2025 Kia Soul

small car / 4-door wagon

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Evaluation criteria	Rating
Small overlap front
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test

Seat belts & child restraints

Evaluation criteria	Rating
LATCH ease of use

Other available safety features

Optional blind spot detection
Standard lane departure warning & prevention
Optional rear automatic braking

Key

G
Good
A
Acceptable
M
Marginal
P
Poor

Superior
Advanced
Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front

The small overlap front evaluation consists of a driver-side and a passenger-side component. If the results of the two evaluations differ, then the combined small overlap rating is equal to the lower rating.

Driver-side

Rating applies to 2020-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2020 Kia Soul S wagon

The Kia Soul was redesigned for the 2020 model year. Driver-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Hyundai/Kia.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall driver-side evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTN1909
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	6
Footrest (cm)	3
Left toepan (cm)	3
Brake pedal (cm)	1
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	3
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column	0
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	5
Upper dash (cm)	4
Lower instrument panel (cm)	4

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTN1909
Head
HIC-15	254
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.3
Extension bending moment (Nm)	10
Maximum Nij	0.27
Chest maximum compression (mm)	27
Femur (kN)
Left	2.1
Right	0.9
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	1
Right	1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.44
Right	0.32
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	1.7
Right	1.5
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	52
Right	72

Passenger-side

Rating applies to 2020-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2020 Kia Soul S wagon

The Kia Soul was redesigned for the 2020 model year. Passenger-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Hyundai/Kia.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall passenger-side evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP1916
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	6
Footrest (cm)	7
Right toepan (cm)	4
Center toepan (cm)	2
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	3
Upper occupant compartment
Center dash (cm)	1
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	4
Upper dash (cm)	3
Right lower dash (cm)	4

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP1916
Head
HIC-15	115
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.9
Extension bending moment (Nm)	22
Maximum Nij	0.27
Chest maximum compression (mm)	25
Femur (kN)
Left	0.2
Right	1.3
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	1
Right	7
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.43
Right	0.47
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	1.5
Right	1.2
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	52
Right	46

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP1916
Head
HIC-15	134
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.9
Extension bending moment (Nm)	17
Maximum Nij	0.21
Chest maximum compression (mm)	34
Femur (kN)
Left	0.3
Right	0.3
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	1
Right	1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.21
Right	0.21
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	0.2
Right	0.8
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	49
Right	52

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2020-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2020 Kia Soul LX wagon

The Kia Soul was redesigned for the 2020 model year. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Hyundai/Kia.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTF1912
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm)	8
Left (cm)	15
Center (cm)	13
Right (cm)	5
Brake pedal (cm)	7
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm)	1
Right (cm)	0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm)	1
Rearward (cm)	-1
A-pillar rearward movement (cm)	0

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTF1912
Head
HIC-15	235
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.1
Extension bending moment (Nm)	14
Maximum Nij	0.25
Chest maximum compression (mm)	32
Legs
Femur force - left (kN)	0.2
Femur force - right (kN)	1.1
Knee displacement - left (mm)	1
Knee displacement - right (mm)	0
Maximum tibia index - left	0.38
Maximum tibia index - right	0.28
Tibia axial force - left (kN)	1.2
Tibia axial force - right (kN)	1.0
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	46
Right	84

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2020-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2020 Kia Soul LX wagon

The Kia Soul was redesigned for the 2020 model year. Side ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Hyundai/Kia.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

Technical measurements for this test

Test ID	VTS1914
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm)	-21.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTS1914
Head HIC-15	161
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.2
Compression (kN)	0.5
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	28
Lateral force (kN)	1.2
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	33
Average deflection (mm)	31
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	4.15
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.68
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	2.8
Acetabulum force (kN)	2.5
Combined force (kN)	5.2
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	0.7
L-M moment (Nm)	148
A-P moment (Nm)	23

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTS1914
Head HIC-15	195
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.2
Compression (kN)	1.0
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	50
Lateral force (kN)	1.4
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	34
Average deflection (mm)	27
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	4.69
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.63
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	0.2
Acetabulum force (kN)	1.9
Combined force (kN)	1.9
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	0.8
L-M moment (Nm)	113
A-P moment (Nm)	80

About the original side crash test

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2020-25 models

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Vehicle trim	S
Seat type	cloth

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.

It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor only.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Vehicle trim	S
Seat type	cloth

Rating icon	Rating
G	Good
A	Acceptable
M	Marginal
P	Poor
	Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated.
thether anchor symbol	Tether anchor
lower anchor symbol	Lower anchors
shared lower achors symbol	Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s)
	No hardware available

Details by seating position

Position	Rating
1
1	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	too deep in seat
	not too much force needed to attach
	easy to maneuver around anchors
2
2	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	none available
3
3	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	too deep in seat
	not too much force needed to attach
	easy to maneuver around anchors

Technical measurements for this test

Lower anchor A
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	2-4
Force (lbs)	24
Clearance angle (degrees)	67
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	2-4
Force (lbs)	15
Clearance angle (degrees)	76
Tether anchor
Location	Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present	Yes
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

Lower anchor A
No lower latch for this seat position
Lower anchor B
No lower latch for this seat position
Tether anchor
Location	Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present	Yes
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

Lower anchor A
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	2-4
Force (lbs)	25
Clearance angle (degrees)	63
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	2-4
Force (lbs)	17
Clearance angle (degrees)	68
Tether anchor
Location	Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present	Yes
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

About the child seat anchor evaluation