Best Kia Soul Years to Buy Used

Used Kia Soul Quick Facts

• The Kia Soul’s average resale value translates into a price that’s ideal for a second or third car in a family’s driveway and is particularly inviting when shopping for a teenager’s first vehicle.
• We’d pick the 2022 model as the best from the current Kia Soul generation so far.
• The Kia Soul launched in 2010 to compete with the Nissan Cube and the Scion xB. The carmaker introduced a turbocharged 4-cylinder into the Soul lineup in 2017.

Kia has a knack for bringing just the right product to market at exactly the right time. For example, we give you the Kia Soul. Sure, it trailed the rest of the rolling-toaster squad to the North American market. The Scion xB went on sale in 2006, and the Nissan Cube in 2009; however, when the Soul rolled onto the scene in 2010, it was here to play and to stay. Outlasting both key rivals — the Cube disappeared after 2014, with the xB lasting an additional model year — the Soul soldiers on, even today. We attribute Soul’s longevity to its value story. It was an enticing bargain when it first launched, and it remains a good deal today. Its industry-leading powertrain warranty didn’t hurt it either. Therefore, if you are shopping for a used Soul, you may find yourself overwhelmed by your choices. We will help with that.

• What Are the Best Kia Soul Model Years?
• Which Kia Soul Is Right For You?
• What to Know About the Kia Soul
• Kia Soul Reliability
• Is a Used Kia Soul a Good Car?
• What Would We Do?

What Are the Best Kia Soul Model Years?

Affordable when new, the Kia Soul remains so on the used market. Its average resale value translates into a price that’s ideal for a second or third car in a family’s driveway and is particularly inviting when shopping for a teenager’s first vehicle.

• Third Generation (2020-Present): It’s too soon to include the 2024 Soul in the used car discussion. The 2022 and 2023 are both strong contenders in this generation. Reliability seems to be measurably better for the 2022. Oh, and to date, there have been no recalls on the 2022 model, while there have been three recalls on the 2023. On the strength of that and the 2022’s $800 or so average price advantage over the 2023, we’d pick the 2022 model as the best from this generation so far.
• Second Generation (2014-2019): The 2016 and 2018 editions represented the best reliability for this generation. The 2016 had five recalls versus three for the 2018 version. Customer satisfaction was about the same for both. You will pay around $2,000 more for a 2018 over a 2016; however, we think the additional outlay at purchase for the 2018 will probably pay off over the long run.
• First Generation (2010-2013): Generally, we consider the first-gen Soul to have average reliability. Owner satisfaction was low for the 2010 model despite better-than-average reliability scores. Satisfaction improved for the 2011-2013 model years. The Soul only had three recalls issued for each first-gen model year. Our pick out of this generation would be a 2013 model.

See used Kia Souls for sale near you.

Which Kia Soul Is Right for You?

Beginning with the current Soul iteration, let’s take a look at the three generations of this spunky and resilient wagon.  

Third Generation (2020-Present)

Despite not straying far from its original concept and styling, the Soul returned for 2020 as all-new. Its trim levels swelled from three to six. However, the cutesy Plus Wagon and Extreme Wagon monikers are gone, replaced by trim names like GT-Line, X-Line, and other more mainstream tags. Kia did update the Soul’s nose and tail, striking a more technical pose. Kia dropped the base engine, leaving the 2.0L 4-cylinder to do the heavy lifting. It now generates 147 horsepower and uses a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) to transfer grunt to the front wheels. The raucous 1.6-liter turbo was standard in the GT-Line Turbo Wagon; however, a new 7-speed automatic transmission switches the cogs. For 2021, Kia streamlined the turbo model’s name from GT-Line Turbo Wagon to just Turbo Wagon. In 2022, the manual transmission disappeared, and Kia slapped its new, hipper logo onto Soul models. Then, 2023 saw the departure of the turbo engine and the winnowing of trim levels from six back to four. When adding the new entry-level LX trim, Kia brought back the manual transmission.

See 2020-current Kia Soul cars for sale in your area

Second Generation (2014-2019)

The 2014 model year brought a significant redesign, including a stiffer (29% stiffer) chassis, updated suspension, fresh styling inside and out, and more content. Kia put some resources into raising the quality of the interior with soft surfaces, improved seating, and higher-end materials. Carrying over the two engines, Kia tinkered with the base mill, resulting in reduced output (130 hp). Leather became available for the upper trims in 2015. Kia also introduced an all-electric Soul EV for sale in California and a few other coastal states. For 2016, Kia made forward collision and lane departure warnings optional. Now we’re getting somewhere: a new 201-hp turbocharged 4-cylinder became standard for the range-topping Exclaim in 2017. Although Kia had plans to bring a redesigned version of the Kia Soul EV to the North American market for 2021, its last model year was 2019 in the United States.

See 2014-2019 Kia Soul cars for sale in your area

First Generation (2010-2013)

First teased at the 2006 North American International Auto Show, the Soul finally arrived for the 2010 model year. Looking cute and fun like its Nissan and Scion competitors, the Soul followed their lead, delivering less-than-exciting performance and driving dynamics. It featured two 4-cylinder engines. The base mill was a 122-horsepower 1.6-liter, delivering its output to the front wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission. Upper trims used a 142-hp 4-cylinder mated to the same 5-speed but offering a 4-speed automatic upgrade. Rather than sporty handling, Kia opted for a pliant ride. All-wheel drive (AWD) would never be available for the Soul. Kia offered the Soul in four trims: Wagon, + Wagon (Plus Wagon), Sport Wagon, and ! Wagon (Exclaim Wagon). A boxy exterior gives way to a comfy passenger compartment highlighted by an iPod bin in the front console and available accent lights in the front-door speakers. With the second-row seat in place, the cargo room was on the stingy side, but with that seat folded down, the Soul’s tall roofline allowed for hauling fairly big items. In 2012, Kia gave the Soul a minor facelift, dropped the Sport Wagon trim, and boosted engine output to 138 hp and 164 hp, respectively. Kia also upgraded the transmissions to a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic. Wireless Bluetooth connectivity arrived in 2013.

See 2010-2013 Kia Soul cars for sale in your area

What Is the Kia Soul EV?

Marketed in North America from 2015 through 2019, the Kia Soul EV was a fully electric version of the conventional Soul. For the first few years, Kia only marketed it in a few coastal states like California, Oregon, New York, and New Jersey. It became more available later in its lifecycle but was never a big hit. Early models only delivered an estimated 93 miles of range. Although the range improved to 111 miles in 2018, it never matched competitors like the Nissan Leaf. During its tenure, the Soul EV’s miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) in combined (mixed city-and-highway) driving was 105 MPGe 2014-2017) and 108 MPGe (2018 and 2019).

What to Know About the Kia Soul

Two lines of curiosity logically sprout from any discussion of used vehicles: miles and age (and usually cost, too, but prices vary).

What Is the Kia Soul MPG?

Because of its limited engine variants and front-wheel-drive (FWD) configuration, the Soul’s mileage is easily summarized. To further simplify it, we’ve arranged Soul’s mpg in an easy-to-read chart according to the engine and model years. We make no distinction among transmissions because, for the specific model years, there is no difference between the automatic and manual transmission mileage. The MPG is the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) estimated combined (mixed city-and-highway) driving.

Kia Soul Reliability

Gauging reliability for the Kia Soul or any used car needs to begin with the understanding that reliability is often a result of how the car was treated and maintained throughout its life. Certainly, some models tend to have more problems than others, and some model years of a specific car can be more troublesome than others. However, every used car can differ from the average trends depending on the stewardship of its past owners.

With that in mind, let’s get a generational picture of the Soul and its issues.

What Are the Kia Soul Model Years to Avoid?

• Third Generation (2020-Present): Despite logging only one recall, we think the clunker model year in this generation so far is the 2021. Hounded by transmission and engine issues, it’s the one to take a pass on.
• Second Generation (2014-2019): Customer satisfaction was low for both the 2014 and 2015 models. Moreover, the 2015 racked up seven recalls to the 2014’s five. Both suffered engine issues. We would wave you off both these years.
• First Generation (2010-2013): There really isn’t a model year in this generation that’s so bad we would warn you off it. The 2010 version has the lowest owner satisfaction numbers, yet it has the highest reliability score. We think you’d be fine with any model from this generation.

Is a Used Kia Soul a Good Car?

If we were issuing grades, we’d give used Kia Soul cars an overall grade of C+/B-. Don’t get us wrong; we think they present solid used car value. However, their reliability and owner satisfaction scores are average to a little above that.

What Is the Kia New Car Warranty?

One factor making the Soul, in particular, and Kia, in general, such a terrific new car value is its industry-leading new car limited warranties. The limited bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage is for five years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first. If you buy a recent model year used Soul, some of this warranty may still be in effect. The limited new-car powertrain warranty is for 10 years or 100,000 miles, which is huge. However, unless the used Soul you pick is certified preowned (CPO), the full term of the powertrain warranty doesn’t transfer to the new owner. Powertrain coverage is reduced to five years or 60,000 miles from the new car purchase date.

What We Would Do

If our budget allows it, our top pick would be the 2022 Kia Soul. However, if we were trying to keep the purchase cost at around $10,000 or less, we’d go for the 2018 or 2016 model-year Soul.

See Kia Soul cars for sale in your area.