Compare the2023 Kia SoulVS 2023 Fiat 500X

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 500X doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Forward Collision Avoidance Assist optional in the Soul as “Superior.” The 500X scores only 4 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

Both the Soul and the 500X have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, available lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

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 500X last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

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 500X’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Soul 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Fiat covers the 500X. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the 500X ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 2 times as many Kia dealers as there are Fiat dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Soul’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Soul has a standard 760-amp battery. The 500X’s 500-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Soul’s reliability 21 points higher than the 500X.

On the EPA test cycle the Soul gets better mileage than the 500X:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Soul uses regular unleaded gasoline. The 500X requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Soul has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the 500X (14.3 vs. 12.7 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 Fiat 500X (6). This means the Soul produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the 500X every 15,000 miles.

The Soul 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 500X doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Soul stops much shorter than the 500X:

For better traction, the Soul GT-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 500X (235/45R18 vs. 225/55R18).

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Soul’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the 500X (102.4 inches vs. 101.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Soul is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 1.7 inches wider in the rear than on the 500X.

The Soul handles at .91 G’s, while the 500X pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Soul executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.9 seconds quicker than the 500X (26.8 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 28.7 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Soul’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the 500X’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.3 feet).

The Kia Soul may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 400 pounds less than the Fiat 500X.

The Soul has 10.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the 500X (102.2 vs. 91.7).

The Soul has .3 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front hip room, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.7 inches more rear headroom, 4 inches more rear legroom, .6 inches more rear hip room and 1.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the 500X.

The front step up height for the Soul is 3.2 inches lower than the 500X (16.2” vs. 19.4”). The Soul’s rear step up height is 2.2 inches lower than the 500X’s (17.4” vs. 19.6”).

The Soul has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the 500X with its rear seat up (24.2 vs. 14.1 cubic feet). The Soul has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the 500X with its rear seat folded (62.1 vs. 39.8 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Soul easier. The Soul’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29.8 inches, while the 500X’s liftover is 31.4 inches.

The Soul’s cargo area is larger than the 500X’s in every dimension:

The Soul uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The 500X 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 500X doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Soul 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 500X doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

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 500X’s headlights are rated “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 500X only offers an automatic headlight on/off feature as an extra cost option.

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 500X doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Soul has standard rear heat vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The 500X doesn’t offer rear vents.

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 500X doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

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 500X is rated higher at a number “5” rate.

The Soul will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Soul will retain 46.79% to 50.48% of its original price after five years, while the 500X only retains 36.13% to 38.37%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Soul is less expensive to operate than the 500X because typical repairs cost much less on the Soul than the 500X, including $130 less for a water pump, $5 less for front brake pads, $144 less for fuel injection and $291 less for a fuel pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Soul will be $5764 to $10303 less than for the Fiat 500X.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Soul, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Fiat 500X isn't recommended.

The Kia Soul outsold the Fiat 500X by over 66 to one during 2022.