2024 Kia Seltos

The 2024 Kia Seltos is a repeat winner of our Best Buy Award in its class for its roomy interior, modern technology, and excellent warranty. Pricing starts at $24,390.

The Kia Seltos was already a class leader in subcompact SUVs, and it gets even better with a 2024 update that includes visual refinements, more technology, and extra power from the turbocharged engine. The Seltos boasts a roomy interior for such a small SUV, the best warranty in its class, and affordable pricing to keep it within reach for a wide range of drivers. Similar SUVs include the Honda HR-V and Subaru Crosstrek. The Seltos is a reigning Best Buy Award champion and we’re glad to see a great SUV get even better.

The 2024 Kia Seltos starts at $24,390. The entry price for turbo power is $28,690 via the X-Line trim, and the top SX model starts at $29,990. It’s priced similarly to rivals like the Subaru Crosstrek, which starts at about $25K, and the Mazda CX-30, starting at around $23K.

Compare trims side by side

These are the manufacturer’s suggested retail prices (MSRP) and don’t include the $1,325 factory-to-dealer delivery fee (destination charge).

Before buying a Seltos, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. Kia Seltos resale value is above average for the segment.

What’s New for 2024?

The Seltos gets a rather comprehensive glow-up for 2024, with changes outside, inside, and under the hood.

The grille is larger, there’s more expansive lighting front and rear, and there’s a new Seltos X-Line, a slightly more rugged-looking Seltos with black wheels and fewer shiny bits.

Interior updates are highlighted by a newly available panoramic screen setup, incorporating a pair of big, beautiful 10.25-inch displays.

And the optional turbocharged engine now makes 195 horsepower — up from 175 — and gets paired with a much more refined transmission. The powertrain it replaces could be rough at times, a trait we noted over our year-long test of the Seltos when it debuted. We found the new setup as good as advertised. The additional power is nice, of course, but greater responsiveness and smoother shifts are the transformative improvements.

With its 146-horsepower 4-cylinder engine, the 2024 Kia Seltos is capable of hitting 60 mph in 9.6 seconds. That’s rather leisurely, but very typical of the segment. Still, we’ve found it responsive around town and count it among the more lively and engaging subcompact SUVs. It’s a standout on the highway, too, with ride comfort and noise levels that belie its tidy dimensions.

We’re happy to report that turbocharged Seltos models got the improvement they needed: A new transmission, along with more horsepower. The former fixed the one quibble we had with the prior Seltos, and the latter is icing on the cake. The 2024 Kia Seltos X-Line and SX models now use a traditional 8-speed automatic transmission to go with their 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, which now makes 20 more horsepower for a total of 195.

The new 8-speed transmission improves the character of the turbo Seltos models, making them smoother and better everyday drivers. It replaces a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic that could feel rough at times, a trait we noted over thousands of miles and a year of testing a former Seltos SX turbo. This new one has no such issues, and along with being smoother brings the added verve of more power and torque. Most Seltos buyers will stick with the more affordable, more efficient powertrain, but the turbo models are easily the most fun of the bunch.

The interior of the Seltos is updated for 2024 with a cleaner and more premium design. The big addition is the newly available dual 10.25-inch panoramic displays connecting the digital gauge cluster with the infotainment screen. It comes on all but the base LX trim, which still features an 8-inch touchscreen

Interior space and comfort are strong suits of the Seltos. The front seats are comfortable, and we were impressed with the space in the rear seats when we climbed back there and found plenty of legroom for average adults.

The cargo space is above average for a subcompact SUV. It’s so roomy that one of our editors even found the Seltos helpful while moving, on top of being a pleasant and practical daily commuter.

Other new and appreciated amenities include ventilated front seats and a power tailgate, both part of the Sunroof Package on SX models.

The updated 2024 Kia Seltos adopts what Kia calls the “digital tiger” design language. It’s a more high-tech iteration of the outgoing aesthetic with a redesigned LED light signature. It has a light bar in the back and a sharper look up front with a bigger grille.

A new X-Line model joins the lineup for 2024. This is essentially an appearance package suggesting off-road ambitions, with gloss black and gunmetal accents with skid plates.

Interesting and attractive paint colors are available, including the sea-green Pluton Blue, plus a variety of 2-tone options with a contrasting roof color.

Panoramic display
Dual 10.25-inch displays — a setup included on all but the base model — give the Seltos passenger cabin a class-above look and feel.

Transferrable Digital Key
With your smartphone and the Kia Connect app, you can lock the Seltos or start the engine from the other side of the country (or from inside the house, more likely). You can even “send” a key to a friend or family member.

Spacious interior
The Seltos has one of the roomiest interiors in its class, making it one of the most practical SUVs in its segment.

Turbo engine
The optional 195-horsepower turbocharged engine is one of the most powerful available in this segment.

Bose audio with mood lighting
Most SUVs are available with a premium audio system, but the one in the Seltos adds mood lighting for a more fun and high-tech interior atmosphere.

Rugged X-Line trim
The new X-Line trim adds a more outdoorsy personality to the Seltos with gloss black trim, a gunmetal gray grille and skid plates, high-utility roof rails, and all-wheel drive with Lock Mode.

The base engine in the Seltos is a dutiful 4-cylinder mated to an automatic transmission (of the continuously variable variety). Its performance is adequate, and it’s good on gas, especially with front-wheel drive (FWD). All-wheel drive (AWD) is standard on the base LX, and optional on S and EX trim levels.

The turbocharged engine in the Seltos X-Line and SX trims adds more excitement to this SUV. It’s re-tuned for 2024 with an extra 20 horsepower. Gone is the quick-shifting but imperfect 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, replaced with a smoother-shifting traditional 8-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is standard with the turbo engine.

2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine
146 horsepower @ 6,200 rpm
132 lb-ft of torque @ 4,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 28/34 mpg (FWD), 27/31 mpg (AWD)

1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine
195 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
195 lb-ft of torque @ 1,600-4,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 25/27 mpg

More Seltos fuel economy information is available on the EPA’s website.

5-Year/60,000-Mile Warranty

You won’t find a subcompact SUV with a better warranty. The 2024 Kia Seltos is covered by a 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty and 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain coverage. The powertrain warranty reverts to 5/60 coverage for second owners.

Safety Ratings

The Kia Seltos has earned a 4-Star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Top Safety Pick honors from the Insurance Insitute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Test Vehicle

We’ve tested several examples of the updated Seltos, including this SX Turbo AWD in Snow White Pearl with an all-in sticker price of $33,085 (view window sticker).

Our Expert Ratings come from hours of both driving and number crunching to make sure that you choose the best car for you. We comprehensively experience and analyze every new SUV, car, truck, or minivan for sale in the U.S. and compare it to its competitors. When all that dust settles, we have our ratings.

We require new ratings every time an all-new vehicle or a new generation of an existing vehicle comes out. Additionally, we reassess those ratings when a new-generation vehicle receives a mid-cycle refresh — basically, sprucing up a car in the middle of its product cycle (typically, around the 2-3 years mark) with a minor facelift, often with updates to features and technology.

Rather than pulling random numbers out of the air or off some meaningless checklist, KBB’s editors rank a vehicle to where it belongs in its class. Before any car earns its KBB rating, it must prove itself to be better (or worse) than the other cars it’s competing against as it tries to get you to spend your money buying or leasing.

Our editors drive and live with a given vehicle. We ask all the right questions about the interior, the exterior, the engine and powertrain, the ride and handling, the features, the comfort, and of course, about the price. Does it serve the purpose for which it was built? (Whether that purpose is commuting efficiently to and from work in the city, keeping your family safe, making you feel like you’ve made it to the top — or that you’re on your way — or making you feel like you’ve finally found just the right partner for your lifestyle.)

We take each vehicle we test through the mundane — parking, lane-changing, backing up, cargo space and loading — as well as the essential — acceleration, braking, handling, interior quiet and comfort, build quality, materials quality, reliability.