The Kia Soul launched in the middle of the Box Car Era — six years after the Honda Element hit the market, five years after the Scion xB, a year before Nissan began importing the Cube — and has outlasted all of them. The Element died in 2011, achieving cult status not long after; the Scion xB scooted off in 2015; the Nissan Cube collapsed in 2014. Although sales are down from the six-figure sales of 2011 to 2018 in the U.S., dealers have found new homes for around 60,000 units in each of the past two years, so the Soul isn’t out of the game yet, but Kia seems to have left the model line on cruise control. Other than a refresh for the 2023 model year, we cover the subcompact once every 12 months when the new model year arrives. So here we are again with a near repeat of last year’s news (“2024 Kia Soul MSRP up by $100, EX trim adds Designer Package”).
For 2025, Kia raised MSRPs by $100 over current pricing at the time of writing. However, because Kia raised prices during the 2024 model year, and also raised the destination price just like last year, by $50 this time instead of last year’s $100 bump, the difference between launch pricing in 2024 and 2025 is $300 on all trims.
MSRPs after the increase and the $1,375 (!) destination charge are:
- LX: $21,665
- S: $24,165
- GT-Line: $25,265
- EX: $25,965
The treat for 2025 is the Soulmate Special Edition built atop the EX trim. Outside, this adds a two-tone roof and lower body cladding, and gets a special set of 18-inch wheels. Inside, buyers will find SynTex and Cloth Seating in an umber color, and Harman Kardon premium audio. This makes the Soulmate Special Edition last year’s Designer Package with the addition of the two-tone roof, lower body cladding, and premium audio. The premium audio becomes an option on the EX this year after only being available in the GT-Line Technology Package, as do the RS shock absorbers from the GT-Line, which we’ll guess are an unmentioned part of the Soulmate package as well.
Kia didn’t give a price for the Soulmate makeover. The Designer Package cost $500, so expect something higher than that.
Every Soul is still powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, shifting through a CVT only after Kia dropped the manual transmission for the 2022 model year.