Both the Seltos 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, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.
Compare the2025 Kia SeltosVS 2024 Hyundai Kona
Safety
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Reliability
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J.D. Power and Associates rated the Seltos second among small suvs in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The Kona isn’t in the top three.
J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Hyundai is rated below average.
From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 1 place higher in reliability than Hyundai.
Engine
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The Seltos X-Line/SX’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 48 more horsepower (195 vs. 147) and 63 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 132) than the Kona SE/SEL’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.
As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Seltos is faster than the Kona N Line/Limited 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder:
|
|
Seltos 4 cyl. |
Seltos X-Line/SX |
Kona |
| Zero to 60 MPH |
8.3 sec |
6.9 sec |
8.5 sec |
| Quarter Mile |
16.5 sec |
15.4 sec |
16.6 sec |
Fuel Economy and Range
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On the EPA test cycle the Seltos gets better mileage than the Kona:
|
|
|
|
MPG |
| Seltos |
|||
|
|
FWD |
2.0 DOHC 4-cyl. |
28 city/34 hwy |
|
|
AWD |
2.0 DOHC 4-cyl. |
27 city/31 hwy |
| Kona |
|||
|
|
FWD |
1.6 turbo 4-cyl. |
26 city/32 hwy |
|
|
AWD |
SE 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl. |
27 city/29 hwy |
|
|
|
SEL 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl. |
26 city/29 hwy |
|
|
|
1.6 turbo 4-cyl. |
24 city/29 hwy |
Brakes and Stopping
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The Seltos stops much shorter than the Kona:
|
|
Seltos |
Kona |
|
| 70 to 0 MPH |
160 feet |
172 feet |
Car and Driver |
| 60 to 0 MPH |
113 feet |
129 feet |
Motor Trend |
Tires and Wheels
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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 Kona SE’s standard 60 series tires.
Suspension and Handling
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The Seltos SX handles at .84 G’s, while the Kona N Line AWD pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.
The Seltos S AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Kona N Line AWD (26.7 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s).
Passenger Space
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The Seltos has .1 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more rear headroom and .4 inches more rear hip room than the Kona.
Cargo Capacity
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The Seltos has a much larger cargo volume than the Kona with its rear seat up (26.6 vs. 25.5 cubic feet).
Ergonomics
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Both the Seltos and the Kona offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Seltos has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Kona doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.
Recommendations
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Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Seltos, based on reliability, safety and performance.