Compare the2025 Chevrolet EquinoxVS 2024 Kia Soul

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Equinox has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Soul doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Equinox has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Soul doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Equinox offers an optional Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Soul only offers a rear monitor.

The Equinox has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Soul’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Equinox has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Braking automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Kia charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning on the Soul.

Compared to metal, the Equinox’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Kia Soul has a metal gas tank.

The Equinox has standard OnStar®, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Soul doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Equinox and the Soul have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems and rearview cameras.

The Chevrolet Equinox weighs 430 to 741 pounds more than the Kia Soul. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

Warranty

The Equinox’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Soul’s (6/100,000 vs. 5/100,000).

There are almost 4 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Kia dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Equinox’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked fourth.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked 8th.

Engine

The Equinox FWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 28 more horsepower (175 vs. 147) and 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 132) than the Soul’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Equinox AWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 28 more horsepower (175 vs. 147) and 71 lbs.-ft. more torque (203 vs. 132) than the Soul’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Equinox AWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Soul (15.6 vs. 14.3 gallons).

The Equinox has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Soul doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Equinox has larger tires than the Soul (235/65R17 vs. 205/60R16).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Equinox LT/ACTIV has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Soul LX/S. The Equinox RS’ optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Soul GT-Line.

The Equinox has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Soul doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Chevrolet Equinox has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Kia Soul has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Equinox’s wheelbase is 5.1 inches longer than on the Soul (107.5 inches vs. 102.4 inches).

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

Chassis

The front grille of the Equinox uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Soul doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Equinox uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Soul doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Equinox has 2.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Soul (104.3 vs. 102.2).

The Equinox has .1 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more front hip room, 2.2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear legroom and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Soul.

Cargo Capacity

The Equinox has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Soul with its rear seat up (29.8 vs. 24.2 cubic feet). The Equinox has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Soul with its rear seat folded (63.5 vs. 62.1 cubic feet).

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Equinox’s power liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Equinox’s power liftgate can also be opened or closed by pressing a button. The Soul doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening liftgate.

Towing

The Equinox has a 800 lbs. towing capacity. The Soul has no towing capacity.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Equinox ACTIV/RS, the optional memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each keyless remote activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Soul doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Equinox ACTIV/RS’ optional easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Soul doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Equinox’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Soul does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Equinox’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Soul has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The Equinox’s front and rear power windows all open fully with one touch of the switches and its driver’s window also automatically closes, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Soul’s power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

On a hot day the Equinox’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Soul can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Equinox’s standard Keyless Access allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, unlock the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Smart Key is only offered on the Soul S/EX/GT-Line, and doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

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

The Equinox’s optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Soul’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Equinox’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Soul’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

The Equinox’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Kia only offers heated mirrors on the Soul EX/GT-Line.

When the Equinox ACTIV/RS with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Soul’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Equinox has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Soul, and aren’t available on the Soul LX/S. The Equinox ACTIV/RS also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Soul.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Equinox ACTIV/RS keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Soul doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Equinox’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Soul doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Both the Equinox and the Soul offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Equinox has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Soul doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Recommendations

The Chevrolet Equinox outsold the Kia Soul by over three to one during 2023.