Compare the2027 Honda CR-V VS 2027 Kia Seltos

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda CR-V have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Kia Seltos doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Honda CR-V has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help 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.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the CR-V deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The CR-V’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Seltos’ side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Honda CR-V achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Kia Seltos has not been tested.

The CR-V has a standard Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Seltos doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The CR-V has standard HondaLink Assist, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to 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 CR-V and the Seltos have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all-wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

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

There are over 34 percent more Honda dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the CR-V’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 2 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is rated lower.

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

The CR-V’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 43 more horsepower (190 vs. 147) and 47 lbs.-ft. more torque (179 vs. 132) than the Seltos’ standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The CR-V Hybrid’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 14 more horsepower (204 vs. 190) and 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (247 vs. 195) than the Seltos X-Line SX’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda CR-V turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Kia Seltos 4 cyl.:

	CR-V	Seltos
Zero to 60 MPH	8.4 sec	11 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	18.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	86.2 MPH	77.1 MPH

On the EPA test cycle the CR-V gets better mileage than the Seltos:

			MPG
CR-V
	FWD	2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	43 city/36 hwy
	AWD	2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	40 city/34 hwy
		TrailSport 2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	38 city/33 hwy
		1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/31 hwy
Seltos
	FWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/33 hwy
	AWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/30 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the CR-V Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Seltos doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the CR-V’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 (not available Hybrid). The Seltos doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The CR-V has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Seltos doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

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

	CR-V 1.5T	CR-V Hybrid	Seltos	Seltos AWD
Front Rotors	12.3 inches	12.6 inches	11 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	12.2 inches	12.2 inches	11.2 inches	11.2 inches

The CR-V stops much shorter than the Seltos:

	CR-V	Seltos
70 to 0 MPH	163 feet	181 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	112 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend

For better traction, the CR-V has larger tires than the Seltos (235/60R18 vs. 205/65R16).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CR-V LX has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Seltos.

For superior ride and handling, the Honda CR-V 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 CR-V has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the CR-V flat and controlled during cornering. The Seltos 4x2 suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The CR-V Sport Touring Hybrid handles at .85 G’s, while the Seltos X-Line SX pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The CR-V EX-L AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Seltos EX AWD (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the CR-V has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Seltos LX (8.2 vs. 7.5 inches), allowing the CR-V to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The CR-V’s minimum ground clearance is .1 inch higher than on the Seltos X-Line SX (8.2 vs. 8.1 inches).

The CR-V uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Seltos doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The CR-V has 2.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Seltos (106 vs. 103.4).

The CR-V has .5 inches more front hip room, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, 2 inches more rear legroom and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Seltos.

The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Seltos with its rear seat up (39.3 vs. 27.8 cubic feet). The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Seltos with its rear seat folded (76.5 vs. 64.2 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the CR-V. The Seltos doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The CR-V has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Seltos has no towing capacity.

The CR-V uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Seltos uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Honda service is better than Kia. J.D. Power ranks Honda 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 41% lower rating, Kia is ranked 27th.

The CR-V EX-L/Sport-L/Sport Touring Hybrid’s front and rear power windows all 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 EX/X-Line SX’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The CR-V’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Seltos’ passenger power window and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The CR-V’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Seltos’ manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The CR-V Sport Touring Hybrid’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Honda CR-V has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Seltos S/EX/X-Line S/X-Line SX offers wireless charging.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda CR-V, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Honda CR-V outsold the Kia Seltos by over seven to one during 2025.