Kia Soul is a subcompact crossover SUV that has become a game-changer in its class. We review its history of safety and reliability.
The Kia Soul is a subcompact crossover SUV that has become a game-changer in its class. Originally, it competed with both the Nissan Cube and the Scion xB, but both of those models have gone to the wayside while the Soul sold over 70,000 units for the 2020 calendar year.
But since it is a compact model, concerns for its safety are often raised by potential buyers.
In a 2020 study that included the 2017 Kia Soul, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that between 2015 and 2018, the driver deaths per million registered vehicles was 70 for the Kia Soul, ranking in the bottom 20 of all makes and models.
For comparison purposes, the average for all 2017 vehicles was 36 deaths. So is it safe? Let’s take a closer look at the Kia Soul and its safety rating.
Is the Kia Soul Safe?
The Kia Soul debuted in late 2009 and that first generation of the car lasted until 2013. The second generation had a long run with many significant improvements until the third generation rolled out of the factory in 2020.
Since the car has had three versions, it is logical to consider each span of the Soul as one model. Cosmetically, the SUVs might have had changes from year to year, but the actual construction and composition only slightly changed with each generation.
When it comes to vehicle safety, you want to consider two variables:
- How does the Soul react in a crash?
- What safety features does the Soul have to help prevent the crash in the first place?
Let’s look at crashworthiness first.
Kia Soul Crashworthiness
When it comes to crash-test information, the two gold standards are the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
Both have taken the Kia Soul and put them under controlled circumstances to cause them to crash. They also looked at the manufacturer’s test results and considered previous tests if the model hasn’t substantially changed.
The agencies look at numerous measurements and review the resulting occupant safety after the crash. The ratings are issued in several categories to indicate the vehicle’s degree of safety.
Over the years, the NHTSA has improved its tests and includes additional ratings, which range from one to five stars.
NHTSA Ratings: First-generation Soul (2010-2013)
NHTSA has three safety rating categories: frontal crash, side crash, and rollover.
For 2010, the Kia Soul achieved five stars for the frontal crashes, a five-star rating for the driver side crash, a four-star rating for the rear passenger side crash while the rollover test earned a four-star rating.
For 2011 through 2013, the Kia Soul earned an overall safety rating of four stars. The overall ratings in the three categories were four stars for the frontal crash, five stars for the side crash, and four stars for the rollover.
NHTSA Ratings: Second-generation Kia Soul (2014-2019)
The second-generation Kia Soul came out with a five-star NHTSA rating in its first year. It earned five stars for both frontal and side crashes, and a four-star rating for the rollover test. It maintained those same ratings throughout the entire span of the second-generation Kia Soul.
In this generation, an EV model was also available from 2015 to 2019 but was never crash-tested by the NHTSA.
NHTSA Rating: Third-generation Kia Soul (2020-Present)
Only the first-year test has been released for the third-generation Kia Soul. The 2020 model gained a four-star overall safety rating.
It was rated at four stars for the overall frontal crash, five stars for the overall side crash, and four stars for the rollover test.
IIHS Ratings: First-generation Kia Soul (2010-2013)
Overall, the 2010 to 2013 Kias all received an IIHS Top Safety Pick, with all model years scoring “good” in four of the five crashworthiness categories, and a “poor rating” in the “small overlap front: driver side” category.
The first generation’s models did well in crashworthiness regarding moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraints and seats. But they got a “poor” rating for small overlap front: driver-side.
However, the vehicle’s 2013 crashworthiness test was telling in some areas.
The IIHS conducted a crash test using the 2013 Kia Soul and mentioned that “the side curtain airbag did not deploy…and the driver’s seat tipped forward and toward the B-pillar.”
Most notably, the IIHS report found that “the [crash test] dummy’s position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver’s survival space was not maintained well.”
IIHS Ratings: Second-generation Kia Soul (2014-2019)
The 2014 to 2019 Kia Souls also were well received by the IIHS. The 2014 scored “good” across all crashworthiness tests.
For 2015 and 2016, the vehicle was awarded the Top Safety Pick and did “good” on the crashworthiness test except for its small overlap front: passenger-side, which received a grade of “acceptable” instead of “good.” The”acceptable” rating would stick throughout the span of this generation.
In 2017, it lost its Top Safety Pick, but in 2018 it redeemed itself by earning a Top Safety Pick+ rating.
For 2019, as the second generation of Kia Soul was coming to an end, the vehicle reverted back to the Top Safety Pick.
It was graded as “good” in five of the six categories for crashworthiness for all the model years in this generation. It always received an average rating for the “Small Overlap Front: Passenger Side” test.
IIHS Ratings: Third-generation Kia Soul (2020-Present)
The IIHS gave the Kia Soul a Top Safety Pick for 2020-2021, but only if the wagon is fitted with specific headlights and the front-crash protection system. They scored it “good” in all six crashworthiness standards. The front crash prevention system was also rated as “superior.”
So, you can see from the above scores that the Kia Soul received pretty good scores across the board in most categories from these two agencies.
Driver Death Rates
We previously reported that the IIHS found the driver death rate for the 2017 Soul during 2015 to 2018 was 70 deaths per million registered vehicles. That was substantially higher than the average of all vehicles.
If a vehicle, like the Soul, has not been substantially redesigned in the previous three model years, they include those deaths as well. So, it isn’t just the 2017 model year that was reported on. For 2014, the death rate for the Soul was 82 deaths, with all 2014 vehicles averaging 30.
But in 2011, shortly after the Soul came out, a lower death rate of 32 was reported, with an average for all vehicles of 28. This report and the statistical analysis are limited and fail to include passenger deaths, but it does suggest a reason for concern.
Based on these reports, if you were to be in a crash in a Kia Soul, you have a fairly good chance of surviving the crash. But can the Kia Soul avoid a crash in the first place?
Can the Soul Avoid a Crash?
Any car’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are designed to offer help to the driver to avoid a crash. Manufacturers will call them by different names but they all rely on sensors, RADAR, Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) scanning, cameras, and electronics to recognize impending danger.
The systems can be broken down into two basic types: passive and active.
ADAS Passive Alerts
With a passive alert, the system is designed to give the driver notice that there is a possibility of a crash or other danger ahead. It relies on the driver to take notice of the alert–usually a tone and/or light–and take corrective actions. If the driver ignores the alert and doesn’t change the car’s path, a crash is likely.
ADAS Active Actions
In more advanced ADAS systems, the car is designed to help the driver avoid the crash potential. For example, if a blindside detection system notices a car or obstruction on your side as you start to change lanes, it will gently tug the steering wheel or engage the brakes to avoid you changing lanes or moving in the direction of the crash.
Most systems are guides, and a driver could ignore the subtle tug and force the car into another lane, but with substantial risk.
ADAS Choices
Some manufacturers allow you to turn off or disable several ADAS systems, but doing so puts you at more risk. Personally, some systems may be incessant or issue incorrect alerts on some roads, but we would rather have a false warning than disable a correct alert.
While it would be nice if all ADAS options were present in all trim levels of a car, including the Kia Soul, the reality is, as the trim levels increase in price, the number of ADAS offerings also increases.
Here is a good example for the 2021 Kia Soul. The base LX model doesn’t offer any ADAS features, which Kia labels “Drive Wise,” while the upgraded S, EX, GT-Line, and X-Line models come standard with six ADAS features.
These features are:
- Forward Collision Assistance
- Lane Keep Assist
- Lane Change Assist
- Driver Attention Warning
- Blind Spot Collision Warning
- Rear Cross-traffic Collision-avoidance Assist
Move up to the Turbo model and you gain a:
- Head-up Display
- Pedestrian Detection for the Forward Collision-avoidance Assist
- Smart Cruise Control
ADAS Options
While some ADAS offerings might be grouped under the “nice to have” listing, there are several that you should give serious consideration to having. In many cases, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Some options do cost more when new, and that cost carries over to the used market. But this also means that when you eventually sell that car, other buyers will be similarly willing to pay more for those ADAS options. In fact, many car buyers won’t even look at a car that doesn’t have a specific ADAS feature.
Kia and ADAS
In 2014, the Kia Soul began offering a backup camera as an option, and in 2016 a forward collision warning was introduced as an option.
A lane departure warning became an option in 2017. And in 2018, the backup camera became mandated by the federal government.
In 2019, Kia also offered for some Souls crash imminent braking and dynamic braking support.
NHTSA does some testing of some ADAS offerings and issues ratings for them as well. If you are looking for a specific ADAS option, you will need to research that model year for the Kia Soul and verify if it was offered for a specific year and for which trim level.
Here are the Kia’s various “Driver Wise” ADAS offerings presently offered by Kia for the Soul. Not all are available as an option on all the Soul models, but it provides you an oversight of possible offerings and options.
Forward Collision-avoidance Assist (FCA)
The Forward Collision-avoidance Assist uses cameras and RADAR to issue alerts if a crash seems imminent and then controls the brakes to slow down the vehicle.
Driver Attention Warning (DAW)
The Driver Attention Warning provides the driver an alert if it detects inattentive driving, and it suggests a break from the driving routine.
Lane Keeping Assist (LKA)
The Lane Keeping Assist system uses cameras to detect the lane markings and if the driver hasn’t used a turn signal. When the car drifts out of the lane, it issues alerts and gently steers the vehicle back into the intended driving lane.
Lane Change Assist (LCA)
If a driver uses the turn signal to initiate a lane change, the system can alert you to fast-approaching cars from the rear.
Blind-spot Collision Warning (BCW)
A combination of cameras and RADAR warns the driver if it detects a vehicle in the blind spot, and after alerts are made, it will engage the brakes to avoid a crash.
Smart Cruise Control (SCC)
After the driver sets a specific speed for the car, cameras and RADAR look for traffic in front and adjusts the car’s speed to maintain a safe distance between the cars.
Head-up Display
The Head-up Display (HUD) is an eight-inch display that is projected onto the windshield showing critical indicators along with the lane departure warnings.
Rear Cross-traffic Collision-avoidance Assist
The Soul provides visual and audible alerts when it detects objects on either side of the car while the car is in reverse. If necessary, brakes are applied to stop the vehicle.
Conclusion: So, How Safe is the Soul?
None of these ADAS systems are 100% effective, and all are designed to be guides and aids for the safe driver. You would never want to rely solely on these systems to maneuver the Kia Soul.
However, in the event of a crash, both NHTSA and IIHS suggest that the Kia Soul will be safe.
Overall the Kia Soul gets good reviews for crashworthiness. The 2018 model was notable for the Top Safety Pick+ it earned from the IIHS, and by then the backup camera was standard.
Plenty of used Kia Souls are offered in the marketplace, so if that size and look appeals to you, there are plenty of models to choose from.
Photos: Kia
