2025 Kia Seltos S assessment

The one fixed in life is change, except you’re speaking in regards to the Kia Seltos.

Observe: That is an up to date model of a assessment first revealed in October 2024. Avoid wasting minor value adjustments, there haven’t been any specification adjustments since publication.

We’ve up to date key particulars, such because the pricing, with probably the most up-to-date info accessible.

To learn the unique model of this assessment, click on right here.

WATCH: Paul’s video assessment of the 2023 Kia Seltos GT-Line 1.6T AWD

Carried into the 2025 mannequin 12 months unaltered, the Seltos remains to be a extremely useful and satisfying small SUV, though the shine has began to put on off for consumers.

A complete of 7777 examples had been bought throughout 2024, a 25.7 per cent drop on gross sales in comparison with the 12 months prior.

Maybe that’s because of the emergence of latest opponents within the small SUV area, or perhaps it’s the entry value that makes much less sense than the $25,000 drive-away sticker for which you can snap up a base Seltos again in 2019.

Regardless, the Seltos has misplaced some followers.

In case you’re beginning to doubt the relevance of the Seltos in 2025, don’t click on off this web page simply but. The entry-level Seltos S nonetheless affords loads of worth at $32,340 drive-away, and a charmingly easy expertise behind the wheel.

How does the Kia Seltos evaluate?

View an in depth breakdown of the Kia Seltos in opposition to equally sized autos.

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Seltos

How a lot does the Kia Seltos price?

Kia Australia has bumped up Seltos costs marginally for the 2025 mannequin 12 months.

To see how the Seltos traces up in opposition to the competitors, try our comparability device

What’s the Kia Seltos like on the within?

There’s no hiding that it is a bottom-spec mainstream SUV, however many consumers on this phase will fortunately take perform over kind.

In truth, the one actual try that Kia has made at daring design on this inside finally falls flat. Sure, I’m speaking about these speaker surrounds.

I get that Kia’s present design language is all about straight traces and sharp edges, but it surely doesn’t work right here. As a substitute, the black plastic covers appear to be they’ve been formed by a sledgehammer. No thanks.

Past that, the inside of the Seltos S is a plain mixture of onerous, darkish plastic surfaces, apart from the light-coloured headliner.

The widespread contact factors don’t get any particular therapy – the steering wheel is trimmed in agency urethane, and there’s a definite lack of padding for elbows.

On the intense aspect, the inside will seemingly final the check of time higher than vehicles full of much less resilient supplies.

The Seltos is sincere, by way of each its price range intent and age. To fireside up the two.0-litre engine you flip a key, and shifting the transmission entails pulling an old-school gear selector and dropping a bodily handbrake lever.

That’s to not point out the rotary air-conditioning controls.

In line with the theme, this bare-bones S options cloth-trimmed seats with handbook adjustment. The bottom cushion is just a little agency for my liking, however sculpted aspect bolsters do job of holding you regular via corners.

Whereas the cabin of the entry-level Seltos may be very yesterday in some ways, the inside tech is way extra 2024.

The S will get an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen and 4.2-inch digital instrument cluster, each included into the identical wraparound panel.

Neither will win design awards, however some great benefits of simplicity shine via right here. The infotainment system is responsive to the touch inputs (if just a little onerous tough to succeed in), fast to load, and straightforward to navigate with few extra options, whereas the instrument show presents the important info (pace, rpm, lane place) in a transparent method.

Wi-fi smartphone mirroring is normal throughout the vary, and there are three connection factors (USB-A, USB-C and 12V) situated beneath the centre stack.

Storage choices embrace slim door bins, twin centre telephone trays, a stock-standard glovebox, and a centre armrest cubby. General, there are many storage compartments for a automotive of this dimension.

The sensible second row is a spotlight of this inexpensive household SUV. Tall adults will wrestle for leg room, however in any other case each outboard seats boast loads of head room and toe room.

You sit fairly upright, which is an remark greater than a grievance.

Ingress and egress is made simpler by the wide-opening rear doorways, which afford extra room to load youngsters and gadgets into the again. Two ISOFIX baby seat anchor factors and a trio of top-tether factors increase the family-friendly credentials of the Seltos.

Older rear occupants will admire the pair of USB-C shops beneath the air vents, of which there are two.

There’s additionally a small storage tray, though the Seltos lacks map pockets or a rear centre armrest. Drink bottle holders are built-in into the doorways.

Kia quotes a best-in-class boot capability of 468L – an enormous drawcard for household consumers. Not solely is the boot enormous, but it surely’s simply accessible through a big sq. aperture, with no pronounced loading lip.

In case you ever want extra space, the rear bench folds nearly flat with a slight incline, unlocking additional capability. An area-saver spare wheel could be discovered beneath the boot ground.

To see how the Seltos traces up in opposition to the competitors, try our comparability device

What’s beneath the bonnet?

The Seltos nonetheless affords the selection of two petrol engines. On check right here is the two.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder, paired with a CVT auto and front-wheel drive.

To see how the Seltos traces up in opposition to the competitors, try our comparability device

How does the Kia Seltos drive?

The Seltos is a really confident SUV on the street, with constant driving dynamics and a user-friendly powertrain.

It could be the bottom engine, however the 2.0-litre non-turbo four-cylinder doesn’t really feel prefer it’s missing in any method, with sufficient poke to carry its personal in common driving.

Within the metropolis the Seltos is conscious of throttle inputs, pulling away cleanly with out making a racket. Engine noise could be a problem in cheaper, much less insulated autos, however that’s not the case right here.

Even the bottom Seltos S is quiet and clean, with an efficient CVT transmission that feels far nearer to a conventional automated than different examples that slur and jerk.

Properly-weighted and correct steering enhances the predictable powertrain – you level the steering wheel, and that’s the place the automotive goes. No vagueness or bushy moments the place you flip the wheel and nothing occurs.

This bundle can be notably interesting to earlier Kia house owners, as the weather are all acquainted. This being my first drive of a Seltos, I liken it to a Cerato on stilts, which is an efficient factor.

Within the metropolis, Kia’s second smallest SUV feels simply that, compact and manoeuvrable. Visibility is nice, back and front, and also you’ll comfortably match down any tight laneway.

In case you handle to get your self into an actual pickle, the Seltos additionally has a decent turning circle.

All of the above parts contribute to the Seltos’ wonderful parking manners – it suits in tight areas, and has a high-resolution reversing digital camera with traces to point out your trajectory.

None of those advantages come on the expense of cabin area, because the Seltos will transport 4 adults in consolation.

It rides properly, too, with a compliant suspension tune that smooths out common lumps and bumps within the street with ease. Deep potholes and pace humps do trigger the automotive to bounce just a little, however the Seltos rides impressively for its dimension.

It’s not all good, nevertheless. Kia nonetheless has loads of work to do on the Seltos’ lively security methods, which spoil the driving expertise to a level.

The pace restrict warning system is straight up infuriating. Each time you exceed the posted restrict by the barest margin, there’s a beep to drag you again into line. Rinse and repeat, time and again, every single day.

What’s extra, the Seltos is well confused by non permanent pace limits, ordering you to drive at college drop-off pace (40km/h) outdoors the designated hours. This isn’t a Kia-specific challenge, however there’s no level having site visitors signal recognition methods if they will’t learn the indicators accurately.

Driver help expertise can also be the main focus of my Seltos criticisms on the freeway.

The bottom Seltos S isn’t outfitted with adaptive cruise management, a characteristic that’s rapidly changing into vital. Consequently, congested freeway runs require you to brake when cruising behind a slower travelling automotive, interrupting the relief and reminding you of easier days.

Overtaking requires some effort too, because the 110kW/180Nm engine begins to expire of puff at triple-figure speeds.

When the site visitors finally thins out, the Seltos is a nice long-distance tourer, even in base specification. Though adaptive cruise is absent, steering is taken care of by intuitive lane centring.

Street and wind noise are saved to a minimal, and the engine is muted as soon as settled.

By way of effectivity, the Seltos S managed 8.0L/100km in blended driving situations, which is hardly class-leading however down on Kia’s declare.

To see how the Seltos traces up in opposition to the competitors, try our comparability device

What do you get?

The Seltos is accessible in 4 completely different trim ranges, and right here on check we’ve the bottom grade.

2025 Kia Seltos S highlights:

• 16-inch alloy wheels
• Spare-saver spare wheel
• Computerized halogen headlights
• Computerized high-beam
• Halogen daytime working lights
• Rear fog gentle
• Matte black grille mesh
• Physique-coloured door handles
• Physique-coloured, power-folding aspect mirrors
• Roof rails
• Rear spoiler
• Shark fin antenna
• 4.2-inch instrument cluster display screen
• 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• 6-speaker sound system
• 12V energy outlet in entrance console
• USB-A and USB-C outlet in entrance console
• Two USB-C shops behind centre console
• Handbook air-conditioning
• Second-row air vents
• Handbook handbrake
• Folding key
• Material upholstery
• 6-way manually adjustable driver’s seat

To see how the Seltos traces up in opposition to the competitors, try our comparability device

Is the Kia Seltos secure?

The Kia Seltos wears a five-star ANCAP security ranking based mostly on 2019 exams.

Normal security tools consists of:

• Entrance, front-side and curtain airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
  • Car detection
  • Pedestrian detection
• Blind-spot help
• Rear cross-traffic help
• Secure Exit Warning
• Clever Velocity Restrict Help
• Lane-keep help
• Lane Following Help (lane centring)
• Driver Consideration Alert
• Entrance and rear parking sensors
• Rear-view digital camera
• Tyre-pressure monitoring system

Sport+ and GT-Line fashions obtain AEB with bicycle owner avoidance and junction turning help, in addition to adaptive cruise management and lead-vehicle departure alert.

To see how the Seltos traces up in opposition to the competitors, try our comparability device

How a lot does the Kia Seltos price to run?

The 2025 Kia Seltos is roofed by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee, with seven years of capped-price servicing and as much as eight years of roadside help when you service the automotive at an authorised Kia seller.

To see how the Seltos traces up in opposition to the competitors, try our comparability device

CarExpert’s Tackle the Kia Seltos

Need a easy, sensible and inexpensive SUV with no frills? You may do rather a lot worse than a Kia Seltos S.

It’s simple to drive, has heaps of area, and comes with the good thing about a well-known badge.

However don’t count on an overload of showroom enchantment, tech gimmicks or funky inside supplies. In truth, don’t count on many luxuries in any respect, actually.

If it’s a contemporary small SUV expertise you’re after, the brand new Chery Tiggo 4 is full of premium options at a a lot cheaper price level. Nevertheless, we are able to’t but attest to how properly that automotive drives.

Likewise, the Haval Jolion Lux guarantees extra on paper, however the Kia has much better street manners.

We’d suggest the Seltos S over the GWM, and equally priced rivals from established manufacturers such because the Mazda CX-3 and Mitsubishi ASX.

That stated, we strongly advocate for potential consumers to stretch their price range to the Seltos Sport, which provides heaps of helpful package, together with upgraded inside tech, improved supplies and local weather management for a $4700 premium.

Eager about shopping for a Kia Seltos? Get in contact with considered one of CarExpert’s trusted sellers right here

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