The Kia Soul () is a subcompact crossover hatchback manufactured and marketed by Kia, produced from 2008 to 2025, in over three generations.
Marketed as a crossover since its introduction, the Soul was a five-door, five-passenger hatchback with boxy proportions and a tall roof, maximizing interior space. However, despite its crossover-like styling, it was exclusively offered with front-wheel drive.
In a period when small, boxy cars would come to populate the compact U.S. market, prominently the Scion xB (2004-2015), Honda Element (2003–2011) and Nissan Cube (2009–2014), Kia presented the Kia Soul Concept in 2006 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and presented the production model at the 2008 Paris Motor Show — aiming for the North American market and targeting buyers in the 18-35 year-old range.
The second-generation model was introduced in 2013 for the 2014 model year, with slightly larger exterior and interior dimensions and a reworked chassis, while retaining its boxy styling.
In 2018, Kia introduced the third-generation Soul for model year 2019.
Between 2014 and 2024, Kia also offered a battery electric variant as the Soul EV.
The nameplate Soul doubles as a homophone of Seoul, the city that hosts Kia's headquarters.
Conception Designed at the Kia Design Center in California, the Soul concept was styled by Michael Torpey (1972-2020) in early 2005, working with Kia's U.S. Design Chief, Thomas Kearns, under the leadership of Kia's global Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer.
Having previously worked with General Motors and as a new member of Kia's design team in Irvine, California, Torpey was sent to Kia's Namyang Design Center in Korea to help brainstorm a new vehicle. After watching a documentary on Korean wildlife, Torpey saw that the wild boar embodied a set of qualities that could inspire the design of a small, boxy car, and drew numerous sketches of a boar with outdoor gear, including a backpack — leading to his design for the 2006 Kia Soul Concept with a tough, compact stance. The New York Times reported, "the boar's attitude of strength and capability was the image [Torpey] wanted for a new model aimed at hip urban youth."
United States design patent drawings were filed in 2004, attributing the design to Yongpil Jang.
First generation (AM; 2008)
Once in production, the Soul's interior plastics and a harsh ride became points of criticism, and both were upgraded during the first year of production.
Equipment The interior featured two front bucket seats and a rear flat-folding bench seat, the latter adjustable to prioritize passenger or cargo volume.
Standard equipment included a stereo audio system with six-speakers, CD player, USB port, and Sirius Satellite Radio. Optional audio equipment included additional speakers, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls and Bluetooth connectivity.
Options included themed special editions as well as 18-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, leather-wrapped steering wheel, racing stripes, "dragon" and "houndstooth" graphics, and LED turn indicators.
For 2011, the Soul was updated with more conventional pull-out door handles, standard metallic interior trim, redesigned instrument cluster, leather shift boot, and switchblade style fold-in integrated key and remote, with an optional Smart Key available in the Exclaim ("!") trim.
For model year 2012, the Soul received revised exterior and interior styling and new powertrains. In North America the updated 1.6 liter engine, featuring direct injection, makes and ; the 2.0 liter engine makes and of torque. The 1.6 now delivers in the city and on the highway. The 2.0 returns in the city and on the highway. New features included navigation, UVO infotainment, leather and heated seats and automatic climate control.
As part of the 2012 upgrades, European models were fitted with new 1.6-liter GDI gasoline or 1.6 CRDi diesel engines, both of which can be specified with an automatic gearbox or a new six-speed manual gearbox, replacing the five-speed unit in the old version. As a result, the gasoline offers a increase in power compared to its predecessor, while returning improved fuel economy. The modified 1.6 CRDi diesel returns and has cut its CO2 emissions from 138 g/km to 129g/km – particularly important for the European market where taxation is based on carbon emissions.
The 2013 North American Soul received upgrades including 3 new colors, a bulged hood, revised grille with black chrome accents, LED red tail lights, LED amber front turn signals under the headlights and white LED running lights under the front turn signals. The exterior Kia badges became now smooth instead of raised lettering. Inside, audio controls were relocated to the steering wheel and Bluetooth became standard across the range. Upper trims included power folding heated mirrors with turn signal repeaters. The center display for sound system was previously red LED and was revised to include a full color range.
Special editions Kia offered four Special Edition Soul in 2010: Denim (below), Ignition, Dragon (below), and Ghost as primarily visual upgrades.
Soul Denim (2010)
The Denim is a limited (1200 units) version of 2010 Soul+ for the US market. Appearing in June 2009, it features a blue body color with white racing stripes, white painted side-view mirrors, and white, 18-inch, lead wheels.
Soul Ignition (2010)
The Kia Ignition Soul, in orange, is based on the Soul+ model with offset black striping and blacked-out 18-inch rims, an alloy gas cap, and a rear spoiler. Upgraded equipment according to AutoBlog: upgraded stereo, moon roof, keyless remote entry, tinted windows, cruise control, Bluetooth, and then some.
Soul Dragon (2010)
The Shadow Dragon edition is based on the Soul trim line and was limited to about 1,900 units. Exterior details include shadow black paint with matte-black dragon graphics on its hood and tailgate, gloss-black bumper inserts, a body-color rear wing and 18 inch black alloy wheels. The interior features heated, black leather trimmed seats.
Soul Ghost (2010)
Referred to as Ghost Soul by Car And Driver, the visual upgrades include gray-blue paint with a gray stripe running from the headlights to the C-pillar, unique 18-inch wheels, side-marker lights on the fender vents, and a new body kit with a rear spoiler. The special edition augments the Soul + trim with equipment usually only available on the pricier ! and Sport models with upgrades that include fog lights, a sunroof, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, heated leather seats, and chrome interior trim. They also state it includes an audio upgrade comprising an amplifier, subwoofer, and pulsing lights around each speaker.
The Soul White Tiger (2011)
The Soul White Tiger Special Edition was showcased at the 2010 SEMA and comes with features such as Clear White with Grey exterior graphics, body colored bumpers, sport rear spoiler, black 18-inch alloy wheels, black fender vents with side marker repeater, rear bumper applique, alloy fuel door, black leather seat trim, heated front seats, leather wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, push button start with smart key, illuminated sill plates, automatic climate control and front fog lights. There were some differences between the concept car presented in 2010 and the final 2011 production version, though what these were, were only hinted at in the article on TheKEEA.com.
Soul Flex (2010)
Kia presented the Soul Flex at the 2010 São Paulo International Auto Show. The Soul Flex is the first Korean flexible-fuel vehicle capable of running on any blend from E20-E25 gasoline (mandatory Brazilian blend) to E100 (neat ethanol). The new Soul Flex delivers a 44% improvement in fuel efficiency compared with the existing gasoline model, as well as superior power and torque.
Powertrain The North American version of the Soul was initially available in 2010 and 2011 with one of two inline four-cylinder gasoline engines. The base model is powered by a 1.6-liter unit producing and mated exclusively with a five-speed manual transmission. Higher trims feature a 2.0-liter unit producing connected to a standard five-speed manual transmission with a four-speed automatic available as a stand-alone option. A 1.6-liter diesel engine producing and torque is offered in European models instead of the 2.0-liter gas, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.
For the 2012 model, the Soul received two new transmissions and a new engine: 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic transmissions replaced the old choices, and the new 2.0-liter Nu engine replacing the old Beta engine; the 1.6-liter Gamma engine remained as the base model choice. The Gamma 1.6 gets a new dual variable valve timing , and in some countries, gets a direct injection fuel system.
+SpecsModelYearsTransmissionPower@rpmTorque@rpm0–100 km/h(0–62 mph)(Official)Top SpeedNotes1.6 Gamma MPI2008–20115-speed manual4-speed automatic @ 6,300 rpm @ 4,200 rpm11.0s (Manual) (Manual) (Automatic) @ 6,300 rpm n/a n/a North America2012–20136-speed manual6-speed automatic @ 6,300 rpm @ 4,850 rpm 128 hp in North America1.6 Gamma GDi2012–20136-speed manual6-speed automatic @ 6,300 rpm @ 4,850 rpm10.4s (Manual)10.9s (Automatic)2.0 Beta II2008–20115-speed manual4-speed automatic @ 6,000 rpm @ 4,600 rpm 2.0 Nu MPI2012–20136-speed manual @ 6,500 rpm @ 4,800 rpm 1.6 U CRDi2008–20115-speed manual4-speed automatic @ 4,000 rpm @ 1,900–2,750 rpm11.3s (Manual)11.9s (Automatic) (Manual) (Automatic)1.6 U2 CRDi2011–20136-speed manual6-speed automatic10.7s (Manual)11.7s (Automatic) (Manual) (Automatic)
Safety The Soul earned a maximum five star safety rating from Euro NCAP. In 2009, According to Euro NCAP, the five star safety rating places the Soul among the safest B-segment family cars in the world. The Soul was awarded the maximum five star safety rating by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), but only on the New Zealand version. Australian versions get 4 out of 5 stars.
+IIHS scoresModerate overlap frontal offsetGoodSmall overlap frontal offsetPoorSide impactGoodRoof strengthGoodHead restraints & seatsGood
Euro NCAP test results for a LHD, 5-door hatchback variant on a 2009 registration:
Concepts Soul Concept (2006)
The design of the Soul concept was based on the Kia Mesa concept and it was initially introduced as a compact crossover with a 5-door SUV body styling with five seats and suicide doors. It included a 2.0-liter I4 engine, 5-speed automatic transmission with manual shift capability and adaptive cruise control.
The vehicle was unveiled at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan.
By late 2008, Kia announced it would put the car into production as a 2009 model.
Soul Burner, Diva, Searcher (2008) The Soul Burner, Diva, and Searcher are concept vehicles, created by Kia's European design team, under the guidance of Kia's Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer.
The Soul Diva was created as a fashion accessory for a style-conscious young-at-heart woman, who regards her car to be as important as her entire outfit. It included a white, gold and black color scheme, full-length tinted glass panoramic roof, glossy black imitation leather, using 'quilted' stitching and trimmed to look like sofas, and black long-pile 'Pony-hide' carpet.
The Soul Burner was described as the 'bad boy' of Soul concepts. It included a solid roof panel and no roof rails, 245/40R19 tires, four bucket seats, and L-shaped day-light LED driving lamps around the outer edges. At the rear, two vertical exhaust pipes were placed at the extremes of the bumper.
Kia's Soul Searcher was designed to capture the spirit of Korean and Far Eastern culture, with a focus on achieving personal inner peace and creating a calm cocoon for the occupants. It included an old leather finish on the bonnet, powered folding roof, tailgate panel, dashboard, door panels and steering wheel rim, plus gray-beige felt floor and seats.