Compare the2023 Kia SeltosVS 2022 Toyota C-HR

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
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 C-HR doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Seltos S Turbo/EX/SX has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The C-HR doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Seltos offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The C-HR doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the Seltos and the C-HR 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, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available 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 Toyota C-HR:

	Seltos	C-HR
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	129	163
Neck Injury Risk	24%	27%
Neck Stress	237 lbs.	312 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	24 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.8 inches
Neck Injury Risk	41%	41%
Neck Stress	127 lbs.	238 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	144/44 lbs.	155/276 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 Toyota C-HR:

	Seltos	C-HR
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	234	333
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	13 inches
HIC	225	243
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	40 G’s
Hip Force	433 lbs.	714 lbs.

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

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 C-HR’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 Toyota covers the C-HR. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the C-HR 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 C-HR’s 520-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 14th.

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked fifth.

Engine

The Seltos Nightfall/SX’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 31 more horsepower (175 vs. 144) and 56 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 139) than the C-HR’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Kia Seltos is faster than the Toyota C-HR:

	Seltos 4 cyl.	Seltos Nightfall/SX	C-HR
Zero to 30 MPH	3.6 sec	n/a	4.8 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	9 sec	6.9 sec	11.2 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	5.5 sec	n/a	6.7 sec
Quarter Mile	17.1 sec	15.4 sec	18.6 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	84 MPH	91.2 MPH	80 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Seltos 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder FWD gets better fuel mileage than the C-HR (29 city/35 hwy vs. 27 city/31 hwy).

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Seltos’ engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The C-HR 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 C-HR requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Seltos higher (5 out of 10) than the Toyota C-HR (3). This means the Seltos produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the C-HR every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Seltos Nightfall/SX’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the C-HR:

	Seltos Nightfall/SX	C-HR
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.7 inches
Rear Rotors	11.2 inches	11.1 inches

The Seltos stops much shorter than the C-HR:

	Seltos	C-HR
70 to 0 MPH	160 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	137 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	133 feet	147 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Seltos AWD Nightfall/SX’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the C-HR (235/45R18 vs. 225/50R18).

The Seltos AWD Nightfall/SX’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the C-HR’s 50 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

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

The Seltos 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 C-HR doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

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 C-HR.

The Seltos SX handles at .84 G’s, while the C-HR Limited pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Seltos S AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the C-HR XLE (26.7 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

Chassis

The Kia Seltos may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 350 pounds less than the Toyota C-HR.

Passenger Space

The Seltos has 13 cubic feet more passenger volume than the C-HR (99 vs. 86).

The Seltos has 1.9 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front hip room, 6.5 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 6.3 inches more rear legroom, 4.8 inches more rear hip room and 2.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the C-HR.

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

Cargo Capacity

The Seltos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the C-HR with its rear seat up (26.6 vs. 19.1 cubic feet). The Seltos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the C-HR with its rear seat folded (62.8 vs. 37 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Seltos easier. The Seltos’ cargo hatch lift-over height is 29.4 inches, while the C-HR’s liftover is 31 inches.

Servicing Ease

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the Seltos to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals based on odometer mileage. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Toyota doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the C-HR.

Ergonomics

The Seltos S/EX/SX has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The C-HR doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The C-HR’s standard power locks don’t automatically lock the doors. The Seltos’ standard doors lock when a certain speed is reached. This is an important feature for occupant safety. Locked doors are proven to open less often in collisions, and they are also effective in preventing crime at traffic lights.

The Seltos S/EX/Nightfall/SX has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The C-HR doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

Both the Seltos and the C-HR 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 C-HR 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 C-HR 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 $1275 to $1755 less than the C-HR 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 $10554 to $17421 less than for the Toyota C-HR.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Seltos and the Toyota C-HR, based on reliability, safety and performance.