Compare the2025 Kia SeltosVS 2025 Audi Q3

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
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 Q3 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 Audi Q3, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Seltos	Q3
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	-20 MPH	-8 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 Audi Q3 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 Q3 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Seltos and the Q3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 Audi Q3:

	Seltos	Q3
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	129	326
Neck Injury Risk	24%	39%
Neck Stress	237 lbs.	343 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	35 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Stress	127 lbs.	186 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	144/44 lbs.	261/249 lbs.

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

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Seltos is safer than the Q3:

	Seltos	Q3
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	135	288
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh/hip Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
	Rear Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Seltos is safer than the Audi Q3:

	Seltos	Q3
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	225	504
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	47 G’s
Hip Force	433 lbs.	485 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 Q3’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 Audi covers the Q3. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Q3 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 3 times as many Kia dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Seltos’ warranty.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Seltos has a standard 150-amp alternator. The Q3’s 140-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

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 Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 79 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 31st, 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 Audi 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, Audi is rated below average.

Engine

The Seltos X-Line/SX’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 11 more horsepower (195 vs. 184) than the Q3 40 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Seltos is faster than the Q3 45 TFSI:

	Seltos 4 cyl.	Seltos X-Line/SX	Q3
Zero to 60 MPH	8.3 sec	6.9 sec	8.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	85.5 MPH	91.2 MPH	85.4 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Seltos gets better mileage than the Q3:

			MPG
Seltos
	FWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/34 hwy
	AWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/31 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/27 hwy
Q3
	AWD	40 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
		45 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/28 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Seltos uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Q3 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Seltos higher (6 out of 10) than the Audi Q3 (5 to 6). This means the Seltos produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Q3 every 15,000 miles.

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 Q3 doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Seltos stops much shorter than the Q3:

	Seltos	Q3
60 to 0 MPH	113 feet	125 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	133 feet	135 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Seltos S AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the Q3 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Seltos S AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.7 seconds quicker than the Q3 (26.7 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Seltos’ turning circle is 3.9 feet tighter than the Q3’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Seltos has a 1.8 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Q3 (7.3 vs. 5.5 inches), allowing the Seltos to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Kia Seltos may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 550 to 950 pounds less than the Audi Q3.

The Seltos is 4 inches shorter than the Q3, making the Seltos easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Seltos has 15 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Q3 (99 vs. 84).

The Seltos has .4 inches more front headroom, 1.4 inches more front legroom, .8 inches more rear headroom and 1.9 inches more rear legroom than the Q3.

Cargo Capacity

The Seltos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Q3 with its rear seat up (26.6 vs. 23.7 cubic feet). The Seltos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q3 with its rear seat folded (62.8 vs. 48 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

The Seltos S/EX/SX has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Q3 doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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 Q3 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Consumer Reports rated the Seltos’ headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Q3’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Seltos SX keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Q3 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Model Availability

The Seltos is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q3 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Seltos and the Audi Q3, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Kia Seltos outsold the Audi Q3 by over two to one during 2024.

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