Honda CR-V vs Kia Soul: which is more reliable?
The Kia Soul is clearly ahead of the Honda CR-V on the federal record: 70/100 against 58/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Honda CR-V
- 15 model years scored
- 10,020 owner complaints on record
- about 122 complaints per year on the road
- 64 recall campaigns, 48 safety-critical
- best year 2012 (88/100) · worst 2019 (26/100)
Kia Soul
- 15 model years scored
- 5,388 owner complaints on record
- about 41 complaints per year on the road
- 31 recall campaigns, 13 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (91/100) · worst 2014 (38/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: CR-V against Soul
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
| Year | CR-V | Soul | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 43 AVOID | 90 BUY | -47 |
| 2024 | 42 AVOID | 91 BUY | -49 |
| 2023 | 39 AVOID | 84 BUY | -45 |
| 2022 | 75 BUY | 88 BUY | -13 |
| 2021 | 70 BUY | 68 CAUTION | +2 |
| 2020 | 67 CAUTION | 55 CAUTION | +12 |
| 2019 | 26 AVOID | 89 BUY | -63 |
| 2018 | 31 AVOID | 83 BUY | -52 |
| 2017 | 29 AVOID | 81 BUY | -52 |
| 2016 | 83 BUY | 43 AVOID | +40 |
| 2015 | 78 BUY | 41 AVOID | +37 |
| 2014 | 85 BUY | 38 AVOID | +47 |
| 2013 | 86 BUY | 60 CAUTION | +26 |
| 2012 | 88 BUY | 73 BUY | +15 |
| 2011 | 72 BUY | 86 BUY | -14 |
What owners actually complain about
Honda CR-V
- Engine — 1,923 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,369 complaints
- Steering — 1,366 complaints
Kia Soul
- Engine — 3,094 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 626 complaints
- Electrical System — 496 complaints
Both nameplates have Engine as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Honda CR-V — avoid: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025.
Kia Soul — avoid: 2014, 2015, 2016.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Honda CR-V prices at about $30,500 and a Kia Soul at about $30,500 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 28.0 against 30.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Honda CR-V or the Kia Soul more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Kia Soul scores 70/100 against the Honda CR-V's 58/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Kia Soul carries about 41 complaints per year on the road against 122 for the Honda CR-V.
Which Honda CR-V and Kia Soul years should I avoid?
Honda CR-V: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025. Kia Soul: 2014, 2015, 2016. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Honda CR-V and the Kia Soul?
The largest complaint group on the Honda CR-V is Engine (1,923 complaints); on the Kia Soul it is Engine (3,094).
Is the Honda CR-V or the Kia Soul cheaper to own?
A recent used Honda CR-V prices at about $30,500 and a Kia Soul at about $30,500, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.