Kia Soul vs. Kia Niro: A Battle Between Fun and Practical Crossovers

Meet the Kia Soul and Kia Niro, two popular options in the compact crossover segment. The Kia Soul stands out with its bold, unconventional style, while the Kia Niro has a sleek, modern appeal combined with practical efficiency. These distinct characteristics attract different types of drivers. Let’s explore how these crossovers compare to help you determine which one best fits your lifestyle.

The Quirky Charm of the Kia Soul

The Kia Soul‘s fun geometric design is likely to appeal to younger drivers. Its two-tone color palette further enhances its charm. The Soul’s iconic boxy shape allows for more headroom and cargo capacity than most other compact crossover SUVs, and its upright stance and high roofline provide excellent visibility. 

Starting at $20,490, the Soul is ideal if you want to express your personality without sacrificing utility. Its compact size, unique design, and practical cargo space make it especially suited to young urban dwellers.

The Practical Edge of the Kia Niro

2025 Kia Nero For Sale
 

The Niro features smooth, modern lines and aerodynamic styling that prioritizes efficiency and visual appeal. Exterior flourishes include LED lighting and alloy wheels. The Kia Niro is designed for efficient, practical driving and is equipped with a hybrid powertrain that achieves 53 mpg in the city and 54 mpg on the highway.

The Niro’s comprehensive safety features, useful cargo configurations, and efficient powertrain will appeal if you’re an ecoconscious, practical consumer. Starting at $26,990, the Kia Niro makes the perfect choice for young families and commuters.

Interior Comfort and Convenience Features

Kia incorporates sustainable recycled materials throughout its cabins. Both the Soul and the Niro offer standard cloth seating, with options to upgrade to premium materials in higher trims. The cabins feature similar amenities in both vehicles, providing spacious seating for five and split folding rear seats for flexible cargo arrangements. 

The Soul offers 24.2 cubic feet of cargo space, which expands to 62.1 cubic feet with the rear seat folded flat. The Niro has 22.8 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat, which expands to 63.7 cubic feet with the seats folded. Both crossovers feature wide cargo openings and lower load floors for convenient access.

The base models in both lineups have an 8-inch infotainment screen, with all other trims featuring a 10.25-inch variant. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability allow you to sync your smartphone for hands-free operations, and Kia’s voice recognition software enables you to access your favorite apps, get navigation information, make calls, and use intuitive voice commands. 

The Soul and the Niro feature a six-speaker stereo system as standard, with options to upgrade to a ten-speaker Harman Kardon system on the Soul and an eight-speaker Harman Kardon system on the Niro’s top trims.

Powertrain and Efficiency

The Soul has a standard 147-horsepower 2.0-liter engine that’s perfect if you prioritize efficiency. The EPA estimates it gets 27 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway.

In contrast, the Niro’s hybrid powertrain balances power with efficiency. It uses a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with an electric motor to produce 139 horsepower. Niro models with 16-inch wheels have EPA ratings of 54 mpg in the city and 53 mpg on the highway. Touring trims have 18-inch wheels that result in a slight dip in efficiency, reaching only 45 mpg on the highway.

Safety Features and Ratings

Both the Niro and the Soul have similar packages of driver-assistance systems designed for confident, safe driving. Both cars have blind-spot collision-avoidance assist, forward collision-avoidance assist, rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane following assist, intelligent speed limit assist, and driver attention warning.

The Niro has a few additional standard systems, such as Navigation-Based Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go, highway driving assist, and safe exit warning, giving it a slight edge over the Soul.

Crash tests have yet to be performed on the 2025 models, but the 2024 Kia Niro received an overall five-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, while the Kia Soul earned a four-star rating. These ratings offer evidence of Kia’s commitment to safety.

Quirky or Practical: Which Model Fits Your Needs?

Both of these compact vehicles offer impressive efficiency, making them perfect options for if you often undertake long commutes or road trips. The Kia Soul’s slightly smaller dimensions make it ideal for navigating tight Massachusetts streets. However, the Niro’s ample cargo space and more comprehensive driver-assistance suite make it well suited for family use.

The decision will ultimately come down to your personal style and preference. The quirky Soul will likely appeal if you enjoy standing out, while families and young couples will love the Niro’s practicality. To make your decision easier, we recommend creating a list of features you want and need. This will save you time by eliminating vehicles that don’t meet your criteria and help you avoid spending money on features you don’t plan on using.

Buyer Resources and Next Steps

At Pride Kia of Lynn, we have many online resources to help you in your car shopping journey. You can get preapproved online to increase your confidence as you shop. Our online trade valuation tool helps you to establish a budget, and we have a payment calculator to help you crunch the numbers.

Doing your due diligence will help you get the best deal, and getting preapproved tells the dealership you’re serious. Once you’re ready to buy, visit our Lynnway showroom, speak with one of our friendly, professional staff, and arrange a test-drive.

We strongly recommend finding a reputable dealer to ensure you get a fair deal. At Pride Kia of Lynn, we’ve proudly served the Lynn, Massachusetts, area for over 40 years, delivering the high-quality customer service and support that people deserve.

Choose Your New Kia Today

Whether you want the quirky Soul or the practical Niro, you’ll find both fun to drive. We invite you to schedule a test-drive online or stop by our Lynnway showroom to speak with a team member. We’ll answer your questions and let you take both vehicles for a spin.

Kia Niro by Gian Luca Sgaggero is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0