2025 Kia Seltos

The thing we’ve found about the Seltos is that it’s just as good a contender in the subcompact SUV class as its larger brothers the Kia Sportage and Telluride are in their respective categories. That’s why it’s been a multi-year Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Award winner. And we’ve been lucky enough to spend a lot of time in a Seltos, getting to know this vehicle’s intricacies just as an owner would.

We like its space and style, best-in-class warranties, and driving manners. The base engine is responsive enough and the driver assistance features work well in real-world conditions — something we’ve noticed with virtually every current Kia/Hyundai/Genesis vehicle.

We’ve logged hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of subcompact SUVs, including the Kia Seltos.

Rear parking sensors become standard on the EX and SX trims. The SX and the all-wheel-drive EX also gain the Smart Power Liftgate. A Power Sunroof package is a new option for the EX, while the S now sports a new driver’s-side window with an automatic up/down, 17-inch alloy wheels with a two-tone finish, and a 4.25-inch TFT cluster.

Even though the Seltos received a major update last year (the model launched for 2021), Kia has freshened the interior with “improved materials and finishes.” And the all-wheel-drive EX gets a cargo cover as standard.

On-Sale Date

We anticipate the 2025 Seltos becoming available from early fall 2024.

We recommend going for the S and adding all-wheel drive. It’s a popular combination that also brings a bigger touchscreen and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. The top SX version is another big seller.

There are plenty of rivals — like the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-30, and Hyundai Kona — and most of them are priced in the same kind of bracket as the Seltos. Before buying a new Seltos SUV, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should be paying.

Kia Seltos resale values are above the class average. Recouping more money when selling a vehicle can mean a bigger down payment and lower monthly payments on the next one.

Most base engines in subcompact SUVs tend toward the timid. It’s like that with the 146-horsepower example in the Seltos, which results in a placid standstill-to-60 mph time of about 9.6 seconds, only a fraction behind the Honda HR-V. Even so, we’ve found the Seltos to be among the more lively and engaging subcompact SUVs around town, while enjoying the standout ride comfort and quiet cabin on the highway.

For added verve, there’s 195 horsepower in the turbocharged X-Line and SX versions. They also come with a sweet 8-speed automatic transmission. We like this combination a lot. The current Seltos fixes most of the gripes we had after the thousands of miles we covered in our long-term tester.

Fuel Economy

The Seltos also turns in a respectable performance here. The popular duo of base engine and all-wheel drive runs to 29 mpg in combined city/highway driving. That can’t be topped by the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-30, or the Subaru Crosstrek.

A clean and classy interior design greets everyone who steps into the Seltos, enhanced by a dashboard unit that houses a 10.25-inch touchscreen (except for the base LX, which has an 8-inch screen). Kia says it has improved the cabin’s materials and finishes for 2025. That said, we never had an issue the quality of materials. And we always liked the outward vision, plus the comfort and space.

Our enthusiasm didn’t dim when we sat in the back. Rear legroom of 38 inches is generous for the class, even if the Honda HR-V has another inch. The rear air vents are another positive, for humans and dogs alike.

We’ve also used the Seltos to move house. Or at least contribute to the general hauling effort, thanks to its impressive-for-the-class cargo space. There’s 26.6 cubic feet of it behind the rear seats, opening out to 62.8 when those seats are folded. That beats the HR-V quite handily.

Last year’s styling revisions still get the thumbs-up from us. Many of our owner reviews mention how attractive they find the Seltos. The subcompact footprint also helps make it easy to park and maneuver.

The X-Line takes on an off-roading character with skid plates, plus a few black and gray elements. We’re also grateful for color schemes that depart from the monochrome trend, such as Ocean Blue with a white roof, and Pluton Blue with a black roof.

Spacious interior
The Seltos is among the most practical subcompact SUVs, thanks to its relatively roomy interior.

Panoramic dual-display unit
Two 10.25-inch screens — one for driver information, the other for the infotainment system — give the Seltos cabin a premium look and feel, in our opinion. They come standard on the EX trim and above,

Leather-wrapped steering wheel
This is standard on all but the base LX trim. It may not seem like much, but we never really like holding a plastic steering wheel.

Digital Key
Using the Kia Connect phone app, the Seltos can be locked/unlocked, or started remotely. Friends and/or family can gain access within the same app via text message. This is optional in the top SX trim.

Bose audio with mood lighting
Most SUVs offer a premium audio system upgrade, but the one in the Seltos adds mood lighting for a more fun and high-tech cabin vibe.

X-Line
The X-Line model gives the Seltos a more outdoorsy character — with gloss black trim, gunmetal gray grille and skid plates, high-utility roof rails, and all-wheel drive with Lock Mode.

The first three versions of the Seltos have a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine making an adequate 146 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque. This engine is connected to an automatic transmission (of the continuously variable variety) that directs that output to either the front wheels or all four. All-wheel drive is standard in the entry-level LX, with front-wheel drive as the default setup in the following S and EX; all-wheel drive is optional with those two.

The X-Line and SX models come with a turbocharged 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine developing 195 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque, one of the most powerful in this subcompact SUV class. An 8-speed automatic transmission sends that to a standard all-wheel-drive system.

5-Year/60,000-Mile Warranty

Along with Hyundai, Kia offers some of the best warranties out there. Bumper-to-bumper coverage is five years or 60,000 miles, whichever happens first — this includes roadside assistance. Powertrains are covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles.

Safety Ratings

The Seltos has yet to be tested fully by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), although it did take top scores of Good in the few crash-tests to which it’s been subjected so far. Past models, of which 2023 is the latest to be scored, took four stars out of a possible five overall from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Standard safety features include forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian/cyclist detection, plus lane-keeping assistance.