2018 Kia Soul vs 2018 Honda HR-V: Which is Best?

2018 Honda HR V on highway ・ Photo by Honda

With the plethora of options in the crossover SUV space it can sometimes be hard to properly classify a vehicle, but with a little imagination it’s fair to say that despite their differences, both the 2018 Kia Soul and the 2018 Honda HR-V can be considered to be compact crossover SUVs that are frequently cross-shopped against each other. In order to determine which is the best choice for you, the editors at Autobytel have compared them head-to-head in several important categories and come up with a clear winner. The results might surprise you, so read on to learn which of these two compact crossovers we think is best and determine whether or not you agree with our outcome.

Pricing

The entry-level model of the 2018 Kia Soul starts at a reasonable $16,200 for a model with a manual transmission, while the entry-level version of the 2018 Honda HR-V with a manual starts at $19,670. That price difference starts to shrink once you equip both models with automatic transmissions, which bumps the Soul up to $18,695 and the HR-V up to $20,470. Both models are similarly equipped, though the base HR-V does come standard with a rear camera while the Soul doesn’t. At the top end of the range, both models can be priced up to around $28,000, though the Kia features more equipment for the money.

Winner: Kia Soul

Photo by Kia

Fuel Efficiency

The Kia Soul is available with a choice of three engines: a 130-horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder, and a 161-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder (that are both rated at 30 mpg combined,) and a powerful 201-horsepower turbocharged 1.6-liter four that just edges them out with a combined rating of 31 mpg with a dual-clutch transmission. The Honda HR-V is only available with one engine, a 141-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder, but when it comes to fuel efficiency it’s a winner, with a combined rating of 34 miles per gallon in front-wheel drive trim with the CVT. Even all-wheel-drive models of the HR-V can match the best the Soul can muster at 31 mpg combined.

Winner: Honda HR-V

Photo by Honda

Behind the Wheel

The 1.8-liter is the only engine offered in the Honda HR-V, and it isn’t quite up to the task, especially when paired with the continuously variable transmission which saps power even while keeping the engine at the extreme end of its operating range. The story is similar with the Kia Soul’s base engine, but at least the automatic transmission does a better job of keeping the engine at a reasonable speed and the overall driving experience is slightly better. When equipped with the 2.0-liter engine there should be adequate power for most situations, and the turbocharged 1.6-liter engine makes the Soul downright speedy, though neither model is particularly sporty. The HR-V does offer all-wheel drive unlike the Soul, but only with the CVT.

Winner: Kia Soul

Photo by Kia

Styling

Each vehicle seems to be hiding some of our favorite accessories in their styling, we compare it as though the Soul has a pair of sunglasses and the HR-V a baseball cap. The Kia Soul is boxy, short and wide, almost a modern take on the AMC Pacer’s ‘wide small car’ philosophy that helps to maximize interior space. That said, its design is getting a bit long in the tooth these days, and a new Soul will be arriving in the next year or so. The HR-V is attractive enough and the side character lines remind us of some of Acura’s older SUVs, but it doesn’t really stand out in the crowded crossover SUV segment the way the Soul does.

Winner: Tie

Photo by Honda

Interior Design

Both the Kia Soul and the Honda HR-V have approximately the same interior dimensions, with both models trading small wins in different categories. The biggest difference is found in the rear seat headroom, where the Soul wins out, and in the cargo area with the rear seats folded down where the HR-V comes out king. When on the move the Soul is a bit quieter (especially when engine noise is taken into account,) and it has better outward vision. On the luxury front, the Soul wins again, including some truly higher-end options like available heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, and a Harman/Kardon audio system with a center speaker and subwoofer.

Winner: Kia Soul

Photo by Kia

Technology

When it comes to technology, the Honda HR-V initially offers quite a bit. Honda LaneWatch (which uses a small camera on the passenger side mirror to display the passenger side roadway on the available 7-inch Display Audio touch-screen,) SiriusXM Radio, Bluetooth, two USB ports, the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System with voice recognition, and Honda HD Digital Traffic. Oddly though, it doesn’t offer power seats. The Kia Soul offers a similar kit but adds the option of a 10-way power driver seat and an 8-way power passenger seat, a full suite of safety features, an available 8-inch touch-screen, a Harman/Kardon audio system with a center speaker, subwoofer, speaker lights, LED interior lighting, and HID projector beam headlights with auto leveling.

Winner: Kia Soul

Photo by Kia

Family Friendliness

Both the Kia Soul and the Honda HR-V provide plenty of space for a family, with enough room in the rear for two teenagers (or adults) without much reason for complaining (about the interior accommodations at least,) although the rear of the Soul is marginally more comfortable and it’s a bit safer. On the flip side the HR-V is the only one of the two that offers all-wheel drive, and while it’s not meant for heavy-duty off-roading it may come in handy when taking the kids to hockey practice on a snowy day in December, or to the cabin on a long weekend in May, and in most incarnations it’s cheaper on fuel than the Soul.

Winner: Tie

Photo by Honda

Safety

All models of the 2018 Honda HR-V offer a rearview camera and brake assist but otherwise lags behind the Kia in terms of safety. A rear camera is standard on all but the base model of the Kia Soul, and the Soul+ with the Primo Lit Package (which also requires the Audio Package and brings the total price to just over $27,000,) comes with numerous active safety systems including Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Detection, and Smart Cruise Control. When it comes to crash test results the Kia again just edges the Honda, which performs slightly worse in several front crash metrics.

Winner: Kia Soul

Photo by Kia

Verdict

If you need all-wheel drive, place an absolute premium on fuel economy, or need to carry the most cargo with the rear seats folded then the Honda HR-V is the vehicle for you. If those aren’t your top three priorities then there’s little question that the Kia Soul is the better vehicle of the two for most drivers. The Soul wins five out of our eight categories outright, and ties two others, offering better performance thanks to its optional engines, a nicer interior with more tech, a better driving experience, and slightly higher safety scores all at a lower price. 

Overall Winner: Kia Soul

Photo by Kia