Compare the2025 Kia SeltosVS 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Seltos are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

With its standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, the Kia Seltos is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Volkswagen Tiguan, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Seltos	Tiguan
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	-20 MPH	-12 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	No Slowing
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
37 MPH Brights	-21 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Brights	1.4 sec	No Warning
37 MPH Low beams	-5 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Low beams	.3 sec	No Warning

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Kia Seltos 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 Volkswagen Tiguan has not been tested.

The Seltos’ driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Seltos and the Tiguan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Seltos is safer than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

	Seltos	Tiguan
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	112	260
Neck Injury Risk	22.2%	37%
Neck Stress	242 lbs.	417 lbs.
Neck Compression	52 lbs.	80 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	371/423 lbs.	408/641 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches
Neck Stress	239 lbs.	261 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	387/46 lbs.	428/471 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Seltos is safer than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

	Seltos	Tiguan
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	447 lbs.	510 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	12 inches
HIC	227	330
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	49 G’s
Hip Force	620 lbs.	855 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The Seltos comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Tiguan’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Seltos 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Tiguan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Tiguan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 25 percent more Kia dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Seltos’ warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Seltos second among small suvs in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The Tiguan isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 78 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 30th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Volkswagen is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 9 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

Engine

The Seltos X-Line/SX’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 11 more horsepower (195 vs. 184) than the Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Kia Seltos is faster than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

	Seltos 4 cyl.	Seltos X-Line/SX	Tiguan
Zero to 30 MPH	3.6 sec	2.7 sec	4.1 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	9 sec	6.9 sec	10.3 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	5.5 sec	n/a	6.5 sec
Quarter Mile	17.1 sec	15.4 sec	17.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	84 MPH	91.2 MPH	83 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Seltos
	FWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/34 hwy
	AWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/31 hwy
Tiguan
	FWD	S 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/31 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
		R-Line 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy

Transmission

The Seltos has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Seltos stops much shorter than the Tiguan:

	Seltos	Tiguan
70 to 0 MPH	160 feet	183 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	113 feet	134 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	133 feet	135 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Seltos’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Tiguan S’ standard 65 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Seltos has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Tiguan’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Seltos SX handles at .84 G’s, while the Tiguan 4Motion® pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Seltos S AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Tiguan 4Motion® (26.7 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Seltos’ turning circle is 3.3 feet tighter than the Tiguan’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

Chassis

The Kia Seltos may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 600 to 800 pounds less than the Volkswagen Tiguan.

The Seltos is 1 foot, 1.5 inches shorter than the Tiguan, making the Seltos easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Seltos has .4 inches more front headroom and 1.2 inches more front legroom than the Tiguan.

Cargo Capacity

The Seltos has a much larger cargo volume than the Tiguan with its rear seat up (26.6 vs. 12 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Seltos has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Tiguan only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Compared to the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Kia Seltos eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Seltos and the Volkswagen Tiguan, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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