2025 Kia Seltos
The 2025 Kia Seltos is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Seltos FWD, is EPA-rated at 31 mpg combined. NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for this model year so far (Safety Signal A). Owners have filed 13 complaints, most often about the forward collision avoidance. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
| Trim | Powertrain | Drive | MSRP | HP | Torque | MPG comb | Cargo (2nd row) | Wheels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LX | Gas | AWD | — | 146 hp | 132 lb-ft | 29 mpg | 26.6 cu-ft | 17 in |
| S | Gas | FWD | — | 146 hp | 132 lb-ft | 31 mpg | 26.6 cu-ft | 17 in |
| S | Gas | AWD | — | 146 hp | 132 lb-ft | 29 mpg | 26.6 cu-ft | 17 in |
| EX | Gas | FWD | — | 146 hp | 132 lb-ft | 31 mpg | 26.6 cu-ft | 17 in |
| EX | Gas | AWD | — | 146 hp | 132 lb-ft | 29 mpg | 26.6 cu-ft | 17 in |
| SX | Gas | AWD | — | 190 hp | 195 lb-ft | 25 mpg | 26.6 cu-ft | 18 in |
| X-Line | Gas | AWD | — | 190 hp | 195 lb-ft | 25 mpg | 26.6 cu-ft | 18 in |
MSRP excludes destination. Open a trim for the complete spec sheet and standard/optional equipment. Have the car in front of you? Decode its VIN to see which of these trims it is and what it was priced at.
Specs & fuel economy
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seltos FWD | Gas | FWD | 2.0L 4-cyl | 28 | 34 | 31 | $2,150 |
| Seltos AWD | Gas | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl | 27 | 31 | 29 | $2,300 |
| Seltos AWD | Gas | AWD | 1.6L 4-cyl turbo | 24 | 27 | 25 | $2,700 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 47954, 47962, 47961.
Emissions & certification
Source: EPA emission certificates| Configuration | Smog rating | Emission standard | Where it can be sold new | SmartWay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seltos FWD | 6 / 10 | California LEV-III SULEV30 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | — |
| Seltos AWD | 6 / 10 | Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 / California LEV-III SULEV30 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | — |
Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.
The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.
The cheapest ownership win
Insurers price the 2025 Seltos very differently, and the gap between the best and worst quote on the same car and driver is usually larger than any option you are weighing on this page.
How to compare cover →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
Recalls (0)
Source: NHTSA recall databaseNo NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2025 Kia Seltos. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them.
These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.
Hear about a recall before the letter does
The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2025 Kia Seltos, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.
Parts & accessories for the 2025 Kia Seltos
Search by fitment on eBay Motors — OEM take-offs, aftermarket, and the trim pieces dealers no longer stock. The listing and the price are the seller's.
Find parts for this Seltos →Owner complaints
Source: NHTSA complaint database1 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported
2.2 per 10,000 built · Kia reported 59,027 Seltos built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)
Filed per year: 2024: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2026: 6
Most-cited components
In owners' own words
Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.
The camber bolts in front struts moved from original location causing uneven tire wear and steering issues. When replacing tires mechanic showed me marks where bolts were originally and where they are now. Mechanic said he has seen multiple of same vehicles with the same issue.
While driving at night with the Headlights on Low Beam the light that is projected onto the road is a dull yellowish color, not a bright white color. When the High Beam Lights are turned on there is no difference of the light being projected onto the road.
The contact owns a 2025 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while driving in snowy, inclement weather; the entire rear end of the vehicle would become covered in snow. The contact stated snow would become to heavy for the rear windshield wiper which would obstruct his vision while driving in the snow.
Instrument cluster does not turn on upon ignition, when in cold weather. this has been a repeating incident, first of which started only 2 months after the purchase. even after 7 separate incidents, and handful dealer visits, car was deemed "okay" because they could not replicate the issue.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The braking system appears to have failed. When I attempted to slow down for a stop sign, the brake pedal went straight to the floor and did not respond as expected.
i get my lane assist and almost wrecked bc it defaulted without warning. when i came up on a car to fast. it didn’t slow down and try to automatically brake
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
Source: NHTSA NCAP| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 15% |
| SUV FWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 17% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.
Service bulletins & campaigns
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsMost often about: Electrical System, Power Train, Back Over Prevention, Steering.
- TSB_ELE422 Service bulletin2026-05-28 · Electrical System
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE. KIA. COM - This bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable Kia vehicles using the Kia Navigation Updater available at update.kia.com. The software update may improve system performance, enhance existing features, and apply the latest operating software for sup
- TSB_ELE412 Service bulletin2026-02-05 · Electrical System
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: STEERING ANGLE SENSOR CALIBRATION (SA641) - This bulletin provides information regarding the recalibration of the Steering Angle Sensor (SAS) on certain Seltos (SP2 PE) vehicles produced from March 3, 2025, through August 11, 2025. During manufacturing, the SAS in certain vehicles may not have been properly calibrated, resulting in a lower return-to-cent
- PS797 Other2025-12-09 · Back Over Prevention — Warnings
- PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal transmission and reception times between the vehicle (ultrasonic sensor) and an object. The membrane
- TSB_ELE382_R1 Service bulletin2025-10-22 · Electrical System
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: IBU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT: This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Integrated Body Control Unit (IBU) software on some 2021-2025MY Seltos (SP2) vehicles produced from November 20, 2019 through January 13. 2025. Wh
- TSB_ELE382 Service bulletin2025-08-19 · Electrical System
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: IBU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Integrated Body Control Unit (IBU) software on some 2021-2025MY Seltos (SP2) vehicles produced from November 20, 2019 through January 13. 2025. When the key fob is stored near the vehicle, a signal generated by the IBU for the 'Welcome Function' can cause the key fob battery to become depleted. Th
- TSB_ELE359 Service bulletin2025-06-23 · Electrical System
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: OIL CHANGE REMINDER RESETOPERATION LOGIC (SA592) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Integrated Control Unit ‘ICU’ software on certain 2024-2025MY Seltos (SP2) vehicles equipped with 1.6L T-GDI GAMMA engines produced from February 14, 2023 through June 29, 2024. The affected vehicles are not equipped with the Oil Change Reminder Reset sel
- TSB_TRA114 Service bulletin2025-06-11 · Power Train
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AWD/4WD COUPLING ACTUATOR REPLACEMENT (CA2503) - This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published under ELE374, titled ‘Service Action: AWD Coupling Actuator Logic Improvement (SA605)’. If the affected vehicles experience a loss of AWD capability (FWD continues to operate but there is no power sent to the rear wheels) acc
- TSB_ELE374 Service bulletin2025-05-21 · Electrical System
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AWD COUPLING ACTUATOR LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA605) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the 4-Wheel Drive (“4WD”) system software on certain 2024-2025MY Seltos (SP2) vehicles equipped with All-Wheel Drive (“AWD”) produced from February 14, 2023 through October 08, 2024. The affected vehicles may experience an interruption of supplementary power to the rear wheel
A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.
At the New York inspection station
Source: New York State DMVIn New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2025 Kia Seltos failed the safety inspection on 0.27% of first inspections — lower than the 0.36% for every 2025 model-year vehicle inspected.
failed the safety inspection
3,276 initial inspections of 3,223 vehicles.
| Measure | The 2025 Seltos | Every 2025 vehicle | Behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed the safety inspection | 0.27% | 0.36% | 3,276 |
| Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit | 0.18% | 0.16% | 3,276 |
| Miles driven a year | 7,909 | 8,354 | odometer at inspection |
| Average odometer | 11,529 | 12,194 | odometer at inspection |
New York does not emissions-test model years this new, so the safety inspection is the record here. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2025 vehicle” is every 2025 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).
Seltos by model year
all years, side by side →Common questions about the 2025 Seltos
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsDoes the 2025 Kia Seltos have any recalls?
No NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2025 Kia Seltos. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them, and a clean sheet on a recent model year often just means the vehicle is new.
How safe is the 2025 Kia Seltos?
NHTSA gave the 2025 Kia Seltos 5 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 5-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 4-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it A (100/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.
What is the fuel economy of the 2025 Kia Seltos?
Across the 3 EPA-rated configurations of the 2025 Kia Seltos, the best EPA combined figure is 31 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.
What do owners complain about on the 2025 Kia Seltos?
Owners have filed 13 complaints with NHTSA about the 2025 Kia Seltos, most often about forward collision avoidance, exterior lighting, electrical system. Of those, 1 involved a crash. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.
How clean is the 2025 Kia Seltos?
The EPA smog rating for the 2025 Kia Seltos is 6 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III SULEV30, Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 — which the table above lists per configuration.
Are there service bulletins for the 2025 Kia Seltos?
The manufacturer has filed 11 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2025 Kia Seltos, most often covering electrical system, power train, back over prevention. The most recent is dated 2026-05-28. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.
How does the 2025 Kia Seltos do at state inspection?
In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2025 Kia Seltos failed the safety inspection on 0.27% of first inspections — lower than the 0.36% for every 2025 model-year vehicle inspected. The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.
What we hold, and what an empty row means
Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.
| Data | Held | Source | What it covers — or what empty means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy & configurations | 3 configurations | EPA certification records | Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures. |
| Emission certificates | 3 configurations | EPA emission certificates | Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new. |
| Recalls | none | NHTSA recall campaigns | No campaign has been filed. Because the register is complete, an empty row here means there is nothing to find — not that we are missing it. |
| Owner complaints | 13 | NHTSA complaint database | Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold. |
| Crash ratings | 2 tested | NHTSA NCAP | Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them. |
| Service bulletins | 11 | NHTSA manufacturer communications | Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall. |
| Investigations | none | NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation | No defect investigation has been opened. |
| Driver-assist crash reports | none | NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01 | No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like. |
| Specifications filed with NHTSA | none | NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns | We had no VIN pattern to decode for this model year, or the manufacturer filed nothing usable. |
| Trims, pricing & equipment | 7 trims | Manufacturer press kit | Transcribed from the manufacturer's own press material, every value carrying the document it came from. |
Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly. Trim-level specifications and pricing are transcribed from the manufacturer's official press kit; every value carries its source in the data file.