soul’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the Kicks detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Soul doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Nissan Kicks, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Kia Soul isn't recommended.

The Nissan Kicks outsold the Kia Soul by 5% during the 2021 model year.