Compare the2023 Kia SoulVS 2023 Hyundai Venue

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Soul are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Hyundai Venue doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the Soul and the Venue have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, 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 Venue:

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 Venue:

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 front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Soul its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 134 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Venue is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Soul has a standard 150-amp alternator. The Venue’s 110-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Soul has a standard 760-amp battery. The Venue’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 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’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 26 more horsepower (147 vs. 121) and 19 lbs.-ft. more torque (132 vs. 113) than the Venue’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Soul is faster than the Hyundai Venue:

On the EPA test cycle the Soul EX 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder gets better fuel mileage than the Venue (29 city/35 hwy vs. 29 city/33 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 Venue doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Soul has 2.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Venue (14.3 vs. 11.9 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 Venue (5). This means the Soul produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Venue every 15,000 miles.

The Kia Soul has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Rear drums are standard on the Venue. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The Soul stops shorter than the Venue:

For better traction, the Soul has larger standard tires than the Venue (205/60R16 vs. 185/65R15). The Soul GT-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Venue (235/45R18 vs. 205/55R17).

The Soul LX/S’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Venue’s standard 65 series tires. The Soul GT-Line’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Venue SEL/Limited’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Soul LX/S has standard 16-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Venue. The Soul GT-Line’s 18-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Venue SEL/Limited.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Soul’s wheelbase is 3.2 inches longer than on the Venue (102.4 inches vs. 99.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Soul is 1.2 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Venue.

The Soul handles at .86 G’s, while the Venue Limited pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Soul executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.9 seconds quicker than the Venue Limited (26.8 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 28.7 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

The Soul has 10.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Venue (102.2 vs. 91.9).

The Soul has 1.4 inches more front hip room, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, 4.5 inches more rear legroom, 9.3 inches more rear hip room and 1 inch more rear shoulder room than the Venue.

The Soul has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Venue with its rear seat up (24.2 vs. 18.7 cubic feet). The Soul has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Venue with its rear seat folded (62.1 vs. 31.9 cubic feet).

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

The Soul uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Venue 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 Venue doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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 Venue’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

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 Venue 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 Venue doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Soul GT-Line offers an optional Smart Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Venue doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

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

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its June 2020 issue and they ranked the Kia Soul EX first. They ranked the Hyundai Venue SEL third.

The Kia Soul outsold the Hyundai Venue by over two to one during 2022.