Compare the2026 Subaru Forester VS 2027 Kia Seltos

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Forester 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 Forester 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 Forester 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.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Subaru Forester achieved a “Good” rating - the 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.

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

The Subaru Forester’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Kia Seltos does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.

The Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring has standard STARLINK 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 Forester and the Seltos have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front 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, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Subaru Forester has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2026 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test, and a “Good” score in the revised vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention test. The Seltos has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2026.

The Forester’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 Forester’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 33 more horsepower (180 vs. 147) and 46 lbs.-ft. more torque (178 vs. 132) than the Seltos’ standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Forester’s optional 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 4 more horsepower (194 vs. 190) than the Seltos X-Line SX’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Subaru Forester 4 cyl. is faster than the Kia Seltos 4 cyl.:

	Forester	Seltos
Zero to 60 MPH	8.7 sec	11 sec
Quarter Mile	16.7 sec	18.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	85.1 MPH	77.1 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Forester lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Seltos doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

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

			MPG
Forester
	AWD	2.5 flat-4 Hybrid	35 city/34 hwy
		2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
		Sport/Touring 2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/32 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 Forester 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 Forester’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 Forester 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 Forester’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Seltos:

	Forester	Forester Hybrid	Seltos	Seltos AWD
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	12.6 inches	11 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	11.8 inches	11.8 inches	11.2 inches	11.2 inches

The Forester’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 Forester stops much shorter than the Seltos:

	Forester	Seltos
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	181 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	118 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend

For better traction, the Forester has larger standard tires than the Seltos (225/60R17 vs. 205/65R16).

The Forester’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Seltos’ standard 65 series tires.

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

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

The Forester Touring handles at .83 G’s, while the Seltos X-Line SX pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Forester Sport executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the Seltos EX AWD (27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Forester Wilderness’ turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Seltos’ (34.5 feet vs. 35.2 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Forester has a 1.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Seltos LX (8.7 vs. 7.5 inches), allowing the Forester to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Forester Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is 1.2 inches higher than on the Seltos X-Line SX (9.3 vs. 8.1 inches).

The Forester has 7.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Seltos (110.8 vs. 103.4).

The Forester has .7 inches more front headroom, 1.9 inches more front legroom, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, .4 inches more rear legroom and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Seltos.

The Forester has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Seltos with its rear seat up (29.6 vs. 27.8 cubic feet). The Forester has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Seltos with its rear seat folded (74.4 vs. 64.2 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Forester Limited/Touring’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Seltos doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Forester has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Seltos has no towing capacity.

The engine in the Forester 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.

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

The Forester’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.

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

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Forester to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Seltos doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Forester’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.

Both the Forester and the Seltos offer available heated front seats. The Forester Touring also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Seltos.

The Forester 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® chose the Subaru Forester as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Forester outsold the Kia Seltos by over three to one during 2025.