Compare the2026 Subaru Impreza VS 2027 Kia Seltos

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Impreza have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Kia Seltos doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Subaru Impreza has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Seltos doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Impreza has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Seltos doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Impreza. But it costs extra on the Seltos.

The Impreza has standard MySubaru Connected Services, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Seltos doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Impreza and the Seltos have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The Impreza’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Seltos runs out after 100,000 miles.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2026 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru second in overall reliability. Kia is ranked 10th.

The Impreza’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (152 vs. 147) and 13 lbs.-ft. more torque (145 vs. 132) than the Seltos’ standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Impreza RS 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Seltos X-Line SX 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder:

	Impreza	Seltos
Zero to 60 MPH	7.7 sec	8.2 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	21.8 sec	23.7 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	8.2 sec	9 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	4.3 sec	4.7 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	5.7 sec	5.8 sec
Quarter Mile	16 sec	16.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	88 MPH	86 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Impreza lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Seltos doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

On the EPA test cycle the Impreza gets better mileage than the Seltos:

			MPG
Impreza
	AWD	2.0 DOHC flat-4	27 city/33 hwy
		2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
Seltos
	AWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/30 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Impreza’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Seltos doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Impreza has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Seltos (16.6 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Impreza’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Seltos:

	Impreza	Seltos	Seltos AWD
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	11 inches	12 inches

The Impreza’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Seltos are solid, not vented.

The Impreza stops shorter than the Seltos:

	Impreza	Seltos
70 to 0 MPH	177 feet	181 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	127 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend

For better traction, the Impreza has larger tires than the Seltos (225/40R18 vs. 205/65R16).

The Impreza’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Seltos’ standard 65 series tires. The Impreza’s tires are lower profile than the Seltos X-Line SX’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Impreza has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Seltos.

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Impreza has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Seltos 4x2 has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Impreza has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Impreza flat and controlled during cornering. The Seltos 4x2 suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Impreza RS handles at .84 G’s, while the Seltos X-Line SX pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Impreza has 1.5 inches more front legroom and .3 inches more front shoulder room than the Seltos.

The engine in the Impreza is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Seltos. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than Kia. J.D. Power ranks Subaru third in service department satisfaction. With a 56% lower rating, Kia is ranked 27th.

The Impreza’s front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Seltos’ standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. The Seltos EX/X-Line SX’s rear windows don’t close automatically.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Impreza’s exterior PIN entry system. The Seltos doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Impreza has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Seltos doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Impreza’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Seltos offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Impreza has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Seltos.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Impreza, based on reliability, safety and performance.