Soul

Make
Kia
Segment
SUV

The completely redesigned third generation Kia Soul has arrived and not only did it steal our heart when we drove it, we now learn that it's an incredibly safe vehicle too. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has just announced the 2020 Kia Soul subcompact crossover has earned its highest rating of Top Safety Pick+ following its latest crash test results. In fact, this rating beats the previous generation model's Top Safety Pick score.

The IIHS states the new Soul earns "Good" ratings in all six crashworthiness evaluations, which includes the passenger-side small overlap front crash test. The previous model only earned an "Acceptable" rating there. In order for any vehicle to earn that coveted Top Safety Pick+ score, it must earn "Good" ratings in all of the following categories: driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraints.

In addition, a vehicle must have an "Advanced" or "Superior" rating for front crash prevention. A "Good" headlight rating is also required. What's excellent about the new 2020 Soul is that it's offered with two optional front crash prevention systems. One even has pedestrian detection technology, a feature we're seeing becoming more common in new vehicles in general.

In the case of the Soul, both of these systems earned "Superior" ratings for front crash prevention. In the IIHS's crash tests at 12 mph and 25 mph, both systems manage to avoid collisions with a stationary target designed specifically to simulate the rear end of another car.

It's also important to point out this Top Safety Pick+ applies to 2020 Souls equipped not only with those optional systems, but also the "Good" rated LED projector headlights. These come standard on the Soul GT and Turbo, but are optional on the EX trim. Unfortunately, the remaining three headlights options, all of them halogen, earned "Poor" ratings. The new 2020 Kia Soul is on sale now and carries an MSRP of $17,490, not including destination and fees.