With its fun and arguably polarizing design, the Kia Soul refuses to be another boring and mundane option in the vast sea of monotonous SUV's. The Soul is Kia's entry-level crossover SUV, but with its generous cargo space and economically-minded powertrain, the Soul is an effortlessly practical runabout that is ready for the daily commute and weekend shenanigans. Among the throngs of other SUVs in its class, are there any of the Kia Souls competitors that stand out as quirky and practical as well?
This article features some alternatives to the Kia Soul in terms of segment and specifications; some competitors may be very different in price or vary in size - we justify why. This list is not exhaustive. Specs listed are for two comparable trims from each model, where necessary. Prices are correct at the time of writing, and exclude destination, options, and fees. Manufacturers reserve the right to change prices at any time without notice. We rank these Make Model competitors by MSRP, starting with the highest and finishing with the lowest.
2025 Kia Soul Overview - MSRP" $20,490
The Kia Soul is one of the few remaining cars in the United States that cost around $20,000 to buy new. It's a high-value, cheap-to-run little car with oodles of attitude and personality. It's also quite frugal to keep running, and will do excellently as a daily runabout for the small family. According to the EPA, you can manage gas mileage figures of 29/35/31 mpg for the to-spec EX model, which is pretty impressive and works out to around 443 miles on a full tank of gas. It's available in four trims for 2025, with even the most expensive model coming in under $25k. At such a great starting price, what do the competitors in the segment look like in 2025? Let's jump straight in.
2026 Honda HR-V
Base MSRP:$26,200
The Honda HR-V is the smallest SUV offered by Honda; in fact, it's small enough to share its platform with the Honda Civic. This means it's not as spacious as its big brother, the CR-V, but the HR-V still offers some utility with its 24.4 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat and available AWD. With the rear seats folded down, the HR-V has a respectable 55.1 cubic feet of cargo hold. Since the HR-V shares its platform with the Civic, it also receives the normally aspirated 2.0 liter four cylinder, which has been reported to feel underpowered in the HR-V. Not helping too much in the performance department is the CVT paired with the already lazy 2.0 liter. It's quite on par with what the Soul offers, however it's one up in terms of providing an option to AWD. The 2026 model has a fresh face lift and still brings that Honda confidence.
2026 Mazda CX-30
Base MSRP: $25,975
The CX-30 is Mazda's slightly upper-class entry into this segment. Having one of the highest MSRP's of the group in this article, the CX-30 comes standard with all-wheel drive, and a 191 horsepower 2.5 liter four cylinder. Of eight trim levels, a turbocharged version of the 2.5 liter is offered only for the top few trims. This forced induction makes a sprightly 227 horsepower burning 87 octane, and if you opt for high test gas at the pump, you'll see 250 horsepower, according to the automaker. The Mazda may be one of the more refined crossovers on this list, but it does come up somewhat short on cargo space compared to others at only 20.2 cubic feet of storage for all of your stuff, assuming all seats are in the upright seating position. With the rear seats folded down, there are 45.2 cubic feet available. But, for the slightly higher price, the CX-30 offers a much more engaging drive with quite a bit more power - and, in the non-turbo models, fuel economy still remains good.
2026 Hyundai Kona
Base MSRP: $25,350
The Hyundai Kona is the larger of the two Hyundai's on this list. It leans a little more toward the quirky side of the design range, but don't let the Kona's oddly placed body lines and spaceship-like headlights lead you to believe it's not a practical and capable crossover. Front-wheel drive is standard while Hyundai makes all-wheel drive available for every trim offered. Of course, that does slightly affect fuel economy, but the money is well spent on the added capability. Moving up to the SEL Premium trim includes a 1.6-liter turbocharged four cylinder that makes 190 hp. Even with the turbo, the Kona comes up short on horsepower, with some of its competition making similar or more horsepower normally aspirated. The Kona does also offer 26 cubic feet of storage behind the rear seat, but when the rear seats are folded down, the Kona opens up 64 cubic feet of cargo area behind the front seats.
2026 Buick Envista
Base MSRP: $24,600
Without a doubt, the Buick Envista is a beautifully styled crossover SUV, with a very palatable price tag. The Envista has the smallest power plant in the group at 1.2 liters. The engine is a turbocharged 3-cylinder engine that delivers an anemic 137 horsepower, so give yourself plenty of time in traffic. Sadly, the Envista only comes in front-wheel drive, even in its primo Avenir trim.
Similarly to the aforementioned Hyundai, the Envista has a large digital gauge cluster and an 11-inch infotainment screen to keep you from remembering how little horsepower the Envista has. Offering just 21 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat and precisely double that with the rear seat folded down, it's a little tight inside the Envista's cargo hold, although that's certainly enough room for a couple sets of golf clubs. It does make a great alternative to the Kia Soul, however, and delivers good fuel economy.
2026 Kia Seltos
Base MSRP: $23,690
The big brother to the Kia Soul is the Kia Seltos. As Kia operates under the Hyundai umbrella, shared parts between the two manufacturers is not uncommon. That being said, like the Hyundai, the Seltos comes standard with what Hyundai and Kia call an "intelligent variable transmission" or ITV. The ITV is supposed to have an improved design over how a traditional CVT operates. For the sake of this list, ITV is another term for CVT and that's what Seltos has paired with its 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine, which is also shared by the Hyundai Kona.
The SX, currently the highest trim level for the Seltos, employs the 1.6 liter turbocharged mill for a little extra power in the top trim. All-wheel drive is available for every trim level on the Seltos, but standard on the SX, naturally. Offering a generous amount of cargo space behind the back seat at 27 cubic feet, the Seltos does not disappoint, and in full haul mode with the back seat down, there is a healthy 63 cubic feet available, making hauling a cinch.
2026 Nissan Kicks
Base MSRP: $21,830
If you measure quirkiness, the Nissan Kicks is right up there with the Kia Soul, especially in this, the latest generation. The Kicks received a complete redesign for the 2025 model which not only included a re-working of the sheet metal, but upgrades to the driveline as well. The Kicks now has a bit more bark to its bite with its 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 141 hp. Like most of the vehicles in this class, the Kicks is also fitted with a CVT for transferring power to the front wheels or now the optional AWD set up. Nissan subdued the Kicks' front fascia, giving it a more contemporary and grown-up demeanor. Nissan also massaged the interior, giving it a little more space inside, making 24 cubic feet available for cargo behind the rear seat, and just over double that at 50 cubic feet with rear seats folded. Price-wise, it's a really good alternative to the Soul.
"The Nissan Kicks starts at $21,830, which is one hell of an entry point, even riding on steel wheels with cloth seats and no Apple CarPlay. The sweet spot is, as expected, the $23,680 SV version on the 17-inch wheels with the new infotainment system and the wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay combo...As a value proposition, the Kicks is strong, and was strong in its previous incarnation. But the 2025 model brings everything up to date and doesn't feel like a car you buy because it's the one you can afford. It's a value proposition that also has personality, is genuinely comfortable, looks great, and is fun to drive."
- Ian Wright, Senior Road Tester, CarBuzz
2026 Chevrolet Trax
Base MSRP: $20,500
Let's call the Chevy Trax exactly what it is, a more spacious and affordable version of the Buick Envista. That's not intended to be a negative statement. Yes, the Trax shares many things mechanical with its cousin from Buick, but it maintains its own identity. The Trax isn't going to come with the luxury appointments that the Envista does, especially in base trim, but it does offer more cargo space and great value. The Trax has a noticeably less sloped roofline to the C-pillar, creating a generous 26 cubic feet of storage in the proper cargo area behind the back seat. In full haul mode, when the rear seat is folded down, you're met with 54 cubic feet of payload hauling real estate. It's obvious the two are meant for different customers, with the Trax leaning heavily on bang-for-your-buck value. Sadly, like the Buick, there is no AWD availability for this tidy little bowtie SUV.
2026 Hyundai Venue
Base MSRP: $20,200
The second and smaller entry from Hyundai on this list is the Hyundai Venue. The Venue is a fun-looking and very compact SUV that hinges more on 'sport' than any real 'utility'. The Venue does not have the smallest engine on this list, but it does have the lowest horsepower output. Thanks to the lack of any type of forced induction, this 1.6 liter solely relies on atmospheric pressure to achieve the 121 meager hp that must motivate the Venue.
Being that the Venue is on the small side, it comes as no surprise that its cargo hold is also on the small side, at 18.7 cubic feet behind the second row of seats and only 31.9 with the seats folded down. The Venue is obviously made for the consumer who favors a vehicle of smaller proportions with big - time maneuverability and parking ease. Interestingly, the Venue's big brother, the Kona in base SE trim with FWD, slightly edges out the Venue in fuel economy. The Kona offers more space and a bigger, more powerful engine. Of course, there is a bit of a price discrepancy, but depending on how they're optioned, the prices for the two are well in the same zip code. The Venue is a true city mouse, and it does it well.
The next three compact SUV's on this list are no longer in production but are either too quirky or too practical (in some cases both) not to include on the list.
2022 Ford EcoSport
Current Used Car Value: <$20,000
*Used prices are heavily dependent on year, trim, mileage and overall condition.
The Ford EcoSport is a bit of a mighty-mouse offering all-wheel drive as standard for all trim levels, and decent power output from its 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, which delivers 166 hp. The original engine in the EcoSport was a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder, but that engine was discontinued after encountering a very widespread oil pump drive belt deterioration problem causing severe consequences for the engine. Although the EcoSport did receive a more powerful and less problematic engine, its fuel economy was disappointing to many owners expecting better economy. The EcoSport rivals the Jeep Renegade in cargo area at 20.9 cubic feet behind the rear seat, and 50 cubic feet with the seat folded down.
2022 Jeep Renegade
Current Used Car Values: <$10k - Low-$20k
* Used prices are heavily dependent on year, trim, mileage and overall condition.
The second of these three gone but not forgotten SUV's is the Jeep Renegade, which was discontinued for the 2024 model year. The Renegade is a rugged SUV with a torquey little 1.3 liter turbocharged and intercooled inline four cylinder. It makes 177 hp, but its 200 pound feet of torque is the star of the show for the Jeep. For the offroad adventurer who bought the highest trim available for the Renegade, the Trailhawk, that extra torque probably comes in quite handy on the trails, as the Jeep does its Jeep thing. Otherwise, the Renegade comes up somewhat short in its hauling ability, offering only 18.4 cubic feet of storage behind the rear seat, but somewhat made up for it with the seat folded down, at that point offering up 50.4 cubes of space for your gear.
