2023 Kia Soul

The Kia Soul started out as a funky, youth-targeted and cheap runabout when it debuted for 2010—its trim names included Soul+ and Soul!—but has matured in its third generation into a viable contender in the compact crossover segment for those who want a five-seater, city-sized hatchback, measuring 165.2 inches in length. It looks and feels more upscale than many of its rivals, but is competitively priced to them and offers such features as navigation, power driver’s seat and wireless charging on all but the base trim.

The Soul gets a mild refresh for 2023, with redesigned front and rear fascias, available LED lighting and emergency front braking now standard on all trims. The lineup has been trimmed down to the LX, S, GT-Line and EX. The X-Line has been discontinued along with the Turbo trim, which exclusively used a 201-horsepower turbocharged engine. Canada still gets the battery-electric Soul EV, but it was dropped in the U.S. after 2019 and hasn’t returned.

It faces competitors such as the Honda HR-V (which grew in its 2023 redesign), Hyundai Venue and Nissan Kicks, along with other pint-sized people-haulers as the Chevrolet Trax, Toyota Corolla Cross and Volkswagen Taos. It’s on par for front-seat headroom with the HR-V, Venue and Kicks, but its boxy styling preserves skull space for rear-seat passengers, with an inch or more of rear headroom over rivals at 39.5 inches.

Its 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine makes 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, mated to an automatic continuously-variable transmission (CVT). Kia calls it an IVT, for intelligent variable, but it’s the same thing. For an entry-level commuter car, it’s surprisingly fun to drive, with peppy acceleration, sufficient highway passing power, and responsive steering. Despite its small size, it feels well-planted and confident. All trims run from $21,085 to $25,385, including a $1,295 delivery fee.

Its 41.1 inches of front-seat legroom is similar to the HR-V and Venue, while the Kicks has 43.7 inches, but the Soul’s 38.8 inches of rear-seat legroom is superior to all. It has a maximum of 23.4 cubic-feet of cargo space—slightly less than the HR-V and Kicks, but more than the 18.7 cubic-feet in the Venue—but goes to a maximum of 61.2 cubes, more than the others, when the rear seats are folded. There are also several cubbies up front for storing small items.

All trims include emergency front braking, lane-keeping assist and driver attention warning, although it only earns four stars in NHTSA’s crash-testing, not the full five. The Soul includes Kia’s lengthy warranty of 10 years/100,000 miles on almost everything. It’s also competitively priced and a worthy contender when test-driving in this segment.

Performance: 12/15

The Soul comes exclusively with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. It was previously also available with a 201-horsepower turbocharged engine but that has been discontinued for 2023. All Soul trims are front-wheel drive and use an automatic continuously-variable transmission (CVT). Kia prefers to call it an IVT, for intelligent variable, but it’s the same thing. 

It’s fun to drive, with responsive steering, smooth cornering and surprisingly peppy acceleration. There’s also enough passing power on the highway, and it feels well-planted and with a confident brake pedal feel. These gearless transmissions can sometimes be noisy or feel like they’re not quite in sync with the engine, but the Soul’s unit works very well and the two are a good fit to each other. 

Among its closer competitors, the Honda HR-V has 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque but doesn’t feel anywhere as quick and lively as the Soul does, and it’s much pricier, although it does have available all-wheel drive that you can’t get in the Kia. The Hyundai Venue and Nissan Kicks only make 121 and 122 horsepower respectively, and along with just 113 and 114 pound-feet of torque.

Fuel Economy: 10/15

The Soul is rated by the EPA at 28 mpg in the city, 33 on the highway and 30 mpg in combined driving, and runs on regular-grade 87-octane gasoline. That’s mid-pack with its main rivals, where the Honda HR-V is the thirstiest at 28 mpg combined in front-wheel drive, and 27 mpg when equipped with its optional all-wheel drive.

The Kia’s lower-horsepower competitors score higher in fuel economy, with the Hyundai Venue rated at 31 mpg in combined driving, and the Nissan Kicks at 33 mpg. Other small crossovers that do better than the Soul include the Toyota Corolla Cross at 32 mpg, the Hyundai Kona at 32 mpg and the Volkswagen Taos in front-wheel drive at 31 mpg. The Buick Encore matches the Soul at 30 mpg, while the Mazda CX-30, in all-wheel drive, is rated at 29 mpg.

Safety & Driver Assistance Tech: 9/15

The Soul receives a four-star crash-test rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), not the highest five-star overall. It got five stars for side crash, but only four for frontal and rollover crash. The Venue and Kicks also received only four stars overall, while the redesigned Honda HR-V hasn’t yet been tested. The Soul got “Good” ratings across all crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The HR-V and Kicks did also, but the Venue further earned a Top Safety Pick designation.

All Soul trims include emergency front braking, lane-keep assist, driver attention warning and rear occupant alert. The base LX can be optioned with a Technology Package that adds blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, both with collision prevention. These are standard on all other trims. The GT-Line can be optioned with a $2,400 Technology Package that primarily adds convenience features, but includes highway driving assist and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go.

Comfort & Room: 12/15

It may be small, but the Soul feels spacious, and its seats are supportive and comfortable. Cloth seats are standard but the GT-Line adds simulated leather trim. A 10-way power driver’s seat, including lumbar support, is standard on all but the base LX. Heated front seats are optional on the GT-Line and standard on the EX. The LX has manual climate control, while all others have dual-zone automatic climate control.

Front headroom is 39.9 inches on the LX and S, which drops to 38.3 inches on the GT-Line and EX due to the standard sunroof. That’s close to competitors, where the Nissan Kicks leads with 40.4 inches, and the Honda HR-V and Hyundai Venue both have 39.4 inches. But the Kia’s square-box shape preserves it all the way to the rear, with 39.5 inches for back-seat passengers, while its rivals are around the 38-inch mark. At 41.1 inches of front-seat legroom, the Soul is marginally smaller than the HR-V and Venue, while the Kicks has 43.7 inches; but the Soul gives rear-seaters 38.8 inches of legroom, while its competitors range from 33.5 to 37.7 inches.

Infotainment: 12/15

The base LX has an 8-inch center touchscreen, while all other trims come standard with a 10.25-inch screen that includes onboard navigation, satellite radio and Kia Connect that coordinates with a mobile phone app. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as is a digital instrument cluster, and a wireless charger is included on all but the base trim. 

The 10.25-inch screen is intuitive and easy to use, with volume and tuning dials, and hard buttons to bring up the various screens, including a customizable button to quickly access a favorite function. The radio screen cleverly displays the station numbers as old-fashioned radio tubes. The stereo also includes a “Sounds of Nature” setting where you can choose soothing white noise: ocean waves, raindrops, a jungle or a crackling fire, or the bustle of an open-air café. 

While the EX is the top trim, the uniquely-styled GT-Line gets the lion’s share of available options that the EX does not offer, including a premium 10-speaker Harman Kardon audio system with speaker lights that can be set to pulsate with the music.

Cargo Space & Storage: 12/15

The Soul reaches a maximum of 24.2 cubic-feet of cargo space in most trims with the rear seats up, while an available dual-floor divider provides 23.4 cubic-feet in its lowest position and 18.7 in the upper slot. In the higher setting, you can hide items under it. Among rivals, the Kicks leads with 25.3 cubes, while the Venue is smallest at 18.7 cubic-feet. But when you fold the Soul’s rear seats down, you get up to 62.1 cubic-feet, while the Honda HR-V is next with 55.1 and the Venue trails at 31.9 cubic-feet.

The Soul’s squared-off shape helps with loading bulky items, but the hatch sits high above the rear fascia and there’s a fairly tall lift-over. For front-seat passengers, small-item storage is very good, with an open cubby in the center console, conveniently placed cupholders and a covered storage box. There’s also a generous open cubby in the center stack, and if you have the available wireless phone charger, it’s in a little shelf halfway up in that cubby. Most automakers put the charger in the cubby floor. With the Soul, you can park your phone and still toss items in below, rather than piling them on top of the device.

Style & Design: 9/10

The Soul’s boxy styling is its defining feature, and you won’t mistake it for anything else on the road. Wheel sizes are 16-, 17- or 18-inch, depending on trim, and LED headlights, taillights and fog lamps are available. Depending on the trim, cars ordered with white or Surf Blue paint can have a black roof added. The GT-Line has some unique styling cues, including its grille mesh and center exhaust pipe, along with a flat-bottom steering wheel. 

The cabin styling is simple but handsome, with more soft-touch materials than many vehicles provide in this entry-level segment, and with easy-to-use controls on the console and center stack. The Soul also feels more upscale than most of its rivals, and while it does suffer from a fair bit of wind and road noise, the cabin has excellent fit-and-finish, and all buttons, dials and handles feel sturdy and well-made.

Is the 2023 Kia Soul Worth It? Which Soul is the Best Value?

The 2023 Kia Soul starts at $21,085 for the base LX, including a delivery fee of $1,295, and runs to the S at $23,585; the GT-Line at $24,685 and the EX at $25,385. The LX and the GT-Line can be optioned with Technology Packages. Some colors add an additional $345.

The sportier-looking GT-Line will likely be the volume seller. It contains features shared with most other trims, including dual-zone climate control, 10.25-inch touchscreen and power driver’s seat, but has some exclusive touches, such as 18-inch wheels, rear-seat armrest and a sport-design steering wheel. Its $2,400 Technology Package also adds options that aren’t available on the top-level EX, including a premium audio system, speaker lights, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and highway driving assist. That takes it to $27,085 but many buyers may consider it money well spent.

How Much Does it Cost to Insure the 2023 Kia Soul?

The Soul should cost about the same, if not a little more, to insure than most of its peers. According to our data, a typical 30-year-old female driver with a clean record can expect an average annual premium close to $1,950, though this averages all 50 states. A base Hyundai Kona owner might pay $1,770 per year, while the Hyundai Venue is just over $1,700 and the Nissan Kicks is $1,980. For a more accurate picture of your potential insurance expenses, visit our car insurance calculator.