2025 Kia Seltos Consumer Reviews
Pricing
LX - $26,085 MSRP
Edmunds suggests you pay
$25,0491 for sale near you
Prices based on sales in FL thru 4/14/25
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2025 Seltos, so we've included reviews for other years of the Seltos since its last redesign.
Genuinely surprised by how much I enjoy this car
T., 01/24/2025
2025 Kia Seltos SX 4dr SUV AWD (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
11 of 11 people found this review helpful
After almost a year of searching and test driving all sorts of new cars at different brands’ dealerships, I just purchased a brand new Kia Seltos at the highest level SX trim. Which is still somewhat crazy to me since I had never heard of the Seltos, nor would I have even considered a Kia even just a few weeks ago to replace my aging Jeep Liberty that was now 20 years old and in desperate need of retirement. This “SUV” is the perfect size for me, easy to park, has handled the terrible snowy Northeast weather roads with no issues, and has been overall FUN to drive with the surprising amount of “pep” this little 4cyl engine has. I have not seen anything else that looks remotely close to the Seltos in a market that’s oversaturated with enormous yet somehow still classified as “sub-compact” sized SUVs. Its unique design was another deciding factor for me and it really does look stunning inside and out. I was about to pull the trigger on a Mazda until the sales manager dropped the ball, so I decided to explore other options and was pleasantly surprised to find the Seltos. This Kia feels infinitely roomier; I have more than enough cargo space and at no point do I ever feel cramped in this car. I can’t say the same about the CX30 I test drove and I’m only 5’3. In fact, this is why I almost bought a CX5 even though it was “more car” than I needed when we already have a larger Honda SUV in this household. I’m getting just as good if not better MPG with this Kia at the highest turbo trim than I would have with the Mazda at a non-turbo trim. The lack of a heated steering wheel here in the US market is a total bummer, but I’ll probably resolve that issue with a sub-$20 cover from Amazon. I would have gladly paid extra for the heated wheel and ditched the “mood lights” as I am an adult now whose rave days are over. I do appreciate the premium Bose sound system however - definitely spring for that and the AWD turbo engine with additional safety features if your budget can swing it. If the “gentle brown” tan interior was available with my “pluton blue” exterior color, and the black roof could be combined with the sun/moonroof weather package, this would have easily been an over-10/10 vehicle for me. Even though the turbocharged Seltos doesn't have "great" gas mileage compared to its competitors, it's still significantly better than what I used to get from the Liberty’s awful 10-14 MPG. The Jeep wouldn’t even hit 200 miles on a full tank that also had more fuel capacity than the Kia’s! Overall I'm very happy with my purchase and consider this an absolute steal in terms of value, considering that I had never even considered anything other than a more expensive Honda, Toyota or Mazda for my next new car purchase. The only concern I have is reliability as I’m totally unfamiliar with Kia, but the 10-year limited powertrain warranty from the manufacturer is also way better than what I’ve seen from any of the other brands. And let’s face it, pretty much anything would have been more reliable than a Jeep (thanks for nothing, Stellantis! And RIP DaimlerChrysler) Honestly, the Honda CR-V Hybrid was probably the car I liked the most out of all the cars I test drove. However, it also cost about $15k more than the top trim Seltos I just bought. I wouldn’t be able to make up that difference in cost with gas savings in the way I drive. And the CR-V didn’t even come with a spare tire which just really, really bothered me for some reason. Because the Kia Seltos isn’t popular in the northern NJ/NYC metro area where I'm located (I’ve seen maybe 2 others on the road compared to hundreds of CR-Vs and CX-5s), I was able to negotiate a great OTD price at my local dealership which brought this to well within budget. This includes factoring in a “faster” brand depreciation factor which probably doesn’t matter in this case; I hope to drive this vehicle for a very long time. I do miss the additional height the Liberty had, and the absolute "VROOOMM!" it used to growl every time I fired up that V6 engine, but I don’t miss all the problems that came with an aging vehicle that outweighed its value. The advanced safety features on the Kia Seltos SX trim are a really nice upgrade. But then again, I drove a very low-tech Jeep that had a key ignition and no backup camera so take that with a grain of salt. Ultimately, the best way for you to decide if the Seltos (or any vehicle, really) is the right car for you is to go out and test drive it along with several other models and brands that have all the features you want within your budget. That’s how I stumbled upon this little gem despite putting hours of research into other cars by reading copious reviews online like you are right now. I hope this review will help you make an informed decision as you continue your car-buying journey and wish you best of luck with your new set of wheels!
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Love my 2024 X-line!
Brent Lister, 01/11/2024
updated 07/01/2024
2024 Kia Seltos X-Line 4dr SUV AWD (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
23 of 25 people found this review helpful
I bought my 2024 X-line back in October and love it. I had to claw back one star for the disappointing fuel economy when I drive over 105 km/h on the highway. It is impressive up until that point but drastically drops over the 105km/h. But if you drive the speed limit you’ll be fine. Lol I’m 6-2” and so comfortable to drive. Impressive tech and pretty easy to navigate. I was hooked by the pep in its step. Tons of get up and go. No road noise and interior fit and finish is next level. I am interested to find out how the Seltos performs for the long haul. I feel the reliability and things like service and parts will play a role for the long term satisfaction and I will update. But the first taste makes me feel like I will be a long time Kia customer. UPDATE: I wrote a review on my 2024 X-line and have to update on the one star I clawed back for poor fuel economy. Since then I feel my Seltos has “broken in” and on my recent 3000km road trip I got between 6.6 and 7.5 litres/100km. I apologize to my American friends but you’d have to do the conversion to mpg. Suffice to say it improved significantly. I am very satisfied with the recent mileage. It still performs best at 90 km/h and at that the consumption continually plummets. It even can achieve 7.5 litres/100 km with the cruise set at 115 km/h. Super! The next update is a slip in the area of tech. Two issues here. One is a dealer admitted “glitch”. I had the message on my recent road trip that states oil change is due. Reset oil life after service. This message comes across my display every time I start the vehicle despite having reset the oil life on the car and the app. Not a show stopper but a bit annoying. I hope Kia figures out a fix and can update the software or whatever needs to happen. Also the Apple CarPlay occasionally glitches. It is not my cord because it charges the phone but CarPlay won’t work. It’s happened a handful of times but there is a possibility it could be my older IPhone. I’m will to accept it. The Bluetooth still works. So not debilitating. So those are the only two issues. I still love the car and would highly recommend seriously considering a Seltos if you’re in the market for a smaller SUV. My wife has a Volvo XC-40 (2022) and we both agree the Seltos is a better value for the dollar. And I don’t have to burn premium fuel. That helps the bottom line$
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Love my KIA!
Lori C, 10/28/2023
2024 Kia Seltos EX 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl CVT)
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
This is my third lease of a KIA and second of a Seltos :) I love how it drives and was great through the winter last year! It has great gas mileage and is comfortable to drive! It also has a lot of great features! I would recommend one to anyone!
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Not sure why I haven't bought a Kia before?
DTORRES, 05/13/2024
2024 Kia Seltos S 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl CVT)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
The supposed "cons" of this car weren't that bad. Sure it's not a V8 engine and can't take corners like a Lambo but it's just fine to drive and picks up enough to hop on a freeway without issues. I like the double screen on it and the customization. It drives smooth and even as a 6'2" 220 lb man, I think there's plenty of room and is comfortable enough. For the price and the best warranty available, so far I'm very happy wit this purchase.
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Nice car
John, 01/06/2024
2024 Kia Seltos SX 4dr SUV AWD (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
It is well made, reasonably quick, and the all wheel drive w/ 8 speed tranny is very good. I like it a lot. And I like the great warranty, which I hope to never use. This vehicle has amazing bells and whistles.
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