Kia Soul (2014-2018) review - Reliability and Safety

Just like every other model in the Kia range, the Kia Soul comes with a seven-year warranty, although it seems that you’re unlikely to need to get any work carried out in the first years of ownership, as the company’s cars are impressively reliable.

The Soul is based on the Kia Cee’d’s running gear, so its mechanical components are tried and tested, while the EV model could be even more dependable because it uses fewer moving parts – although some of the powertrain control technology is new of course. Mileages are likely to be much reduced on electric models too.

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However, while the Cee’d has a five-star safety rating and has good scores across the board, the Soul only managed to attain a four-star rating in the Euro NCAP independent crash tests.

Close scrutiny of the Euro NCAP report reveals spot-weld failure caused a rupture in the driver footwell “which precluded any demonstration from Kia that the knees and femurs would be well protected for different occupant statures and positions, and the steering column and the edge of the centre console were thought to pose a risk of injury”.

The car performed reasonably otherwise, and the safety kit list includes six airbags, while tyre pressure monitors are standard, and Connect Plus models feature a reversing camera. 

And while the Soul didn't feature in our 2018 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, Kia as a brand came eight out of 26 manufacturers, posting strong scores in the infotainment and practicality categories.

Warranty

The Kia Soul – and all its sister models – really excel in the warranty department, coming with a whopping seven-year guarantee with a 100,000 mile limit. The Nissan Juke comes with a three-year/60,000 mile warranty, which is about average for this class, but Hyundai comes closer with five years.

Servicing

You can take up a fixed servicing plan that includes three years of routine maintenance for £339 – or extend it to five years for £629.