Used car safety, rank #148 of 181
Kia Soul Safety Rating (2020)
Real IIHS driver death rates for the 2020 Kia Soul, a small wagon or minivan, compared with its class and with the current model.
The 2020 Kia Soul has an IIHS driver death rate of 63 per million registered vehicle years against a small station wagons/minivans average of 36.7, which is 72% above the class average. That places it #148 of 181 used vehicles with a safety score of 24.9/100.
What the Kia Soul death rate means
At 63 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, the Kia Soul is 72% worse than the small station wagons/minivans average of 36.7. The 95% confidence interval is 6 to 120, which overlaps the class average, so some of the gap may be chance.
The other-driver death rate of 68 measures the opposite risk: how many drivers of other vehicles died in crashes with a Kia Soul. It is higher than the Kia Soul's own driver death rate, the usual pattern for this class. Remember that death rates describe vehicles and their drivers together: IIHS adjusts for driver age and gender, but not for where or how carefully people drive. Our score weights this model's own rate at 70% and its class at 30%; see how we rank used cars.
Compared with similar used station wagons/minivans
The safest small station wagons/minivans in the IIHS study, by our score, with the Kia Soul highlighted. It ranks 3 of the 3 shown; the class leader is the Subaru Impreza wagon at a death rate of 23.
| Vehicle | Years | Death rate | Score | Reliability | Used price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subaru Impreza wagon | 2017-20 | 23 (8 to 39) | 60.7 | n/a | n/a |
| Subaru XV Crosstrek | 2018-20 | 24 (11 to 37) | 58.7 | n/a | n/a |
| Kia Soul (this page) | 2020 | 63 (6 to 120) | 24.9 | n/a | n/a |
Class average for small station wagons/minivans: 36.7 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
Safety recalls for the Kia Soul
A recall is a defect the manufacturer must repair free of charge, however old the car and whoever owns it now. On a used car this matters more than on a new one: the work is only done if a previous owner took it in.
1 recall campaign on the 2020 model year, covering engine.
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Engine
Risk: A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, oil may leak onto hot exhaust components, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. In addition, Kia will deploy Piston Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software. The recall began June 11, 2021.
Recall campaigns from the NHTSA recalls database, retrieved 2026-09-04. A campaign covers a range of build dates, not every car of the model year, and IIHS reports this nameplate across several years while these results are for 2020. Confirm against the VIN. Recalls do not affect the death rate on this page.
Kia Soul: Common Questions
Is the Kia Soul a safe car?
Not on this measure: its drivers died at a higher rate than its class average. IIHS recorded a driver death rate of 63 per million registered vehicle years for the 2020 Kia Soul, 72% above the class average (36.7 for small station wagons/minivans). That earns a used-car safety score of 24.9 out of 100 and rank #148 of 181 used vehicles.
What is the Kia Soul driver death rate?
63 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, with a 95% confidence interval of 6 to 120. Drivers of other vehicles that collided with a Kia Soul died at a rate of 68 per million. Source: IIHS driver death rates by make and model, covering 2020 models.
How does the Kia Soul compare with other small station wagons/minivans?
The small station wagons/minivans class averages 36.7 driver deaths per million; the Kia Soul sits at 63. Among the 3 small station wagons/minivans compared above it ranks 3 by safety score; the top of that group is the Subaru Impreza wagon with a death rate of 23.