Compare the2023 Kia SeltosVS 2022 Jeep Renegade

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Seltos are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Renegade doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Seltos’ driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Renegade doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Seltos and the Renegade 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, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Seltos is safer than the Jeep Renegade:

	Seltos	Renegade
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	129	207
Neck Injury Risk	24%	26%
Neck Stress	237 lbs.	332 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches
Neck Stress	127 lbs.	221 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	144/44 lbs.	290/322 lbs.

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

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 Kia Seltos is safer than the Jeep Renegade:

	Seltos	Renegade
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	109	161
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
HIC	234	286
Spine Acceleration	70 G’s	73 G’s
Hip Force	754 lbs.	1157 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	225	314
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	433 lbs.	625 lbs.

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Seltos is 1% to 7.7% less likely to roll over than the Renegade.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Seltos the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 141 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Renegade last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2019.

Warranty

The Seltos comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Renegade’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Seltos 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Jeep covers the Renegade. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Renegade ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Seltos has a standard 640-amp battery. The Renegade’s 500-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 2 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 56 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 19th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 4 places higher in reliability than Jeep.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Seltos is faster than the Jeep Renegade:

	Seltos 4 cyl.	Seltos Nightfall/SX	Renegade
Zero to 60 MPH	8.3 sec	6.9 sec	9.3 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	15.4 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	85.5 MPH	91.2 MPH	78.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Seltos gets better mileage than the Renegade:

			MPG
Seltos
	FWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	29 city/35 hwy
	AWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/31 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/30 hwy
Renegade
	FWD	1.3 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/32 hwy
	AWD	1.3 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
		Trailhawk 1.3 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy

Regardless of its engine, the Seltos’ engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Renegade 2.4-liter doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Seltos uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Renegade requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Transmission

The Seltos has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Renegade doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Seltos offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Renegade doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

The Seltos stops much shorter than the Renegade:

	Seltos	Renegade
70 to 0 MPH	160 feet	181 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Seltos’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Renegade’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Seltos has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Renegade.

Suspension and Handling

The Seltos has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Renegade’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Seltos’ wheelbase is 2.3 inches longer than on the Renegade (103.5 inches vs. 101.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Seltos is .8 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Renegade.

The Seltos SX handles at .84 G’s, while the Renegade Latitude 4x4 pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Seltos S AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.3 seconds quicker than the Renegade Trailhawk 4x4 (26.7 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 29 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Seltos’ turning circle is .5 feet tighter than the Renegade Trailhawk 4x4’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.3 feet). The Seltos’ turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Renegade’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.3 feet).

Chassis

The Kia Seltos may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 pounds less than the Jeep Renegade.

For excellent aerodynamics, the Seltos has standard flush composite headlights. The Renegade has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

Passenger Space

The Seltos has .2 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front hip room, 2.9 inches more rear legroom and .9 inches more rear hip room than the Renegade.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Seltos’ rear seats recline. The Renegade’s rear seats don’t recline.

The front step up height for the Seltos is 1.4 inches lower than the Renegade (18” vs. 19.4”). The Seltos’ rear step up height is 1.8 inches lower than the Renegade’s (17.8” vs. 19.6”).

Cargo Capacity

The Seltos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Renegade with its rear seat up (26.6 vs. 18.5 cubic feet). The Seltos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Renegade with its rear seat folded (62.8 vs. 50.8 cubic feet).

The Seltos’ cargo area is larger than the Renegade’s in almost every dimension:

	Seltos	Renegade
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	32.7”/62.4”	28.9”/59”
Max Width	52.3”	40.1”
Min Width	41.6”	37.6”
Height	32.5”	33.7”

Ergonomics

The Seltos has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Renegade doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

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

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Seltos’ available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Renegade’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

The Seltos has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Renegade has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the Latitude/Trailhawk/Limited.

Both the Seltos and the Renegade offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Seltos S/EX/Nightfall/SX has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Renegade doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Seltos EX/SX has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Renegade doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Seltos owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Seltos will cost $245 less than the Renegade over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Seltos will be $1834 to $2274 less than for the Jeep Renegade.

Recommendations

The Kia Seltos outsold the Jeep Renegade by 139 units during the 2021 model year.