KiaSoul2025Overview/kia/soul/2025/base/

2025 Kia Soul

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2025 Soul.

Transmission Automatic (variable gear ratios)

The 2025 Kia Soul arrives with an automatic transmission featuring variable gear ratios and EPA-estimated fuel economy of 27 mpg city, 33 mpg highway, and 30 mpg combined. Reliability data places this model year at the favorable extreme of the nameplate’s 2010–2025 timeline, recording only 11 owner complaints and zero recalls against a historical high of 898 complaints registered in 2015. With exterior lighting representing the top complaint area among those scant reports, the 2025 model stands as the quietest chapter in the Soul’s documented reliability history.

Model year202520232022202120202019201820172016

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

EPA fuel economy27/33/30 mpgEPA · verified

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Engine & drivetrain NHTSA vPIC

TransmissionAutomatic (variable gear ratios)

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length165.4 in
Overall width70.9 in
Overall height63.8 in
Wheelbase102.4 in
Curb weight2844 lb
Track (front / rear)61 / 61 in
Weight distribution (front / rear)61/39

Ratings & economy EPA / vPIC

EPA city / highway / combined27 / 33 / 30 mpg
DrivetrainFront-Wheel Drive
Passenger volume101 cu ft
Cargo volume24 cu ft
Recommended fuelRegular Gasoline

Performance & power Independent road tests

0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.

Independent road tests for the Soul of this era, listed by trim and engine — this page spans more than one engine, so no single horsepower figure is shown.

6.4–8.6 sec0–60 mph (tested)quickest 6.40 sec — 2020 GT-Line Turbo
YearTrim / engine0–60¼ mileHPDrivetrain
2020GT-Line Turbo 1.6L Turbo I-46.40 sec15.00 sec201 hpFWD
2020GT-Line Turbo 1.6L Turbo I-46.50 sec15.00 sec201 hpFWD
2020GT-Line Turbo 1.6L Turbo I-46.70 sec15.20 sec201 hpFWD
2020X-Line 2.0L I-46.90 sec15.20 sec147 hpFWD
2020GT-Line Turbo 1.6L Turbo I-47.00 sec15.40 sec201 hpFWD
2020X-Line 2.0L I-48.00 sec16.40 sec147 hpFWD
2020X-Line 2.0L I-48.30 sec16.50 sec147 hpFWD
2020EX 2.0L I-48.60 sec16.70 sec147 hpFWD

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the spark plugs every 96,000 mi; coolant every 24,000 mi. The big-interval services (every 24,000 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

At 8,000 miCabin Air Filter (inspect)
Every 8,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Air Conditioning System (inspect) · Battery (inspect) · Brake Line (inspect) · Brake Linings (inspect) · Brake Rotor (inspect)
Every 16,000 miCV Joint Boot (inspect) · Cabin Air Filter (inspect) · Cabin Air Filter (replace) · Fuel Evaporative Canister Filter (inspect) · Fuel Line (inspect) · Fuel Tank (inspect)
Every 24,000 miEngine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill)
At 48,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect)
Every 48,000 miBrake Hydraulic System (drain, refill & bleed)
Every 96,000 miSpark Plugs (replace)
At 120,000 miEngine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

The 2025 Kia Soul currently shows the cleanest federal record in the entire generation, with just 11 complaints, zero recalls, zero investigations, and only 12 TSBs—figures that sit at the very bottom of a clear downward arc that began around 2017. For context, complaint volumes peaked dramatically in 2014–2016 (890–898 complaints annually) during the generation's troubled middle years, then dropped sharply to the 133–269 range from 2017–2019, briefly spiked to 361 in 2020, and have steadily declined since, reaching 28 complaints in 2024 before arriving at today's 11. The 2025 model year's top complaint areas are minor and scattered—Exterior Lighting (3), Unknown or Other (2), and a handful of ADAS-related categories—with only 2 crash complaints and zero fire complaints reported. That said, the 2025 model year is still early in its service life, and these low numbers will naturally reflect limited exposure time on the road rather than fully proven long-term reliability; the data doesn't specify root causes for any of these complaints. Even accounting for that recency caveat, the 2025 Soul benefits from being at the tail end of a generation that has demonstrably improved over time, with recalls dropping from a peak of 7 in 2015 to zero in both 2024 and 2025. **Bottom line: the 2025 Kia Soul is a strong buy from a federal-safety-record perspective—it represents the most mature, least-troubled point in this generation's lifecycle—but buyers should monitor whether complaint volumes remain low as the vehicle accumulates more time on the road.**

0
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
12
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
0
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
11
Owner complaints
2 involved a crash · 0 a fire
NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars
Overall★★★★
Frontal★★★★
Side★★★★★
Rollover★★★★
Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 11 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Exterior Lighting3
Unknown Or Other2
Lane Departure,Back Over Prevention,Forward Collision Avoidance1
Air Bags,Forward Collision Avoidance1
Visibility/Wiper1
Suspension,Wheels,Service Brakes1
Exterior Lighting,Lane Departure1
Vehicle Speed Control,Service Brakes1

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

No recall campaigns on record with NHTSA for this vehicle as of the last data refresh.

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 12 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
TSB_ELE4222026-05-27Electrical SystemTECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE.KIA.COM…
PS7972025-12-09Back Over PreventionPITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop…
WTY041_TSB_R12025-09-10Electrical SystemTECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: HORN ASSEMBLY INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY041) - This bulletin…
TSB_ELE3952025-07-25SteeringTECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: MDPS CONNECTOR LOCKING INSERT INSPECTION…
TSB_TRA046_R52025-04-17Power TrainTECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: TRANSMISSION FLUID APPLICATION GUIDE - This bulletin has been…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Soul. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

Does the 2025 Soul have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 0 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.

What gas mileage does the Soul get?

EPA figures are 27 city / 33 highway / 30 combined mpg.