Compare the2023 Kia SeltosVS 2023 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid

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 Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Seltos’ standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

Both the Seltos and the Rav4 Hybrid 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, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, 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 Rav4 Hybrid:

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 post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Seltos is safer than the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid:

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

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 Rav4 Hybrid’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 Rav4 Hybrid. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Rav4 Hybrid ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

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.

As tested in Motor Trend the Seltos Nightfall/SX 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid:

Both the Seltos and Rav4 Hybrid have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The Seltos has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The Seltos stops much shorter than the Rav4 Hybrid:

For better traction, the Seltos AWD Nightfall/SX’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Rav4 Hybrid (235/45R18 vs. 225/65R17).

The Seltos’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Rav4 Hybrid LE/XLE’s standard 65 series tires. The Seltos AWD Nightfall/SX’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Rav4 Hybrid’s optional 60 series tires.

The Seltos has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Rav4 Hybrid’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 Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Seltos S AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the Rav4 Hybrid XSE pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Seltos S AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.7 seconds quicker than the Rav4 Hybrid XSE (26.7 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Seltos’ turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Rav4 Hybrid’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.1 feet).

The Kia Seltos may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 500 to 750 pounds less than the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid.

The Seltos is 8.9 inches shorter than the Rav4 Hybrid, making the Seltos easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Seltos has .5 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more rear legroom and 5.1 inches more rear hip room than the Rav4 Hybrid.

The Seltos’ driver power window, power lock and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Rav4 Hybrid’s power window (except driver window) and power lock switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Seltos’ 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 Rav4 Hybrid LE’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

Consumer Reports rated the Seltos’ headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Rav4 Hybrid’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Seltos is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Seltos and the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.