Compare the2025 Kia SoulVS 2025 Honda CR-V

Both the Soul and CR-V offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the Soul with Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning also has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The CR-V’s Cross Traffic Monitor doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Soul and the CR-V 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available blind spot warning systems.

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 CR-V’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Soul 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Honda covers the CR-V. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the CR-V ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Soul has a standard 760-amp battery. The CR-V’s 410-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Soul third among small suvs in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The CR-V isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 10th.

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 Honda 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, Honda is rated below average.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Soul is faster than the Honda CR-V:

On the EPA test cycle the Soul gets better mileage than the CR-V:

Both the Soul and the CR-V have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Souls have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Soul uses regular unleaded gasoline. The CR-V with the 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Soul stops much shorter than the CR-V:

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 CR-V LX’s standard 65 series tires. The Soul GT-Line’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the CR-V Sport Touring Hybrid’s 55 series tires.

The Soul has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The CR-V’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Soul 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 CR-V doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Soul handles at .91 G’s, while the CR-V EX-L AWD pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Soul executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.5 seconds quicker than the CR-V Sport Touring Hybrid (26.8 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 29.3 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Soul’s turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the CR-V’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.3 feet).

The Kia Soul may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 600 to 950 pounds less than the Honda CR-V.

The Soul is 1 foot, 7.6 inches shorter than the CR-V, making the Soul easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Soul has 1.3 inches more rear headroom and .2 inches more rear hip room than the CR-V.

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 CR-V doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Soul and the CR-V have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Soul is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The CR-V prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Compared to the Honda CR-V, the Kia Soul eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Soul will be $7342 to $7488 less than for the Honda CR-V.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Soul and the Honda CR-V, based on reliability, safety and performance.