Compare the2023 Kia SoulVS 2022 Honda HR-V

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 Soul are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The HR-V doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Soul’s optional rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The HR-V doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The Soul’s 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 HR-V doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Soul and the HR-V 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, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available lane departure warning systems and blind spot warning systems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Soul is safer than the Honda HR-V:

	Soul	HR-V
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	253	481
Neck Stress	168 lbs.	244 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	39%	41%
Neck Stress	160 lbs.	218 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	237/154 lbs.	574/500 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, results indicate that the Kia Soul is safer than the Honda HR-V:

	Soul	HR-V
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	142	148

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

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, with its optional 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 Soul the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 175 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The HR-V has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

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

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

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Soul has a standard 760-amp battery. The HR-V’s 410-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 Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 27 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 16th, below the industry average.

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 Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 85 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 24th.

Engine

The Soul’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 6 more horsepower (147 vs. 141) and 5 lbs.-ft. more torque (132 vs. 127) than the HR-V’s 1.8 SOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Soul is faster than the Honda HR-V:

	Soul	HR-V
Zero to 60 MPH	6.9 sec	9.5 sec
Quarter Mile	15.2 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91.3 MPH	82.2 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Soul gets better mileage than the HR-V:

			MPG
Soul
	FWD	EX 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	29 city/35 hwy
HR-V
	FWD	1.8 SOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/34 hwy
	AWD	LX 1.8 SOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/31 hwy
		Sport/EX/EX-L 1.8 SOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/31 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Soul’s 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 HR-V doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Soul has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the HR-V (14.3 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

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

Brakes and Stopping

The Soul stops much shorter than the HR-V:

	Soul	HR-V
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	183 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	120 feet	132 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	130 feet	139 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Soul GT-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the HR-V (235/45R18 vs. 225/50R18).

The Soul GT-Line’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the HR-V Sport’s 50 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

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

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Soul is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the HR-V.

The Soul handles at .91 G’s, while the HR-V EX-L AWD pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Soul executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the HR-V EX-L AWD (26.8 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 28 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Soul’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the HR-V’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The Soul’s turning circle is 3.9 feet tighter than the HR-V Sport’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

Chassis

The Soul is 5.2 inches shorter than the HR-V, making the Soul easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Soul has 2.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the HR-V (102.2 vs. 100.1).

The Soul has .4 inches more front hip room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, 5.4 inches more rear hip room and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the HR-V.

Cargo Capacity

The Soul has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the HR-V with its rear seat folded (62.1 vs. 58.8 cubic feet).

Servicing Ease

The Soul uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The HR-V uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The Soul offers a 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 HR-V doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Soul Turbo has a standard heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The HR-V doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Soul and the HR-V have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Soul is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The HR-V prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Soul’s variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The HR-V LX/Sport’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

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 Soul’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the HR-V’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

The Soul 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 HR-V has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the EX/EX-L.

The Soul EX/GT-Line 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 HR-V doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Soul S/EX/GT-Line’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The HR-V doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Soul S/EX/GT-Line has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) on the dashboard. The HR-V doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Soul owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Soul with a number “1” insurance rate while the HR-V is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Soul is less expensive to operate than the HR-V because typical repairs cost much less on the Soul than the HR-V, including $261 less for a starter, $176 less for a fuel pump and $49 less for front struts.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Soul, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Honda HR-V isn't recommended.

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