The Kia Soul Era Is At An End – Here's Why It's Being Discontinued

The Kia Soul first appeared for the 2010 model year. It will be discontinued after the 2025 model year, with production ending in October of 2025. After a 16-year run and three generations, the iconic Kia Soul has run its course. The Soul is currently Kia's least expensive vehicle offered in the U.S. market at $21,935, including a destination fee of $1,445. More than one-and-a-half million examples have been sold in the U.S. since the Soul first appeared here.

The primary reason that Kia is discontinuing the Soul likely has to do with its steadily dwindling sales. After reaching a peak of 154,768 U.S. sales in 2016, sales dropped to around one-third of that, or 52,397 units in 2024, the most recent complete sales year. Another reason may be that Kia has several other SUV-type vehicles in its lineup, including the entry-level Seltos, the Niro hybrid, and the Sportage, all of which start under $30,000 MSRP. Kia's new price leader vehicle will be the K4 sedan, priced at $23,185 MSRP, including destination fees.

Kia reports that there are a few thousand new 2025 Souls remaining in dealer inventory, so those who would like one should hurry down to their local Kia dealer and scoop one up. Of course, there are quite a few more than that you can shop for as used cars, but you should be aware of the Kia engine recall involving faulty piston rings that affected Souls made from model years 2021 to 2023.

Let's start with the trio of dancing hamsters featured in Kia Soul advertising. The Soul's "A New Way to Roll" ad campaign won many awards, but it also placed the Kia Soul into the cultural moment, thanks to its use of cutting-edge music like LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" and Lady Gaga's "Applause." This key ad campaign made the Soul hip and desirable among the audience most likely to be able to afford Kia's entry-level SUV, along with an unintended cohort of retirees who liked its price and reliability.

The Kia Soul had a wide variety of powerplants during the years that it was produced, including a turbocharged mill that was dropped for the 2023 model year. What remains for 2025 as the Soul heads for the end of the production line is a single engine, a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated DOHC inline four-cylinder producing 147 horsepower. The engine is mated to Kia's IVT transmission, which is basically a CVT with adaptive style shift logic, driving the front wheels. This lone powertrain is available in four trim levels, the LX, S, GT-Line, and EX. Kia Soul pricing runs from $20,490 MSRP for the entry-level LX trim up to $24,790 MSRP for the top-of-the-line EX trim, plus destination fee of $1,445. 

The Kia Soul came upon the scene and made its mark on both car buyers and the popular culture, thanks to its innovative advertising and boxy design. Kia calls the Soul, "the first production vehicle in Kia's design-led and historic transformation."