Compare the2023 Kia SoulVS 2023 Hyundai Kona

Both the Soul and the Kona 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available lane departure warning systems, 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 Soul is safer than the Hyundai Kona:

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 Hyundai Kona:

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 Kona has not been fully tested, yet.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Soul has a standard 760-amp battery. The Kona’s 640-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 Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 29 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 17th, 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 Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked third.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 4 places higher in reliability than Hyundai.

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

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

The Soul stops much shorter than the Kona:

The Soul handles at .91 G’s, while the Kona N Line AWD pulls only .87 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Soul executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Kona SE (26.8 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

The Soul has 8.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Kona (102.2 vs. 94.1).

The Soul has .2 inches more front hip room, 1.7 inches more rear headroom, 3.6 inches more rear legroom, .6 inches more rear hip room and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Kona.

The Soul has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Kona with its rear seat up (24.2 vs. 19.2 cubic feet). The Soul has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Kona with its rear seat folded (62.1 vs. 45.8 cubic feet).

The Soul uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Kona 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.

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 Kona doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Soul’s power window, power lock and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Kona’s passenger power window switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

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 Kona doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

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 Kona is rated higher at a number “8” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Soul is less expensive to operate than the Kona because typical repairs cost much less on the Soul than the Kona, including $102 less for a water pump, $203 less for a muffler, $18 less for a fuel pump and $58 less for front struts.

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