Compare the2026 Hyundai VenueVS 2025 Kia Soul

Compared to metal, the Venue’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Kia Soul has a metal gas tank.

The Venue Limited has a standard Blue Link, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Soul doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Venue and the Soul have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Venue is safer than the Kia Soul:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Venue is safer than the Kia Soul:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Venue’s corrosion warranty is 2 years and unlimited miles longer than the Soul’s (7/unlimited vs. 5/100,000).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 8 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked 8th.

On the EPA test cycle the Venue gets better fuel mileage than the Soul 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder (29 city/33 hwy vs. 27 city/33 hwy).

The Venue stops shorter than the Soul:

For better maneuverability, the Venue’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the Soul’s (33.2 feet vs. 34.8 feet).

The Hyundai Venue may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 300 pounds less than the Kia Soul.

The Venue is 6.1 inches shorter than the Soul, making the Venue easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

In addition to a parabolic reflector, optical-grade lenses in the Venue’s projector headlights precisely focus the beam, providing more even illumination of the road for better visibility and a sharp cut-off that prevents blinding oncoming drivers. The sharp cutoff allows the use of a stronger light. The Soul’s standard uses a simple reflector to direct its standard headlights.

According to iSeeCars.com the 2025 Hyundai Venue retains 61.34% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 58.21% resale value of the 2025 Kia Soul after five years, which can save the Hyundai’s owner.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Venue and the Kia Soul, based on reliability, safety and performance.