Is the KIA Soul more reliable than the Jeep Renegade?

Yes, but only slightly. The Soul has fewer complaints per car sold, fewer recalls, and a lower yearly repair cost. Both share the same shop-visit rate and the same chance of a major repair. The Soul's engine oil-loss problems are serious, so the gap is narrow.

Which has more recalls, the Soul or the Renegade?

The Renegade has more. Federal recall records show 15 across its six model years, against 10 across eight Soul model years. Several Renegade air bag and Soul engine complaints involve owners waiting for recall parts, so confirm that all work is done before buying.

Which costs less to repair, the Soul or the Renegade?

The Soul costs less. Independent repair-cost data estimates $437 a year for the Soul and $498 for the Renegade. Over five years that adds up to about $305 saved. Both cars visit the shop unscheduled at the same rate, 0.2 times a year.

What are the most common Soul problems?

Engine trouble leads, with 410 complaints. Owners describe oil disappearing without a warning light, then rattling, rough running, stalling, and sometimes engine replacement. Early IVT transmission failures that cut power while driving also appear, along with stalls tied to the auto start-stop feature.

What goes wrong most on the Jeep Renegade?

Electrical problems lead, with 185 complaints. Airbag, seat belt, parking brake, and stop/start lights flicker together, and some owners report false automatic braking. Engine complaints follow, including oil burning and MultiAir actuator failures. Shifting problems and stalling also appear in the reports.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Jeep Renegade vs Kia Soul: Reliability Compared

Jeep Renegade

Good

More Reliable

Kia Soul

Good

Between these two compact SUVs, the KIA Soul holds a slight reliability edge over the Jeep Renegade, with lower repair costs and fewer recalls. Owners also filed far fewer complaints per car sold. Oil loss and engine trouble show up on both, so check service records before buying either.

How Do the Jeep Renegade and Kia Soul Generations Compare?

Third-generation Souls began with the 2020 model year and received a facelift for 2023. That generation's first two years, 2020 and 2021, are the weakest in the data. Cars from 2018 and 2019 belong to the second generation, which had a facelift in 2017. The Renegade covers a single generation, which began in 2015. It was updated for 2019, 2022, and 2023. Every Renegade year in the data comes from that one generation, and 2023 is the last year in the range.

Verdict

The Kia Soul is more reliable than the Jeep Renegade, scoring 77/100 vs 74/100.

A slight edge goes to the KIA Soul, not a clear win. Owners filed far fewer complaints per car sold, and independent repair-cost data puts its yearly bill lower. Shop-visit frequency and the chance of a major repair are the same for both. The Soul's weak spot is serious, though. Oil loss can lead to engine replacement. The Renegade's problems are more scattered and tend to be annoying, with a few exceptions. Reliability is close enough that the specific car and its repair history matter more than the badge.

Key Differences

1Kia Soul costs $61 less per year to repair
2Kia Soul has 14.0 fewer complaints per 10k sold
3Kia Soul has 5 fewer total recalls

Category Scoreboard

0Jeep Renegade

—

4Kia Soul

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateAnnual Repair CostRepair FrequencyMajor Repair RiskSafety Rating

Jeep Renegade vs Kia Soul: Which Is More Reliable?

Jeep Renegade vs Kia Soul at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Jeep Renegade	Kia Soul
Reliability Score	74/100	77/100
Years Tracked	6	8
Total Recalls	15	10
Complaints per 10k Sold	20.4	6.4
Annual Repair Cost	$498/yr	$437/yr
Repair Frequency	0.2/yr	0.2/yr
Major Repair Risk	9%	9%
Safety RatingNHTSA overall	2023 NHTSA	2025 NHTSA
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Year Wins	2 (1 tied)	3 (1 tied)

What Are the Common Problems With the Jeep Renegade and Kia Soul?

Oil is the thread in both, but it ends differently. Soul owners report oil vanishing with no low-oil warning, then rattling, stalling, failed timing parts, and sometimes a full engine replacement. The IVT transmission also failed early in several reports. Renegade complaints lean toward electrical trouble: warning lights flickering together, false braking alerts, and engines shutting off at idle. Its engine reports include MultiAir actuator failures that spray oil. The Renegade also has a crash-linked air bag area, mostly owners waiting on recall parts. The Soul lists no air bag area, but its power train and electrical areas each carry four crash-linked reports.

Jeep Renegade vs Kia Soul common problem areas comparison
Component	Jeep Renegade	Kia Soul
ENGINE	3.8Average	2.6Low
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	5.5Average	0.5Very Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	2.8Low	0.7Very Low
POWER TRAIN	2.5Low	1Very Low
AIR BAGS	0.9Very Low	0.2Very Low
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	0.9Very Low	—None
STEERING	0.4Very Low	0.3Very Low
SERVICE BRAKES	0.4Very Low	0.1Very Low
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	—None	0.5Very Low
STRUCTURE	0.2Very Low	0.1Very Low
FUEL SYSTEM	0.3Very Low	—None
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
SEAT BELTS	0.1Very Low	—None
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	0.1Very Low	—None
BACK OVER PREVENTION	0.1Very Low	—None
LANE DEPARTURE	0.1Very Low	—None
TIRES	0.1Very Low	—None
VISIBILITY/WIPER	0.1Very Low	—None
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	—None	0.1Very Low
WHEELS	—None	—None

Complaints per 10,000 units sold, aggregated across all tracked model years from NHTSA owner reports.

Which Is Cheaper to Maintain: Jeep Renegade or Kia Soul?

Repair bills run lower on the Soul, at $437 a year against $498 for the Renegade. That gap is $61 a year, or roughly $305 over five years. It is a modest difference. Both models see unscheduled shop visits at the same rate, 0.2 per year, and both carry a 9% chance that a repair is major. The cost gap comes from what the repairs cost, not from how often you go in. A single engine or transmission replacement on either car would wipe out the five-year savings.

How Does Jeep Renegade vs Kia Soul Reliability Compare by Year?

Jeep Renegade vs Kia Soul year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Jeep Renegade	Kia Soul	Edge
2023	77/1002R / 20C	77/1004R / 45C	Tie
2022	76/1002R / 24C	78/1001R / 78C	Kia Soul
2021	75/1002R / 64C	72/1002R / 190C	Jeep Renegade
2020	75/1003R / 62C	70/1001R / 338C	Jeep Renegade
2019	75/1004R / 77C	76/1001R / 123C	Kia Soul
2018	65/1002R / 440C	73/1001R / 199C	Kia Soul

Best years to cross-shop: The 2023 Jeep Renegade scored 77/100 and the 2022 Kia Soul scored 78/100 — the strongest shared model years that have been on the road for at least two years, where available.

Who Should Buy the Jeep Renegade vs the Kia Soul?

Pick the Soul if you want the lower running cost and fewer complaints for the number of cars sold. Ask for oil-change records and check for any open engine recall work before you buy. Without receipts, some owners were turned away for engine repairs. Be careful with 2020 and 2021, the weakest Soul years. The 2024 and 2025 cars rate best, but they are new and have had less time to collect complaints, so treat that as a lean, not proof. Pick the Renegade if you can live with electrical quirks and want a different set of risks than the Soul's engine failures. Have the dealer confirm every recall is finished, especially air bag work, since some owners waited on parts. Skip 2018 and 2021, the weakest years. The 2022 and 2023 models stand out as strongest, though they have also had less time on the road. Test drive for rough shifts and warning lights that flicker on and off.

Jeep Renegade vs Kia Soul: Common Questions

Is the KIA Soul more reliable than the Jeep Renegade?: Yes, but only slightly. The Soul has fewer complaints per car sold, fewer recalls, and a lower yearly repair cost. Both share the same shop-visit rate and the same chance of a major repair. The Soul's engine oil-loss problems are serious, so the gap is narrow.
Which has more recalls, the Soul or the Renegade?: The Renegade has more. Federal recall records show 15 across its six model years, against 10 across eight Soul model years. Several Renegade air bag and Soul engine complaints involve owners waiting for recall parts, so confirm that all work is done before buying.
Which costs less to repair, the Soul or the Renegade?: The Soul costs less. Independent repair-cost data estimates $437 a year for the Soul and $498 for the Renegade. Over five years that adds up to about $305 saved. Both cars visit the shop unscheduled at the same rate, 0.2 times a year.
What are the most common Soul problems?: Engine trouble leads, with 410 complaints. Owners describe oil disappearing without a warning light, then rattling, rough running, stalling, and sometimes engine replacement. Early IVT transmission failures that cut power while driving also appear, along with stalls tied to the auto start-stop feature.
What goes wrong most on the Jeep Renegade?: Electrical problems lead, with 185 complaints. Airbag, seat belt, parking brake, and stop/start lights flicker together, and some owners report false automatic braking. Engine complaints follow, including oil burning and MultiAir actuator failures. Shifting problems and stalling also appear in the reports.

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How we score the Jeep Renegade and Kia Soul

Scores weight complaint severity at 35%, repair costs at 30%, recall impact at 20%, and the spread of complaints across systems at 15%, with complaint counts adjusted for US sales. Read the full methodology.

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