Compare the2025 Kia SoulVS 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid

Both the Soul and the Corolla Cross 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available 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 Soul is safer than the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid:

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

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 Corolla Cross Hybrid’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 Toyota covers the Corolla Cross 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 Corolla Cross Hybrid ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Soul third among small suvs in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The Corolla Cross Hybrid 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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 29 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 17th.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Soul is faster than the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid:

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Soul’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Corolla Cross Hybrid doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Soul has 3.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Corolla Cross Hybrid (14.3 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Soul stops much shorter than the Corolla Cross Hybrid:

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

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 Corolla Cross Hybrid’s standard 65 series tires. The Soul GT-Line’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Corolla Cross Hybrid XSE/Nightshade’s 55 series tires.

The Soul has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Corolla Cross Hybrid; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

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

The Soul handles at .91 G’s, while the Corolla Cross Hybrid XSE pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Soul executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Corolla Cross Hybrid XSE (26.8 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 28 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Soul’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Corolla Cross Hybrid’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.4 feet).

The Kia Soul may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 500 pounds less than the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid.

The Soul is 11.6 inches shorter than the Corolla Cross Hybrid, making the Soul easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Soul has 13.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Corolla Cross Hybrid (102.2 vs. 88.4).

The Soul has 1.3 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front hip room, 2.8 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 6.8 inches more rear legroom, 9 inches more rear hip room and 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Corolla Cross Hybrid.

The Soul has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Corolla Cross Hybrid with its rear seat up (24.2 vs. 21.5 cubic feet). The Soul has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Corolla Cross Hybrid with its rear seat folded (62.1 vs. 61.8 cubic feet).

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

The Soul’s 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 Corolla Cross Hybrid S’ standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

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 Corolla Cross Hybrid has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the LE/XSE/Nightshade.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Soul and the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.